News from the Asian and Pacific Population Conference: Bangkok, Thailand, 11–17 December 2002

NGO Forum on Population and Poverty, 12–13 December 2002, Bangkok, Thailand: Call for Action

Preamble

One hundred and thirty two delegates representing a diverse group of 73 NGO's actively involved in population, poverty, environment, reproductive health and rights, women's rights, minority groups such as street children, sex workers and migrants in the Asia Pacific region met on 12 and 13 December 2002 at the NGO Forum on Population and Poverty in conjunction with the 5th Asian and Pacific Conference in Bangkok, Thailand.

While recognising that countries in the Asia Pacific region have taken steps to promote human development through poverty eradication which is central to achieving sustainable and equitable development, the forum expressed serious concern that the region continues to face major challenges especially for women and young people. 25% of the total population of the region represents the world's poor of which half billion are women most of them residing in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, China, Vietnam, Philippines and Indonesia. Those living in extreme poverty are rising; 6 out of every 10 children in the developing world are expected to live in cities by 2025 and more than half of them will be poor. Young people are the forgotten 1.5 billion whose enormous needs for RSH information, education and services are non- existent or are scarce and fragmented, thus exposing them to the vulnerability of HIV/AIDS and other STIs, to unintended pregnancies and unsafe abortions. These negate the potential and productivity of the vast capacity of human capital and economic development while draining the already scarce national financial resources. Between 1.4 to 4 billion adolescent girls have abortions in developing countries each year and teenage girls account for 10% of all births. Fifty percent of the world's unsafe abortion and 55% of the world's maternal deaths are in Asia and 25% of female children don't even survive their 15th day! Resource depletion is increasing the gap between the rich and poor is steadily widening and environmental degradation and imbalance is increasing with 20% of the world's population consuming 80% of the world's resources.

The right to development and health including reproductive and sexual health and family planning is a basic human right and governments have the obligation to respect, protect and fulfil these rights. We believe that the human rights framework of development must be at the centre of policy planning to encompass issues of population, poverty alleviation, environment, women's empowerment, health and education and to meet needs of minority groups; and that in this process, people need to be at the centre of development and their views be heard at all levels.

The inequity in opportunities and access to social and economic progress and programmes remain a critical issue in the region especially for women, the young, the poor, the marginalised and those vulnerable to infection, exploitation, abuse and trafficking and is exacerbated by the gap between the lack of understanding of women's and reproductive rights and programme development.

The Forum having discussed the current issues within the context of population and poverty and as NGO's representing the voice of the grassroots and the disadvantaged, we pledge to:

• Reaffirm and strengthen our deep commitment to advancing the principles, objectives and recommendations of the PoA ICPD and its implementation
• Denounce all efforts to weaken the PoA ICPD or to undermine or rollback the ICPD agreements and commitment
• Intensify our efforts to empower people and especially women and young people who are living in poverty to uplift their economic livelihood and social status and to safeguard and uphold their sexual and reproductive health, rights and lives
• Advocate for people especially women and the young to be able to enjoy and exercise their rights to development through removal of barriers and constraints that affect their opportunities for a better quality of life

Choices, rights and opportunities drive economic growth and development. Alleviation of poverty is a human right. Women, the poor and the young can no longer wait; we need more committed action before it is too late.

The NGO Call For Action

1. We call on governments to re-energise efforts to advance the PoA ICPD especially in:

• Reaching out to women, young people, the poor, the marginalised and those in extremely vulnerable situations such as street children, sex workers and those living with disability
• Ensuring universal access to affordable reproductive health care and services including family planning
• Empowering and providing the enabling environment for women and young people to exercise their rights and control over their sexual and reproductive lives; to be free from violence, coercion and discrimination and to be fully involved in the decision making process at all levels and to be able to effect positive changes
• Strengthening and speeding up the integration of HIV/AIDS and STIs/STDs in RSH programmes for prevention, counselling, treatment and care and to remove discrimination and stigma
• Promoting the rights and ability of all adolescents married and unmarried to make informed choices and decisions on matters affecting their sexuality, their health and their lives through effective, affordable, youth friendly reproductive health services and comprehensive sexuality education.

2. We call on donors to fulfil the 0.7% of GNP for ODA, and for governments to increase resources for fulfilling the ICPD commitment. Any withdrawal of or insufficient funding will have a negative impact on poor women. Women's reproductive health should be given priority in national budgets.

3. We call on governments, donors and international agencies:

• To accept and support NGOs as equal and genuine partners to involve full participation of the diverse group of NGOs at all levels of decision making in implementing and advancing the PoA ICPD
• To accept the automatic representation and active participation of NGO's and youth in government delegations for regional and international conferences
• To recognise the strengths and cutting edge of NGOs in advocacy, planning and development especially in advancing the controversial and sensitive components of PoA ICPD which governments may find difficult and to support NGO efforts particularly for resources for capacity building while maintaining autonomy and accountability of NGO's.

4. We call for a stronger alliance and partnership between all NGO groups in their diversity and to strengthen collaboration with academia, research groups, policy makers, private sectors and the civil society and to strengthen our links and partnerships with communities.

5. We appreciate the cooperation of parliamentarians, donor governments and international agencies in support of our work and urge for greater collaboration and partnerships with all stakeholders.

6. We call for the impact of Health Sector Reform to be monitored regularly to ensure that reproductive health services do not become more costly and less accessible especially for the poor.

7. We call for the strengthening of innovative and sustained action to sensitise men in supporting gender equality, equity and the reproductive health agenda

8. We call for strengthening of institutionalising mechanisms, structures and resources to promote NGO representation in South-South Partnership and mutual learning as well as North - South collaboration.

9. We commend UNESCAP for advancing the agenda on Population Development and Poverty in the region, and in supporting NGO initiatives in this regard and call upon UNESCAP to intensify collaboration with NGOs towards equal partnership.

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The Asian Parliamentarians Meeting on ICPD Implementation
Statement of Commitment from the Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development (AFPPD)

The Asian Parliament meeting on ICPD Implementation was held at the UN Center Bangkok, Thailand on 12–13 December 2002, attended by 89 Parliamentarians from 30 countries.

At the end of the meeting, The parliamentarians approved the following statement:

Preamble
Since its establishment in 1981, the Asian Forum has dedicated itself to raising awareness of and advocating for population and development issues among elected representatives.

The population of the Asia-Pacific and Central Asian regions stood at 3.52 billion in 1995. In spite of the fact that population growth is slowing down in countries, the regions' population will, in general, continue to increase. It is projected to increase to 4.58 billion by the year 2020; this is equivalent to an increase of over 1 billion or 30 percent over twenty-five years. Moreover, with the acceleration of urbanization, ageing, and the spread of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, population growth has brought about numerous new challenges in addition to its pressure on resources and ecology.

We, the parliamentarians from Asia, including the Pacific and Central Asian regions, reaffirm our commitment to the Program of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD/POA)and commit ourselves to action to advance its implementation.

We recognize the unique needs of the small island states of the Pacific.

We affirm our commitment to sustainable development including economic growth, social progress, and environmental protection, which are inextricably linked with population growth.

We recognize that as parliamentarians we have a crucial role, both individually and collectively as the link between people and the government—as advocates for the rights and needs of people, as legislators to make laws to protect these rights, and as policymakers to mobilize resources, involve civil society, and create the enabling environment necessary to address these needs.

We believe that population, as a cross-cutting issue, affects all other development issues and is, therefore, indispensable to achieving the Millennium Development Goals, in particular those aimed at eradicating poverty and hunger; improving maternal health including efforts to combat unsafe abortion and promote sexual and reproductive health and rights; combating HIV/AIDS; providing universal primary education; and promoting gender equality and women's empowerment.

Call to action
We, parliamentarians from the Asia-Pacific and Central Asian regions:

• Urge all parliaments to continuously formulate and improve laws and regulations to stabilize population growth, in order to achieve environmental protection, resource management, and disaster reduction and prevention.
• Urge all governments to implement the ICPD/POA, as affirmed in Cairo and reaffirmed in Bali, with renewed vigour as population planning is the base for future development strategies. Involvement of civil society must be encouraged and development strategies must emphasize the inter-relations between population, natural resources—especially water, air, and food—, and poverty.
• Urge governments to attain 5 to 10 percent of national development budgets for population and reproductive health programs and urge all parliaments to review their national budgets to ensure that adequate resources are being devoted to reach the goals of the ICPD POA.
• Work with parliamentarians from developed countries to fulfill the agreed target of 0.7 percent of GNP for overall, official development assistance (ODA) and make every effort to mobilize the agreed, estimated financial resources needed to implement the ICPD/POA.
• Give high priority to achieving universal access to sexual and reproductive health services in national health and poverty-reduction frameworks, both in terms of budget allocations and in terms of program activities.
• Enact, publicize, and enforce laws and policies that promote and protect the human rights, including the reproductive and health rights, of the girl child and young women, to ensure women's equal access to and full participation in decision making at all levels, and eliminate all forms of violence, coercion, trafficking in women and children, and discrimination against women.
• Urge all governments to ensure international agreements and conventions, particularly those on environmental issues, are fully consistent with food and water security, and that population factors are taken into full consideration in the implementation of those international agreements, conventions, and relevant national strategies.
• Call upon the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, (ESCAP) to continue to accord high priority to population and development, including reproductive health, in its efforts to assist member countries to formulate, implement, and monitor their population programs.
• Recognising the gravity of the HIV/AIDS situation, efforts to ensure effective national policies and action plans, HIV/AIDS legislation, preventative strategies as well as treatment and care for people living with HIV must be increased. It is time to scale up pilot programmes which have proven their worth into the implementation of comprehensive national action strategies. Special emphasis must be given to programs for young people on HIV/AIDS prevention.
• Ensure the realization of all the rights of women, as the elimination of violence against women is fundamental to the achievement of women's human rights, and until this is addressed, sustainable and equitable national and regional development cannot be achieved.
• Formulate and implement policies that ensure the experience and expertise of the elderly are properly utilized and that their needs and rights are respected.

Pledge
We, parliamentarians from the Asia-Pacific and Central Asian regions, pledge as legislators and policymakers to carry out these actions with our governments and NGOs, monitor the programs, and organize constituency-level support for the speedy implementation of the ICPD POA.

We also pledge to work with our governments to raise resources to meet implementation needs.

We further pledge to counter with all possible vigor any move by any country to dilute the population agenda as we firmly believe that development and poverty eradication are impossible without adequate population, reproductive health, and development planning.

The following additional text was also adopted by the participants in the context of the proceedings of the 5th Asian-Pacific Population Conference.

We, therefore, would like to express our dismay and disappointment with the recent standpoint taken by the United States with regards to the ICPD.

For more information contact:

Shiv Khare, AFPPD
Phyathai Plaza Bldg., Suite 9-C
Phyathai Road, Ratchathewi
Bangkok 10400, Thailand
Website: http://afppd.org

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U.S. position on population and development unanimously rejected by the Asia Pacific Region
Dateline: 14 December 2002, news release from Population Action International and Action Canada for Population and Development

More than 40 non-governmental organizations observing negotiations at the Fifth Asian and Pacific Population Conference today applauded the unified stance of the countries in the region. Joining together in the Caucus for ICPD, they have been closely monitoring the meeting in Bangkok. The Caucus urged country delegations to continue standing up to the sole country refusing to join the consensus: the United States of America.

After more than three days of negotiations, country delegates attending the Conference have again and again stated their reaffirmation of the landmark Programme of Action adopted by 179 countries in 1994 at the International Conference on Populatio and Development (ICPD). Only the U.S. delegation still refuses to join the consensus on reaffirmation.

Speaking on behalf of the Caucus, NGO representatives expressed an unprecedented level of frustration and anger at the U.S. position.

"It is sad to see the U.S. move from being a leader on these issues, to that of a minority voice," said Ninuk Widyantoro of the Women's Health Foundation in Indonesia. "Sexual and reproductive health is one of the most important social issues of the millennium. We know that the U.S. delegation does not even represent the views of the majority of the American people. The current U.S. administration is being held hostage by an extreme conservative minority with little regard for the health, welfare and freedoms of women of Asia and the Pacific. We hope that in the future U.S. delegations at such conferences will more accurately represent the humanitarian values of the women and men of their nation."

Dr. Nina Puri, Chair of the International Planned Parenthood Federation's South Asia Region, stated, "When repeated attempts are made to snuff out the voice of 3.8 billion people of the Asia Pacific Region by one super power, the United States, it imperils the lives of some of the poorest women and children and families in the world, endangering the health and welfare of not only this generation, but of generations to come."

Sandra Kabir of the International Council on Management of Population Programmes (based in Malaysia) said, "It is imperative that the reproductive health and rights of women and men, young and old, are fulfilled and upheld at this meeting, even with the ugly posturing of the U.S. delegation. All the nations of the Asia Pacific region remain united and determined to reaffirm and protect the ICPD Programme of Action. They dream of a world in which women no longer die from an unwanted pregnancy, in which teenagers know how best to protect themselves against AIDS.

Representing DAWN-Pacific Region (Development Alternatives with Women in the New Era), Angela Mandie-Filer of Papua New Guinea said, "The PNG delegation has clearly reaffirmed the ICPD Programme of Action and will not allow this important agenda to be pushed back at this meeting. To do so would have a devastating effect on the lives of men and women—especially young people—in our region, and undermine policies we are already formulating in the spirit of ICPD. We cannot stand by and watch the clock be turned back."

Anger at the U.S. position was even stronger among the young people participating in the conference. "The issues under discussion here are critical to the present and future of the 700 million adolescents in this region. The young people of this region have been denied their sexual and reproductive rights for too long. We cannot allow any government to back away from commitments made at ICPD. How will young people protect themselves from unwanted pregnancies, sexually transmitted infections and HIV AIDS when the rights that are our best prevention are not respected?" asked Philippine youth Lalaine P. Viado of NAPY, the Network of Asia Pacific Youth.

The 1994 ICPD Programme of Action represented a landmark consensus on population and development issues that recognized the centrality of sexual and reproductive health and rights to the empowerment of women and eradication of poverty, and made clear the actions and commitments required to advance women's rights and health.

Since ICPD, countries in the Asia Pacific Region have made real progress in carrying out this Programme with regards to gender equality, equity, and empowerment of women; adolescent sexual and reproductive health; access to sexual and reproductive health services; and HIV/AIDS. As a result, say Caucus members, the United States clearly stands alone in its effort to block what is obviously a regional consensus to continue this vital work in the struggle to improve health and eradicate poverty in the region. The conference continues through 17 December.

The Caucus for ICPD is a grouping of NGOs from across the Asia Pacific region, joined by NGOs from other parts of the world, comprising Action Canada for Population and Development; ARROW, Malaysia; Asia Pacific Alliance; Australian Reproductive Health Alliance; Beyond Beijing Committee, Nepal; Cambodia Midwives Association; Chetna, India; Combined Community Legal Centres' Group, Australia; Commonwealth Medical Association; DAWN; DCYP, Netherlands; Family Planning Organization of the Philippines; FFPAM, Malaysia; ICOMP; INFORM Human Rights Documentation Centre, Sri Lanka; INHURED, Nepal; Institute of Social Science Action (ISSA), Philippines; International Women's Health Coalition, USA; IPPF; IRRRAG, Philippines; IWRAW, Asia Pacific; JOICFP, Japan; Marie Stopes International, UK; Mitra Perempuan, Indonesia; Network of Asia Pacific Youth; New Zealand Family Planning Association; Philippines NGO Council on Population Health and Welfare; PPAT, Thailand; PPFA, USA; PPFK, Korea; Population Action International, USA; Reach Out Foundation International, Philippines; Reproductive Rights Resource Group, Philippines; RFSU, Sweden; Sancharika Samuha, Nepal; Shirkat Gah, Pakistan; WomanHealth, Philippines; Women's Crisis Center, Philippines; Women's Health Foundation, Indonesia; Women's Healthcare Foundation, Philippines; Women's Rights Action Network of Australia; Youth Coalition.

For more information contact:

Sally Ethelston, PAI
Population Action International
1300 19th Street. NW, Second Floor
Washington DC 20036 USA
Website: http://www.acpd.ca

Zonny Woods, ACPD
Action Canada for Population and Development
260 Dalhousie St., Suite 300
Ottawa, Ontario K1N 7E4
Website: www.populationaction.org

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Japanese NGOs Rally to Uphold ICPD POA
Article from JOICFP News, No. 342, December 2002

ICPD POA under threat
In startling news on 2 November, it was reported that the US administration had announced its intention to pull out of the 1994 ICPD Program of Action (POA) unless the terms "reproductive health services" and "reproductive rights" were changed or removed, and that the US position was non-negotiable. The announcement came during a preparatory meeting for the 5th Asian and Pacific Population Conference (APPC), to be held in Bangkok, and elicited criticism from some European nations and UN officials as well as from China, India, and Indonesia and several other nations. This move by the Bush administration follows action in July when it decided to withhold US$34 million of approved aid from UNFPA.

The Bush administration and its supporters contend that the terms 'reproductive health services' and 'reproductive rights' promote abortion, which they oppose, and they seek to make abstinence the core of sex education for unmarried teenagers.

Japan's response
JOICFP is firmly committed to supporting and advancing the goals of the ICPD POA, and will take all actions within its powers to ensure that all parties agreeing to the POA honor their resolutions. JOICFP, in coordination with the Council on Population Education (CPE), the Japan Family Planning Association and Japan's Network for Women's Health, mobilized 40 Japanese NGOs concerned with population, health and gender to sign a petition. This petition was submitted to the Chief Cabinet Secretary and Minister of State for Gender Equality Yasuo Fukuda, Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi, and Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare, Dr. Chikara Sakaguchi on 25 November.

The petition states, "We, concerned parties of NGOs engaging in activities in the fields of reproductive health and population issues in Japan, request the official delegation of Japan to the 5th APPC to be held in Bangkok, Thailand from 11 to 17 December, 2002 to clearly state the following:

"The government of Japan will observe the Cairo Program of Action (POA) agreed upon by 179 countries, including Japan, at the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) held in 1994 in Cairo, Egypt, and will promote policies based on the concept of reproductive health and rights (RH/R) in order to realize the concept in people's actual life.

"The Japanese government played an important role in the formulation of the POA, and since ICPD, has been making efforts to adapt and formulate relevant national policies in accordance with it. We highly recognize the governmental efforts that lead to the enhancement of the health of the women, men and children of Japan.

"The POA with RH/R as a core concept has recognized as basic human rights for the first time that all couples and individuals can enjoy RH throughout their lifecycle, and determine whether to have children or not, or when and how many children they will have. The member states that agreed to the POA shared a notion that the realization of RH/R would lead to the solution of population issues and the enhancement of the quality of people's life. The POA refers to the responsibility of the government to realize RH/R and to improve RH services.

"The Cairo POA marked a turning point to shift a statistics centered paradigm to a perspective emphasizing the improvement of the health status and the quality of life of couples and individuals. We are confident the POA will continue to serve as an important guideline to promote related national policies. We request that the delegation of the government of Japan articulately state that its position is to firmly observe the POA so that implementation of it may not be turned back to the slightest."

On 20 November, the 6th study meeting on reproductive health and rights (RH/R) was organized for parliamentarians. Sumie Ishii, Deputy Executive Director, JOICFP, explained to parliamentarians the background of the Bush administration threat and what action Japanese parliamentarians could take to counter it. Forty seven female parliamentarians, out of 72, from various parties signed a petition requesting that the Japanese government continue to uphold the ICPD POA.

Other actions
Japanese NGOs requested the Japanese government that the Japanese delegation to APPC include NGO members. As a result, two NGO members will be included in the delegation in an advisory capacity.

In addition, steps were taken to inform the Japanese public of the latest situation, and the actions being taken by NGOs, including JOICFP, to deal with it. On 27 November, Kunio Waki, UNFPA Deputy Executive Director, informed 30 members of the mass media and specialists at a regular CPE meeting about the proposed US pull-out, and this was followed by NGO members explaining the importance of the ICPD POA to the health of the Japanese people.

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Over U.S. Protest, Asian Group Approves Family Planning Goals
Dateline: 18 December 2002, James Dao

A United Nations regional conference on population issues closed contentiously today, with Asian nations overwhelmingly rejecting efforts by the Bush administration to insert anti-abortion provisions into an international agreement on family planning.

The head of the United States delegation also stirred controversy at the conference, held in Bangkok, by declaring on Monday, "The United States supports the sanctity of life from conception to natural death." Abortion rights groups said the statement overstepped rulings by the Supreme Court that uphold the right to abortion.

The seven-day Asian and Pacific Population Conference was almost completely consumed by an often acrimonious debate pitting the American delegation against Asian countries over abortion, sex education, and methods of birth control, participants said.

The United States had sought to win support from the more than 30 nations for changing language in a 1994 Cairo agreement on family planning, which called for controlling population growth by improving health care and education, fighting poverty and AIDS, and expanding legal rights for women. The Bush administration contends that portions of the Cairo agreement—which has become a blueprint for family planning policies in many developing countries— promote abortion, pointing specifically to the phrases "reproductive health services" and "reproductive rights."

Over the past week, the American delegation pushed forcefully to delete or amend those phrases. It also pressed language promoting "natural" family planning methods, including abstinence, and it tried to remove references to adolescents in a section dealing with reproductive rights, arguing that the provision promoted sexual activity among teenagers.

Today the American delegation's attempts to change portions of the Cairo agreement were rejected by votes of 31 to 1 and 32 to 1. It also unsuccessfully attempted to have a strongly worded "general reservation" denouncing abortion added to the conference's final plan for action. "

"Because the United States supports innocent life from conception to natural death, the United States does not support, promote or endorse abortions, abortion-related services, or the use of abortifacients," the addendum said, referring to substances that induce an abortion.

The plan that was adopted includes steps to implement the family planning agreement reached in Cairo. It suggested fighting poverty by concentrating on 12 areas, including family planning, gender equality, and combatting H.I.V. and AIDS. Nearly 67 percent of the estimated 1.2 billion people who live in extreme poverty are in the Asia-Pacific region.

The State Department said in a statement: "Some participants at the conference sought to force the U.S. to agree to language supporting abortion. We are disappointed that so much attention at the conference was focused on this language rather than on improving the lives of people in the region."

Asian and European diplomats said it was the American delegates who kept discussion focused on abortion. They also argued that the Cairo agreement already contains language stating, "In no case should abortion be promoted as a method of family planning."

United States support for population programs is important for the region. Earlier this month, the Bush administration blocked $34 million appropriated by Congress for the United Nations Population Fund.

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Consensus reached at Bangkok despite U.S. opposition
Dateline: 17 December 2002, news release from International Women's Health Coalition

Rejecting proposals by the Bush Administration, thirty-two Asian nations reaffirmed in Bangkok today the historic agreement reached at the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD). They also agreed on an action plan to advance reproductive and sexual health and rights across the region.

Negotiations at the meeting were unnecessarily difficult and protracted because the Bush Administration, representing the United States, insisted on rejecting key provisions of the ICPD Programme of Action. They refused to join consensus on ensuring adolescent health and rights, promoting condom use to prevent HIV, making legal abortion safe, and protecting the human rights of women, all fundamental concepts of the global consensus forged in 1994 at the ICPD, and reaffirmed six times since.

In doing this, the United States delegation argued against the rights and laws enjoyed by American citizens. "To placate a narrow set of special interest groups in the U.S., the Bush Administration fought to impose on other cultures backward notions about birth control and health care that would be politically unacceptable, and legally impossible, in the United States," Adrienne Germain, President of the International Women's Health Coalition, said.

Although the U.S. delegation was forced to back away from blocking consensus, in the end it insisted on the inclusion of a lengthy "reservation." The Bush administration will no doubt assert they have 'joined' the consensus, not withdrawn from an international agreement. But their reservation clearly contradicts the core of ICPD," commented Ms. Germain.

The U.S. delegation's positions would have jeopardized the health and rights of millions of the world's most vulnerable girls and women. "The U.S. delegation's assertion that 'abstinence is the healthiest choice for unmarried adolescents,' is tantamount to a death sentence for Asian girls and women. Across the region, girls are commonly married by age 16 or 17. They enter marriage with no information on birth control or sexuality, and are at high risk for sexually transmitted diseases," Ms. Germain said.

For more information, contact Ellen Sweet at 212-979-8500.

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An anti-life crusade
Dateline: 20 December 2002, New York Times

Asia is expected to be the site of the next AIDS explosion. Yet at a United Nations population conference in Bangkok this week the American delegation tried to block an endorsement of condom use to prevent AIDS. It's not often that a vote is taken at a U.N. meeting, where consensus is usually the goal. But this time participants voted—and the other nations united in striking down the American position.

By now, embarrassing behavior by the Bush administration at international meetings on women, health. and the environment has become almost routine. The consequences, however, go beyond resentment and ridicule. Mr. Bush has concluded that family planning and sex education abroad—including AIDS education—can be sacrificed to please the far right without angering Americans who want to keep abortion legal here. Assistant Secretary of State Gene Dewey said in Bangkok that the U.S. "supports the sanctity of life from conception to natural death," a statement, we suspect, the administration would not dare make with the cameras rolling at home.

Washington tried to strike from the conference's document endorsements of "reproductive health service" and "reproductive rights" because these can include abortion and abortion counseling in nations where the procedure is legal. The United States also objected to promoting condom use among adolescents to prevent AIDS, on the theory that it encourages underage sex. Abstinence is the goal, says the administration. But there is plenty of evidence that teaching abstinence doesn't work—and the alternative for young women in Asia is not only pregnancy but, increasingly, AIDS.

Teenage girls get AIDS largely because they are pressured into sex by older men. To deny them access to condoms and counseling about how to negotiate safe sex is a deadly strategy. Whatever the Bush administration believes about when life begins, it should not advocate measures that increase the possibility it will end in early adulthood.