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Population and Development Commission wraps
up annual session
The thirty-eighth session of the Commission on Population and Development
met in New York from 4 to 8 April under the theme “Population,
Development and HIV/AIDS, with Particular Emphasis on Poverty”.
The Commission also considered the contribution of the implementation
of the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population
and Development (ICPD) to the achievement of the internationally
agreed goals, including those contained in the United Nations Millennium
Declaration. Implementation of the Programme of Action of the ICPD
had not advanced equally in all countries, said the Under-Secretary-General
for Economic and Social Affairs, Jose Antonio Ocampo, at the opening
of the session. Maternal mortality continued to be unacceptably
high and HIV/AIDS continued to take over 3 million people annually,
he said.
Full implementation of the Programme of Action would contribute
to slower population growth in developing countries by reducing
fertility levels, which would lead to favourable age composition
and increase women’s participation in the workforce.
Highlighting this year’s Commission meeting were two keynote
speakers; Dr. Debrework Zewdie, Director of the Global HIV/AIDS
Programme of the World Bank and Dr. Paulo Texeira, Senior Coordinator,
Sao Paulo STD/AIDS Programme.
In her keynote address, Ms. Zewdie stressed the need to capitalize
on the unprecedented global solidarity to provide treatment and
care for millions of people infected and affected by HIV/AIDS. “While
other regions might not have Africa’s fate, arresting the
epidemic or driving it downwards… needs a clear strategy now,
before it is too late”, she said.
Outlining the devastation the epidemic had and caused, Ms. Zewdie
cited its shocking statistics and said the epidemic continued to
grow, as evidenced by the fact that more people had been infected
in 2004 than in any previous year.
Mr. Texeira as for him, called for the adoption of a “Marshall
Plan” by rich countries to counter AIDS epidemic. “We
need a global strategy that takes into account the AIDS epidemic
in all actions to promote development and to fight poverty, including
economic adjustment plans and foreign debt relief”, he said.
Among other items discussed by the four-day Commission were the
world demographic trends and national experiences in population
matters. The current world picture is one of dynamic population
change, reflected in new and diverse patterns of childbearing, mortality,
migration, urbanization and ageing, the Commission was told.
Introducing the report on world population trends, Barry Mirkin,
Chief of the Population Policy Section of the Population Division,
DESA said that developed and developing countries diverged significantly
with regard to their population concerns. High mortality was the
most significant population concern for developing countries, particularly
mortality among infants and children, and mortality from HIV/AIDS.
The main concern for developed countries related to low fertility
and its consequences, including population ageing and the shrinking
of the working-age population Governments were now more inclined
to act on population concerns by formulating and implementing policies
to address those issues.
Programme implementation and future programme of work of the Secretariat
in the field of population was another item considered by the meeting.
Speaking on behalf of ESCAP, Mr. Bhakta Gubhaju described the regional
Commission’s population programme. He said that population
ageing was one of the issues of serious concern in the Asian and
Pacific region. Migration is another important issue of concern
in the region. Managing migration is important in the region’s
effort to alleviate poverty and improve the status of women, he
said.
Mr. Gubhaju said that during the project cycle 2004-2007, ESCAP
was implementing a United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)-funded
project entitled “Population, Development and Poverty: Emerging
Challenges”, the overall goal of which was to contribute to
more effective national and sectorial development plans that incorporated
emerging population issues in ways that reduced poverty, improved
reproductive health and empowered women and older persons. The project
would focus on activities concerning mortality, fertility, population
ageing and international migration.
ESCAP strives to accomplish its goals throughout the region primarily
by building capacity at the national level, conducting training
courses for population professionals, providing technical assistance,
disseminating information and facilitating the exchange of knowledge
and experience, he said.
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