ICPD Programme of Action Under Attack—Action Alert from Action Canada for Population and Development

From December 11 17, 2002, the Fifth Asian and Pacific Population Conference (APPC) will be held at the United Nations Conference Centre in Bangkok, Thailand.

At the Second Preparatory Committee Meeting for this Conference held October 29 31, negotiations were held on a draft plan of action. The text will be finalized in December. If it were adopted in its current form, the current draft document would be a serious step back from the Programme of Action adopted at the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), held in Cairo. Furthermore, to the shock of many delegations, the Bush administration announced at this meeting that it was unable to reaffirm its commitment to the ICPD Programme of Action and that this position was not negotiable.

The US position

Since the Bush administration took power, it has been working very hard to backtrack on language agreed to by 179 countries in the ICPD Programme of Action. This was clearly evident at the U.N Special Session on Children in May 2002, as well as at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in September 2002. At the Fifth APPC in Bangkok next month, we anticipate that the Bush administration will once again be there in full force to try to roll back Cairo language.

For instance, the U.S. is pushing for the removal of terms such as reproductive health services and reproductive rights and to put in their place such terms as reproductive health care; or basic health care, including reproductive health; or to exclude any reference to reproductive health by referencing only family planning and maternal and child health. As it now stands, the draft plan of action contains no references to reproductive health services, just to reproductive health care. Also, all references to reproductive rights are now bracketed and all references to sexual rights and health have been removed.

With respect to the landmark language on abortion in the ICPD Programme of Action (paragraph 8.25) and now referenced in the draft plan of action, the United States called for the deletion of the word "unsafe" in the following sentence: "…give serious attention to minimizing the incidence of abortion and to reducing morbidity and mortality associated with [unsafe] abortion and its complications through appropriate strategies, including counselling and the provision of family planning and legal adoption as some of the alternatives to the reliance on abortion;".

Much like at the UN Special Session on Children, the Bush administration is seeking to make abstinence the centrepiece of sex education for adolescents. The draft plan of action adopted last week includes reference to the "desirability of abstinence as the healthiest choice for unmarried adolescents."

The draft plan of action also contains very weak language with respect to gender, as well as the role of NGOs. There was also no agreement concerning the amount of international development assistance that should be devoted to population and reproductive health. Finally, many delegations feel that references in the draft to family planning - a key component of reproductive health - are now very weak.

It is crucial that the language agreed to in Cairo be maintained. The approach adopted in the ICPD Programme of Action is critical in preventing sexually transmitted infections, including HIV/AIDS, and allowing men and women to control their fertility and prevent unintended pregnancies. The Cairo agenda is also a major contribution to the goal of ending poverty. Empowering men and women to make key decisions about their lives - such as deciding whether to have children, when, and how often to do so - is essential to poverty eradication efforts.

Take action now

The Plan of Action drafted during the October 29 31st Preparatory Committee Meeting will be finalized during the Senior Officials Segment of the Fifth APPC, scheduled to meet from December 11 to 14, 2002.

   1. NGOs from the Asia-Pacific region need to contact key government and their elected officials immediately to determine their position for the December meeting. We have a list of heads of delegations in hard copy, which we will be happy to share with you at your request. Every effort must be made to brief national delegations on the importance of maintaining ICPD language, with a view to strengthening the final text to be adopted in December. Critical language related to sexual and reproductive rights, reproductive health, reproductive health services, gender equality, resource mobilization and the important role of NGOs/civil society, needs to be protected.
   2. A strong NGO presence is critical at the 5th APPC. It is very important that reproductive rights NGOs from the Asia-Pacific region attend the December meeting in an official capacity, preferably as members of government delegations, but also as NGOs in their own right.
   3. NGOs outside the Asia-Pacific region should contact their governments to strategize about how they can work with governments from the Asia-Pacific region to ensure that ICPD language is protected.

Finally, it should be pointed out that the upcoming Bangkok meeting is the first of several regional population meetings that will take place between now and April 2004. The results of the Bangkok meeting will likely influence the direction of these future regional meetings. The relevant regional Economic Commission will organize each of these meetings, and are free to choose a format. In the first place, it is important to ensure that other such regional meetings NOT be organized as inter-governmental negotiations (like Bangkok), but rather as technical meetings (discussing best practices, lessons learned, and so on).

Otherwise, there is little doubt that similar battles over ICPD language will take place at each regional meeting. It is important that NGOs everywhere start working with their governments now to ensure that regional meetings be structured to ensure meaningful technical discussions rather than as political negotiations; failing that, NGOs must work closely with their respective government to ensure that key ICPD Programme of Action language is maintained at each of these regional meetings.

For more information about the upcoming Fifth Asian and Pacific Conference, see http://www.unescap.org/pop/5appc/.
For more information about any of the information contained in this Action Alert, contact Zonny Woods at ACPD, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it