Selected Papers
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Report and Plan of Action on Population and Poverty
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Report of the Preparatory Committee Meeting for the 5th APPC, 21-22 March 2002

A. Background

1. The Preparatory Committee for the Fifth Asian and Pacific Population Conference (Fifth APPC) was held at Bangkok from 21 to 22 March 2002. The meeting was jointly organized by the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). There is growing evidence that rapid population growth, uneven population distribution and slow economic growth have resulted in increasing levels of poverty and have distorted income distribution in a number of countries. This emerging scenario suggests that there is a pressing need to reassess current strategies to meet the challenges that lie ahead. In this regard, the experience of the countries in the region is important in formulating and implementing population policies and programmes that can help to reduce the adverse consequences of population growth and reduce poverty.

B. Objectives of the meeting

2. The objectives of the meeting were to finalize:

the theme and substantive topics for the Fifth Asian and Pacific Population Conference (APPC) to be held from 11 to 17 December 2002 in Bangkok;
the provisional agenda of the Fifth APPC;
the modalities of the Conference;
the background documentation and guidelines for country reports to be prepared for the Conference.
C. Participation

3. The meeting was attended by 20 senior-level officials from 16 members of the Commission. Representatives of the United Nations Development Programme, United Nations Population Fund and United Nations Children's Fund attended as observers. One inter-governmental organization was represented: the International Organization for Migration. The following international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) were represented: Asian Forum for Parliamentarians on Population and Development, International Planned Parenthood Federation, International Union for the Scientific Study of Population and the Population Council. A representative of Thailand's Chulalongkorn University attended as an observer.

D. Opening of the meeting

4. The Chief of the Population and Rural and Urban Development Division of ESCAP welcomed the delegates attending the Preparatory Committee. He briefed the delegates on the Fourth Asian and Pacific Population held in Bali, Indonesia in 1992 and the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) held in Cairo in 1994. The Bali Conference recommended that Governments formulate long-term policies and programmes to tackle population growth and poverty, while ICPD emphasized the linkages between population and poverty alleviation. He also reiterated the Millennium Development Goals related to poverty reduction in the context of population and health. He pointed out that decisions and recommendations arising from global conferences had guided the member countries, funding agencies, civil society and non-governmental organizations to work towards alleviating poverty and improving the quality of life and well-being of society. In particular, he emphasized the role of the Preparatory Committee in examining the progress made since 1992 in (a) achieving the goals set at the Bali Conference, and later at ICPD, (b) identifying emerging issues and challenges, and (c) making recommendations for organizing the Fifth APPC.

5. The Preparatory Committee meeting was opened by the Deputy Executive Secretary of ESCAP. She welcomed the delegates stating that although the Executive Secretary was unable to open the meeting personally because of commitments abroad, he looked forward to receiving the report and recommendations on the way forward for ESCAP and UNFPA to proceed in their preparations for this important meeting. She highlighted the fact that the Fifth Asian and Pacific Population Conference will be the only ministerial-level conference to be organized by ESCAP in 2002. This will also be the fifth in a series of decennial conferences convened by the Commission to promote regional cooperation in the field of population and to consider a wide range of population issues and their impact on social and economic development. The proposed theme on population and poverty was appropriate because poverty persisted in many countries of the ESCAP region. In some of them, poverty had even intensified as a result of the 1997/98 Asian financial crisis. These factors had demonstrated the need for re-evaluation of the links between population and development. The adoption in 2001 of the Millennium Declaration had helped to crystallize and revitalize the thinking on the links between population and poverty. In addition to the goal of reducing income poverty, the Declaration established several population-related goals to be attained by 2015. These included the reduction by three quarters of the maternal mortality rate, reduction by two thirds of the child mortality rate, and the containment and reversal of the spread of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), malaria and other major diseases that afflict humanity. The Deputy Executive Secretary emphasized that the secretariat would appreciate reflection on the issues and identification of the problems and areas requiring the greatest attention from all parties concerned, such as Governments, international donors and civil society. The limited time available should therefore be used to highlight priority areas and to make recommendations on the modalities of organizing the Conference in such a way that it would meet the expectations of member and associate member Governments and civil society.

6. On behalf of UNFPA, the Director of the Asia and Pacific Division welcomed the participants and highlighted the importance of the Fifth APPC for ESCAP and UNFPA to assist countries in their efforts to meet the goals of ICPD and the Special Session of the United Nations General Assembly on the International Conference on Population and Development, popularly known as "ICPD + 5." He highlighted the fruitful and productive collaboration between the two organizations in this regard. He also drew the attention of the participants to the positive impacts of the Bali Declaration on ICPD and subsequent international conferences and the implementation of the Asia and the Pacific population programme. He underscored the nexus between population, resources, environment, development and poverty. He stressed that rapid population growth, uneven distribution of population and slow economic growth have resulted in increasing poverty levels and have brought about imbalances in income distribution in a number of countries. The priority issues that needed to be discussed, among others, included reducing poverty, improving women's status, reducing maternal mortality, improving reproductive health and reproductive choices, enhancing access to a wide range of contraceptives, addressing the reproductive health needs of adolescents and reducing the incidence and prevalence of HIV/AIDS. Finally, he urged the participants to include for deliberation at the Fifth APPC the broader issues related to improving partnerships and resources.

E. Election of officers

7. The meeting elected Mr Shahab Khawaja, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Population Welfare, Pakistan, as Chairperson; Ms Zhao Baige, Director General, Department of International Cooperation, the State Family Planning Commission, China, as Vice-Chairperson; and Mr Tomas M. Osias, Executive Director, Commission on Population, the Philippines, as Rapporteur.

F. Summary of discussions and recommendations

8. The meetings decided that the theme of the Conference should be "Population and Poverty in Asia and the Pacific". It agreed to the proposed timetable for the Conference: 11-14 December 2002 for the Senior Officials Segment and 16-17 December 2002for the Ministerial Segment. It also finalized the provisional agenda and timetable for the Conference.

9. During the meetings there was considerable debate on the number of sessions and whether to include the issues of the family and advocacy. However, in order to give such issues focus, it was agreed that family would be considered in the broader context of different sessions. Further, it was agreed that reproductive health, including family planning (RH/FP) programmes and other related issues would be addressed at all levels, with the output of the Conference output will being rearranged as appropriate.

10. It was suggested that the session on information and communication technology (ICT) be expanded to cover behavioural change communication, advocacy and information technology as tools for population development and poverty reduction. The meeting agreed on the conference documentation to be prepared by the secretariat and the guidelines for the country reports. It recommended that countries be requested to prepare reports of 20-25 pages each, reflecting all the agenda items and other issues relevant to the countries. It was agreed that the report be submitted to the secretariat by 31 August 2002 in print and electronic formats for inclusion in the Conference documentation and for wider dissemination. Each country report should include a table summarizing national accomplishments since the Bali Conference and ICPD on the agreed set of goals relevant to the Conferences. Further, the country report should highlight best practices with regard to reproductive health, including family planning programme implementation, population and poverty, adolescent reproductive health programmes, the use of ICT etc., for sharing information and exchanging experiences with the aim of strengthening South-South cooperation. It was recommended that statements by Ministers follow the general practice of not exceeding five minutes in consideration of the time allocated for that agenda item.

11. The importance of wide publicity was recognized and it was suggested that besides using posters, newsletters, electronic mail and its web site, the secretariat should also prepare a brochure for wider distribution and dissemination. The meeting agreed that the Ministerial Conference would include one panel discussion on an emerging issue relating to population and poverty and an exhibition during the Ministerial segment. The topic for the panel discussion will be selected through informal consultation between the secretariat, UNFPA and the countries concerned. The meeting further recommended that selected organizations and NGOs be allowed to make a brief statement at the Conference under agenda item 5.

12. The meeting proposed that the title of the declaration expected to emerge from the Conference be the Fifth Asian Pacific Population Conference Plan of Action on Population and Poverty.

13. The agenda, annotations, timetable, format for country reports and details about background documentation were discussed and adopted by the meeting.