|
|
|
|
  |
 |
 |
 |
|  |
Monitoring The UN > The UN and Sustainable Development The United Nations Commission on Population and Development (CPD) Founded in 1946, the Commission on Population and Development (originally the Population Commission) is a functional commission of the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations. It has 47 members and meets yearly in New York. The latest meeting, its Thirty-First Session, took place on 23-27 February, 1998. Mandate of the CPD:When the United Nations created the Population Commission in 1946, its purpose was to carry on the demographic research that had been started by the League of Nations. Over time, however, an increasing awareness of the relationship between population and economic growth and development led to a more active role. The Commission's mandate expanded beyond the collection of statistical data to the eventual promotion of an integration of demographic factors into Member State sustainable development policies and strategies. The CPD remains today the supervisory body for the United Nations population programme and an advisory body to the Economic and Social Council in the area of population. It continues to collect statistics on population size, trends, composition and distribution, and arranges for research into such issues as fertility, mortality, morbidity, migration, and urbanization. In the context of sustainable development, it considers appropriate policies and programmes to assist developing countries with their population strategies. Since 1994, the CPD has been charged with co-ordinating the implementation of the Programme of Action produced by the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD 1994) held in Cairo, Egypt, where population and sustainable development were linked. Because the collection, analysis and dissemination of statistics are such important elements of efforts to address population problems, the CPD co-ordinates its work with that of the Statistical Commission of the United Nations. Associated Bodies of the Commission on Population and Development:Secretariat services to the CPD are provided by the Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) of the United Nations Secretariat. Sustainable Development, Population and the CPD - Historical Background:The CPD's involvement with sustainable development has its origins in the concerns of the 1960s, when world population growth was reaching alarming rates, and the entrance into the United Nations of an increasing number of non-Western countries was shifting the organization's priorities to development of the Third World. It was believed by many people that available resources could not support the fertility rates witnessed in some regions and that, if development was to take place, the population issue would have to be addressed. Over the next three decades, the United Nations worked to formulate policies that would take account of the accumulating evidence of the connection between population, development and the environment and assist developing countries in putting in place appropriate strategies. In 1966, the General Assembly adopted resolution 2211(XXI) on Population Growth and Economic Development calling for a more active United Nations role in developing population-related facilities in Member State countries. The expanded United Nations activities would be paid for by a newly-created United Nations Trust Fund for population, opened in 1967 and supported by voluntary Member State contributions. By 1969, the Trust Fund had evolved into the United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA), to be administered by the United Nations Development Programme. UNFPA activities would accompany United Nations efforts to facilitate development. Though fertility rates declined somewhat in both the developed and the developing world in the 1970s, the crisis had not passed. There remained areas experiencing too rapid population growth. There was also a growing recognition that economic and social development were complex and multi-faceted processes. In 1974, the General Assembly adopted resolution 3345(XXIX) that gave "impetus to multidisciplinary research aimed at synthesizing, integrating and advancing existing knowledge on the inter-relations between resources, environment, population and development." A number of conferences over the next twenty years reflected and inspired the continuing United Nations efforts to come to grips with world population problems and to arrive at a solution acceptable to all. They also reflected the intensifying attention being paid to the links between population and environmental degradation and to the need for the incorporation of population policies into sustainable development efforts. In 1974, a World Population Conference held in Bucharest, Romania introduced the notion of population reduction targets, but these targets were not set. Instead, a World Plan of Action was adopted that merely emphasized the connection between population issues and social and economic development. On 6 to 10 August, 1979, a United Nations Symposium on the Interrelations between Resources, Environment, Population and Development was convened in Stockholm, Sweden. On 1 August, ECOSOC adopted a resolution asking Member State Governments and United Nations bodies to take account of the available knowledge on these interrelations in their development activities. At the symposium it was pointed out that: "Rapid population and economic growth stimulate the demand for scarce resources and intensify resource use that leads to, among other problems, environmental degradation and diminished resource productivity." In a background document prepared for the Symposium, the Report of the 1974 World Population Conference was cited as stating that "where trends of population growth, distribution and structure are out of balance with social, economic and environmental factors, they can, at certain stages of development, create additional difficulties for the achievement of sustainable development." It was also pointed out that a United Nations Conference on Desertification held in 1977 had drawn attention to the problem of land degradation and the effect on fragile ecosystems of underdevelopment and the poverty and population pressures that lead to short-term policies and ultimately destructive practices that degrade soil, water, land and plant and animal life. Development thinking in the future would have to be cognizant of the importance of population issues in the consideration of development and the environment. Conducting a United Nations commission of enquiry between 1983 and 1986, the World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED), the Brundtland Commission, placed population issues squarely in the context of sustainable development. In its report, the Commission stated that "rapidly growing populations can increase the pressure on resources and slow any rise in living standards; thus sustainable development can only be pursued if population size and growth are in harmony with the changing productive potential of the ecosystem." The rate of population growth "in many parts of the world," it was contended, was "outstripping any reasonable expectations of improvements in housing, health care, food security, or energy supplies." Citing the need to link the population programme with efforts to eradicate poverty and the right of people to choose, the Commission called for action by Governments to "strengthen social, cultural, and economic motivations for family planning, and to provide all who want them the education, contraceptives, and services required." At an International Conference on Population in Mexico City in 1984, it was advocated that, where population growth was a concern, development strategies should incorporate population policies and programmes. The issues of migration, urbanization and ageing populations were also addressed in the context of population pressures and development. As the role of women in the development process came to hold an integral place in development thinking, population and women's issues became increasingly integrated. This was recognized by the 1985 United Nations Conference in Nairobi. In 1989, ECOSOC approved an international conference on population planned for 1994. That conference was to be called the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) and was to have as themes population, sustained economic growth and sustainable development. In 1993, the ICPD Preparatory Committee was made a subsidiary body of the General Assembly, conferring on the population conference an importance comparable to the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development to be held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. The Cairo Conference stressed the connection between population and development and resolved that the meeting of individual needs rather demographic targets should be the focus of work in the field. The empowerment of women was given a central place and 2015 was to be the goal for making family planning universally available. The issues addressed by the Conference included gender equality and equity, access to health care and education (with an emphasis on educational opportunities for girls), reproductive health services and family planning, the needs of children, migrants, refugees and indigenous people, the problems attendant to urbanization, and HIV/AIDS. The ICPD Programme of Action, which built upon the work of earlier conferences and on the outcomes of UNCED (Rio de Janeiro, 1992), drew attention to the reciprocal relationship between poverty, social injustice and gender inequity, and sustainable growth and development. Gender equity and social justice were seen to contribute to sustainable development and, in turn, sustainable development would foster social justice, improve living standards and contribute to the eradication of poverty. Eradicating poverty would slow population growth and decrease pressure on the environment. Governments were called upon to invest in their human resources and to integrate demographic factors into their sustainable development strategies. The international community was called upon to provide financial assistance and it was urged that there be "an effective partnership between Governments, non-governmental organizations, local community groups and the private sector..." The United Nations was to "promote an integrated approach and provide system-wide co-ordination and guidance in monitoring implementation" of the Programme of Action. Importantly, though, it was noted that population policies were to be decided by individual countries based on their own particular social, economic and cultural conditions. Following the ICPD, the General Assembly passed resolution 49/128 changing the name of the Population Commission to the Commission on Population and Development. The Commission was also expanded and charged with monitoring and reviewing the ICPD Programme of Action at the international, national and regional levels. The newly-christened body met for the first time on 26 February to 1 March, 1996. The CPD's 53 members are elected by ECOSOC and serve four year terms. There are 12 members from African states, 11 from Asian states, 5 from Eastern Europe, 9 from Latin America and the Caribbean, and 10 from Western Europe and Other States. Canada is currently a member of the Commission. Since the Cairo conference, the CPD has discussed themes of the ICPD at its regular meetings. The theme for 1998 was health and mortality. In 1999, it will be population growth, structure and distribution to tie in with the International Year of the Older Persons. The theme for the year 2000 will be gender, population and development in light of the planned Fourth World Conference on Women. ICPD + 5Following from the General Assembly resolution 52/188 of 4 February, 1998, the CPD will be playing a leading role in preparations for the 30 June to 2 July, 1999 General Assembly Special Session to review the first five years of implementation of the ICPD Programme of Action. On 22 - 30 March, 1999, the CPD will conduct a preparatory meeting for the Special Session and will consider a draft report of the United Nations Secretary-General on further implementation of the Programme. This report will then be forwarded to the summer Special Session. UNFPAThe United Nations Fund for Population Activities grew out of the United Nations Trust Fund for population, opened in 1967. By 1969 the Trust Fund was known as UNFPA and was under the administration of the United Nations Development Programme. It was created in response to the concerns about overpopulation in the 1960s. UNFPA is a subsidiary organ of the General Assembly and provides population assistance to developing countries. It helps those countries develop facilities for research and training, and offers technical advisory services. In 1997 it received almost $320 million in contributions. "UNFPA helps developing countries, at their request, to improve reproductive health care and to promote sustainable development. Reproductive health care includes family planning, sexual health, information and counselling, and medical services, all on the basis of individual choice. The Fund also provides data on population and its effects on human rights, quality of life, economic development, and the environment." In its activities, the Fund works to lower infant, child and maternal mortality and promotes the empowerment women, the equitable distribution of resources and opportunities for employment, education and access to social and health services. UNFPA is the leader of the follow-up and implementation of the ICPD. UNFPA and ICPD + 5UNFPA will review progress on implementation of the ICPD Programme of Action at the country level. The assessments that came out of this process were discussed at an international forum held in The Hague in the Netherlands on 8-12 January, 1999. The Hague Forum constituted an operational review of the ICPD and provided input into the CPD's preparation for the General Assembly Special Session in the summer of 1999. The CPD also received a report from an NGO forum and a Youth Forum on implementation of the ICPD Programme which took place before the forum in the Hague. UNFPA Address:United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) 220 East 42nd Street New York, N Y 10017 U.S.A. Population and the United Nations Fourth Development Decade (1991-2000) The years 1991-2000 constitute the United Nations Fourth Development Decade. When it began, the hope was that international cooperation might be enhanced in the interest of speeding up development in developing countries. As part of its strategy, the United Nations highlighted the "need to strengthen the relationship between economic growth and human welfare." In 1991 it was urged that:
World Population World population has more than doubled since 1950, totalling now about 5.9 billion and increasing by about 78 million per year. It will reach approximately 6 billion in 1999 and about 7.3 - 10 billion, probably 8.9, by 2050. Most of this growth is in the developing countries where it continues to put pressure on available resources, including natural resources. HIV/AIDSThere is a Joint United Nations Programme on AIDS (UNAIDS) which involves cooperation between UNDP, the WHO, UNICEF, UNESCO, the World Bank and the Population Division of the United Nations Secretariat. Its aim is to assist in controlling the spread of this disease in developing countries and to address the effects of HIV/AIDS on societies and economies. For a report on a "Technical Meeting on the Demographic Impact of HIV/AIDS" held on 10 November, 1998 in New York, see http://www.undp.org/popin/popdiv/hivmtg/let.htm Recent EventsSee http://www.un.org/Depts/eca/news/eca15.htm for meeting between UNFPA Executive Director, Dr. Nafis Sadik and the Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) regarding a Memorandum of Understanding. Links:Popin:
Popin is an information service on World Population. It began operating in 1981. Its Internet site includes current United Nations population estimates and projections.
See:
http://www.undp.org/popin/popin.htm
Women: The empowerment of women and the provision of choice through access to education, skills and reproductive health services are central themes of United Nations efforts in the field of population. The Womenwatch web site provides a comprehensive and accessible overview of the issues and activities of the United Nations in the area of women: http://www.womenwatch/un/unagency.htm Population and Human Habitat: For a look at the relationship between population and sustainable human settlements, see the Habitat Agenda, Section IV C-4 at: http://www.unhabitat.org/agenda/ch-4c-4.html Statistics: The Statistics Commission and the CPD have a working relationship and reports are exchanged between the Statistical Division of the Secretariat and the CPD. For a list of documents of the 29th (1997) Session of the Statistical Commission which relate to population and demographic issues see: http://www.un.org/Depts/unsd/statcom.htm UNFPA: The UNFPA web site is extensive, informative and accessible: http://www.unfpa.org It includes access to documentation on the CPD, the ICPD Programme of Action, press releases on various meetings held this year, and other information on current work of the United Nations in ICPD-related activities: http://www.unfpa.org/ICPD/ICPD.HTM |
