A quarterly international newsletter on sexuality, sexual health, and sexuality education.
Volume 3, Issue 1 - Spring/Summer 2004
ICPD Turns 10; United States Continues to Export Conservative Ideology at the Expense of Global Public Health
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) that was held in Cairo, Egypt in September 1994. At ICPD, 179 countries adopted by consensus a 20-year Programme of Action (PoA).The PoA presented a new strategy for managing population growth that focused on the needs and rights of individuals, rather than on achieving demographic targets and quotas.
The PoA also formally recognized that women's empowerment is a key to achieving development goals. Accordingly, the PoA aimed to increase women's access to education, skill development, employment opportunities, and comprehensive family planning and reproductive health services.
Since 2002, the Bush Administration has seized every opportunity to undermine the original agreement by voicing dissent at regional events organized to review the progress of the PoA and to commemorate the 10 Year Anniversary of the conference. For example:
The U.S. at the Fifth Asia and Pacific Population Conference (APPC)
Bangkok, Thailand - December 2002At this meeting, designed to review the progress made in the Asia and Pacific region since 1994, the Bush Administration threatened to withdraw from the ICPD PoA, arguing that the plan promoted abortion as a means of family planning. The U.S. delegation, attending the conference by virtue of U.S. holdings in Guam and other Pacific territories, pushed for the removal of the words "reproductive health services" and "reproductive rights" from the original document.
In addition to lodging a formal complaint regarding that language, the U.S. also voiced disapproval with what it claimed was the document's insufficient focus on abstinence as a primary prevention method for young people. The U.S. garnered no visible support for its position at the conference, and the terms "reproductive health" and "reproductive rights," as well as the original 1994 language on adolescent reproductive health were all retained. The U.S. formally joined the Bangkok Consensus only after inserting a long account of its dissenting views into the official record.
The U.S. at the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE)
Geneva, Switzerland - January 2004In January 2004, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) met to examine emerging population challenges in the context of the ICPD and identify the most appropriate policy responses to them.
The Bush Administration used this venue to promote its conservative agenda. For example, Patrick Marcham, a U.S. representative from the Department of Health and Human Services, asked other delegations to support families by promoting policies that strengthen the institution of marriage. He also noted that while condoms "can be effective in the fight against HIV, there is insufficient evidence regarding their efficacy against a number of STDs, including human papillomavirus (HPV)...."1 In closing, he stated that the "UNECE should stick to its original economic mandate and not expand into social or other areas of expertise. There are other bodies available, which are better suited to coordinate population issues."2
The U.S. at the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC),
Santiago, Chile - March 2004Recently, the ECLAC met to assess the region's progress towards meeting the goals of the ICPD PoA. Delegations from 38 countries were present at the conference and decided to issue a declaration reaffirming the plan.The United States was alone in refusing to join the accord.
As at the Bangkok conference, U.S. delegates insisted on deleting references to "reproductive health services,""unsafe abortions," and "condom use. "The U.S. representatives also argued for adding language that would give parents full control over adolescents' sexual and reproductive health. In response, other delegations proposed their own revisions to strengthen the original declaration.
The final declaration not only retained most of the original language, but also added references to the dangers of unsafe abortions, and asserted adolescents' rights to independent decisionmaking. Ultimately, the U.S. delegation refused to reaffirm the document.
The 37th Session of the Commission on Population and Development (CPD)
New York, NY - March 2004At its 37th Session, the CPD reviewed and appraised the progress made in the implementation of the ICPD PoA.The U.S. delegation spoke about abstinence as the healthiest choice for unmarried adolescents and reaffirmed their position on the importance of parents' involvement in young people's decisions about their reproductive and sexual health. The U.S. once again refused to reaffirm the 1994 ICPD consensus because of what it considered unclear treatment of abortion in the PoA.
Despite actions on the part of the United States to undermine the ICPD PoA, progress has been made in the last 10 years towards advancing the goals set forth in the original document. As noted in State of the World Population, a 2003 report released by United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), since ICPD, women across the globe are gaining access to literacy and education, and at a faster rate than men. In addition, nearly 90 countries are on track to end gender inequality in primary education by 2015. More efforts have been made to provide appropriate sexual and reproductive health services, and sexuality education and prevention programs increasingly focus on imparting life skills and providing comprehensive information.
ICPD has also prompted countries to address HIV and AIDS. In Uganda and Zambia, for example, HIV prevalence rates have steadily declined as a result of large-scale comprehensive prevention programs. Furthermore, the ICPD PoA has promoted international acceptance of an approach that recognizes that the most effective way to slow population growth is through comprehensive reproductive health services. As a result, almost every country has acted to implement more comprehensive, integrated services.
Unfortunately, the policies and actions of the Bush Administration threatens to undo much of this important progress.
References
The ICPD Programme of Action in Its Own Words
On abortion: "In no case should abortion be promoted as a method of family planning. All Governments and relevant intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations are urged to strengthen their commitment to women's health, to deal with the health impact of unsafe abortion as a major public health concern and to reduce the recourse to abortion through expanded and improved family-planning services. Prevention of unwanted pregnancies must always be given the highest priority and every attempt should be made to eliminate the need for abortion. Women who have unwanted pregnancies should have ready access to reliable information and compassionate counseling. Any measures or changes related to abortion within the health system can only be determined at the national or local level according to the national legislative process."1
On sexuality education and young people: "Information and services should be made available to adolescents to help them understand their sexuality and protect them from unwanted pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases and subsequent risk of infertility."2 "Countries, with the support of the international community, should protect and promote the rights of adolescents to reproductive health education, information and care..."3
On the rights of adolescents: "Recognizing the rights, duties and responsibilities of parents and other persons legally responsible for adolescents… appropriate direction and guidance in sexual and reproductive matters, countries must ensure that the programmes and attitudes of healthcare providers do not restrict the access of adolescents to appropriate services and the information they need, including [information] on sexually transmitted diseases and sexual abuse…these services must safeguard the rights of adolescents to privacy, confidentiality, respect and informed consent, respecting cultural values and religious beliefs.4
References
For more information, visit the Alan Guttmacher Institute at http://www.guttmacher.org.
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