General Assembly Session 49 meeting 39

The President

This morning, in accordance with the decision taken at its 3rd plenary meeting, the Assembly is commemorating the twenty-fifth anniversary of the operations of the United Nations Population Fund.In this connection, the Assembly has before it at draft resolution which has been issued as document A/49/L.5.

It is an honour and a great pleasure for me to participate in the commemoration of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). The International Conference on Population and Development at Cairo, which concluded its deliberations barely a month ago, adopted an innovative Programme of Action and provided further proof of the Organization's devotion to and tradition of debate and open discussion of all views and perceptions of problems, in an atmosphere of mutual respect, until consensus is reached.

It is therefore only fitting that we congratulate ourselves on the positive results of that Conference. Here, I should like to congratulate all the delegations that participated in it and that spared no effort to achieve the results attained. In this connection, President Mubarak, his Government and the people of the Arab Republic of Egypt, who did all in their power to make the Conference a success, deserve our heartfelt thanks and gratitude. I would also take this opportunity to pay a well-earned tribute to the United Nations Population Fund and its Executive Director, Mrs. Nafis Sadik, not only for her work on the Cairo Conference but also for her constant efforts to find solutions to demographic problems throughout the world.

Established by the United Nations in 1969, UNFPA was given a mandate to make countries aware of demographic problems and possible strategies for solving them and to assist developing countries in their population programmes. Over the past 25 years, under the direction of the Economic and Social Council and its Executive Board, the Fund has carried out its mandate with resolve, and the results achieved demonstrate the success of its work. Indeed, in 1969, there was little awareness of demographic questions and their impact on economic and social development and human welfare, and few developing countries had a national programme dealing with population questions.

Thus the role of the demographic factor in the evolution of economic and social development was greatly underestimated. For the same reason it was controversial.

Today virtually all countries have begun to implement population programmes, which are backed up by very clear and functional strategies and plans of action. Furthermore, a number of countries have established within their administrations specialized units to ensure the integration of demographic variables into economic and social development plans and programmes. The Cairo Conference has just demonstrated that the demographic factor has become a key element in all debates, programmes and action in the field of development.

Today we note the increased awareness of population problems, and we can take some satisfaction in the progress that has been achieved, since the creation of UNFPA, towards stabilizing the growth in world population and improving the health of mothers and children through the implementation, in a large number of countries, of concerted and coherent programmes of family planning.

The success of the International Conference on Population and Development that was held recently in Cairo will undoubtedly help to reinforce our efforts in the quest for an integrated approach to development - an approach that makes population programmes and policies a fundamental element in the population development equation.

But these results, encouraging as they are, should not make us lose sight of the fact that the road we still have to travel is long and full of ambushes. Although, in absolute terms, the birth rate has gone down, the annual increases in world population are greater than anything seen in the past. This obviously necessitates concerted global action. Such action is essential if we are to safeguard what has been achieved over the past 25 years.

In these circumstances, the Programme of Action that was adopted in Cairo is a sound basis and a useful tool for optimizing the efforts of the international community. By adopting this Programme the international community, for the first time, went beyond demographic targets and made the individual and the family the very focus of development activities and programmes. In so doing, it recognized that investment in the individual - in his health and education - is the key to sustainable economic growth and sustainable development as a whole. This was the sense of my opening message at the International Conference on Families in October 1994.

None the less, I should like to remind people that if the adoption of the Programme of Action itself was essential, its implementation is vital. Therefore, before concluding, I should like to call upon Governments to do everything they can to translate into action the Programme of Action that we adopted in Cairo. In this connection, our support for the activities of UNFPA should be further strengthened.

At a time when the international community has been fired by greater enthusiasm in its quest for sustainable development we should not lose sight of the fact that the question of population involves not only resources and the need to improve standards of living but also our quest for peace and security on Earth.

I now call on the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali, who wishes to address the General Assembly at this time.

The Secretary-General

In 1969, Secretary-General U Thant called for a

"global partnership, to improve the human environment, to defuse the population explosion, and to supply the required momentum to development efforts."

Out of U Thant's concern, the United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA) was born.

Now, 25 years later, it has operations in 140 countries; more than 100 countries make contributions to its work; it operates field offices in 58 countries; and it employs a total of 837 staff members.

This milestone is a time to celebrate the remarkable accomplishments of the Fund. It is a time to recognize the importance of the work of UNFPA. That work involves both formulating and implementing programmes for population planning.

The Fund's work is fundamental to the success of United Nations efforts for peace and development. It is also challenging. It demands perseverance, patience and commitment. UNFPA has shown all of those qualities. It has earned the gratitude and the respect of the international community.

I should like now to consider why the work of UNFPA is so crucial; to review some of its accomplishments; and to outline our hopes for the future, along with the challenges we must face.

The United Nations is charged with the enormous task of promoting the welfare of all humanity. We work to maintain and establish peace. And we promote development, to forestall problems. We have worked to protect the environment and to foster healthy, democratic societies.

But we cannot attain our objective of a stable and prosperous world if the goalposts are moved down the field. The infrastructure on which our solutions are based depends on the size of our population. Our work towards such important aims as human rights, sustainable development, international trade and liveable cities cannot succeed if the increase in the number of the world's inhabitants becomes unbearable.

Today, there is a real risk of such a tragedy. Global population has experienced runaway growth in recent years. From 1950 to 1990, it more than doubled in size.

Currently, the world's population exceeds 5.5 billion, and almost 80 per cent live in the least-developed regions. Our projections show that the global population could more than double again by the year 2050, with the biggest increases in the developing countries.

The international community has long understood that this trend presents a threat to stability. Thus, in 1947 - just two years after the United Nations came into being - the Population Commission was established. It was to track the growth of populations and provide other demographic information.

The UNFPA became operational in 1969 - three years after the General Assembly authorized the United Nations to provide technical assistance relating to population.

Supported through voluntary contributions, the Fund is now the largest internationally funded provider of population assistance to developing countries. Last year it approved 480 projects, for a total cost of $72 million.

The Fund's purpose is to help set up population planning programmes around the globe, and to provide financial assistance for their implementation. But it recognizes the broad social implications of its work. The Fund engages in other activities to further the implementation of population policies. These include work on census and civil registration; research in many fields; and information, communication and education.

Particularly under the leadership of its current executive director, Mrs. Nafis Sadik, the UNFPA has focused on the empowerment of women. In so doing, Mrs. Sadik has made a major contribution to the cause of women's rights.

In its work the Fund has been careful to respect the sovereign right of self-determination, for this is the reflection of the individual right of choice at an international level.

Over the past 25 years, the Fund has benefited from exceptional leadership - first, by the late Mr. Rafael Salas, and, since 1987, by Mrs. Sadik. I wish to pay tribute to them and to their staff. They have provided excellent service to the United Nations.

The international community must continue to support the UNFPA. The Fund is uniquely situated to promote population policies. It brings to its work undoubted dedication, great moral weight, long practical and political experience, and presence in the field.

The UNFPA has also helped to organize a series of global population conferences. They have provided essential help to the United Nations in its efforts to encourage global policies on population. These meetings have provided a forum for the world to take stock of potential problems and to map out solutions.

At the 1974 World Population Conference, held in Bucharest, the international community adopted a World Plan of Action. It recognized the link between population and economic and social development. Ten years later the United Nations convened the International Conference on Population in Mexico City. The Declaration adopted there addressed such issues as migration, urbanization and ageing populations.

Most recently the UNFPA played a major role in organizing the International Conference on Population and Development, held this September in Cairo. Mrs. Sadik was Secretary-General of the Conference. Almost 180 countries joined with non-governmental organizations at the Conference to discuss how to balance population growth and sustainable development. And in six days the representatives of many disparate cultures succeeded in adopting a Programme of Action, which maps out a strategy for the next 20 years.

Afterwards, Mrs. Sadik said that the Programme of Action adopted in Cairo "starts from the reality of the world we live in, and shows us the path to a better reality." Through specific goals, spanning issues from education to reproductive health to family planning, the international community charted a path that could lead the world away from environmental and social disasters.

Such conferences have promoted awareness. But it is important to remember that the international community must follow through on the commitments it has made if it is to reap the benefits of its deliberations. Only political will, backed by financial resources, can give life to them. Otherwise, plans of action soon become meaningless.

That is why the UNFPA's role will continue to be important, and to be challenging. The Fund must continue to encourage societies to develop population policies. And it must continue to respect the traditions of many diverse societies for its work to touch on the most important questions for humanity - relating to the relationships between men and women, the question of families, and posterity.

The United Nations must continue to serve as a forum where the world can debate its future. Fundamental questions will be asked here. They may arouse concern. The UNFPA must be prepared for controversy. But this is a necessary part of its task, and indeed a testament to its importance.

It is vital that in this enterprise we have the help of able and active programmes such as the UNFPA. I thank the Fund for 25 years of support. I look forward to our cooperation over the next 25 years to come.

The President

(interpretation from French): At the request of the Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund and following consultations with regional groups, I would now authorize, as an exceptional measure, the Chairman of the Group of 77 to speak on behalf of the Group of 77.

Mr. Lamamra (Algeria)

I understand that the Chairman of the Group of 77 can speak in that capacity only by way of an exception. It is therefore an honour and a privilege for me to address the Assembly on behalf of the delegations that are members of the Group of 77 and on behalf of the delegation of China, during the commemoration of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

The sustained efforts the UNFPA has continued to make to raise the consciousness of the world about the importance of population questions and their strict relationship with economic and social development, as well as about the assistance the UNFPA provides to more than 141 developing countries in this field, giving it pride of place today among the most visible institutions of the United Nations system.

It will be recalled that starting as part of a modest trust fund which was placed under the Secretary-General of the United Nations in 1967 and then in 1969 was attached to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) with a token seed capital of only $3 million, UNFPA today can derive legitimate pride from what has been achieved over the past 25 years, under the leadership of its first Executive Director, Mr. Rafael Salas, to whom here we wish to pay a well-deserved posthumous tribute, and also thanks to the fresh life breathed into it by its current Executive Director, Mrs. Nafis Sadik.

The mandate of the Fund as established by the Economic and Social Council in 1973 and reaffirmed by that same body in 1986, has not lost any of its relevance today despite the amount of time that has passed. On the contrary, the mandate has become more pertinent and relevant than ever before. Thus as the years have passed the evolution of population policies, particularly demographic aspects and their impact on daily socio-economic activities in every nation, has conferred on UNFPA an irreplaceable role.

The wealth of experience acquired by the Fund in the fields of family planning and family services, and mother and child health, as well as its proven capacity to provide and coordinate assistance and its flexibility to respond to the needs of developing countries, bear witness to the maturity of UNFPA and consolidate its reputation with the beneficiary countries, of which it has become a privileged partner.

Any anniversary is a propitious opportunity to take stock of what has been achieved so far and start to think about what needs to be done to build for a sound future. In this connection I wish to emphasize the very significant contribution made by the Fund to strengthening the efforts of our countries by its presence at their side and helping with everything they have done to cope with population problems. The Group of 77 and China welcome the efforts made by the Fund that have greatly assisted in reducing infant and maternal mortality rates, particularly in the developing world, as well as its efforts towards promoting the almost universal use of family planning programmes and improving life expectancy rates.

The success of the work of the International Conference on Population and Development held in Cairo from 5 to 13 September this year, and the preparatory process relating to that Conference, is also a credit to UNFPA, the backbone of the organization of that world meeting. That achievement alone would place this action of the Fund among the most signal efforts made by the United Nations to articulate international cooperation for development.

For the future, the ambitious Programme of Action adopted by the Cairo Conference, the qualitative and quantitative targets of which cover the next 20 years, should be the new focus of interest of UNFPA. In view of the immensity of the particular mission which has been allocated to it, it seems to us essential to consider the organizational and institutional arrangements that would be most conducive to having this body properly perform its task. The present session of the General Assembly provides us with an excellent occasion to initiate this exercise.

Among the factors which have helped to strengthen the credibility of the Fund and which at the same time have contributed to improving its performance, we must refer to the respect for certain key principles that have guided its action throughout its existence, particularly the following cardinal principles to which the developing countries are particularly wedded: unconditional support for the beneficiary countries; due respect for the specific situation prevailing in each country; respect for the sovereign right of States to draw up, formulate and implement population policies and programmes in the light of their own needs; and, a flexible response to the specific needs of the developing countries.

Being mindful of these parameters is more than ever the best possible guarantee for fruitful cooperation between the Fund and all the beneficiary countries in the developing world.

In conclusion, may I on behalf of the Group of 77 and China take this opportunity to place on record our gratitude to Mrs. Nafis Sadik for her personal efforts and the talented way in which she has been directing this institution. Our congratulations are extended equally to all the members of her dynamic team, who through their labours have been able to make sure that UNFPA is equal to the challenges of the complex population problems. It will be understood therefore that the delegations of the countries members of the Group of 77, and of China, are particularly happy, through Algeria's signature, to sponsor the draft resolution celebrating this important event.

The President

I now call on the representative of the Gambia, who will speak on behalf of the Group of African States.

Mr. Jallow (Gambia)

The Gambia as Chairman of the African Group for this month is greatly honoured to address this Assembly on behalf of the African Group on the occasion of the commemoration of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the operations of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

Since this is the first time my delegation has addressed the Assembly in its capacity as Chairman of the African Group - apart from our short intervention yesterday - it is quite fitting that I should convey to you, Sir, the African Group's deep gratification and sincere congratulations on your election to the presidency of the General Assembly at its forty-ninth session. Since you are a distinguished son of Africa dedicated to the service of common humanity, we are convinced you will bring to your high office the wealth of knowledge and rich experience that has characterized your selfless service to your country and Africa. Already, your laudable efforts to guide and enrich the proceedings of the forty-ninth session are beginning to be felt in all aspects of our work. Indeed, it is a clear indication of the immense success that will eventually crown the work of this session. On behalf of the African Group, I wish to assure you, Sir, of our fullest support and readiness to work with you throughout to achieve a successful session.

The commemoration of 25 years of UNFPA's activities, exemplified throughout by dedicated and meritorious service to our communities, deserves our commendation and international recognition. It therefore behooves us on this happy occasion to extend our congratulations and best wishes to UNFPA, its indefatigable Executive Director and efficient staff, and its dedicated partners. The African Group feels it is appropriate to support fully the congratulatory draft resolution before the General Assembly and hopes that it will be adopted by consensus.

The celebration of this silver anniversary is taking place at a historic period in the annals of world population activities, particularly the just-concluded International Conference on Population and Development held in Cairo. The Conference not only generated wide international interest but also drew into sharp focus population issues and their impact on development. The Programme of Action adopted by the Conference will serve as a guidepost for bringing together the interrelated issues of population, sustained economic growth and development, and the environment, all of which are of great concern to the international community.

Globally, UNFPA has, true to its mandate, developed the international community's capacity to respond to population issues; raised awareness of the social, economic and environmental implications of national and international problems associated with population growth; and provided assistance and coordination in population planning, programming and implementation.

In this context, Africa, like other regions, has been a direct and important beneficiary of UNFPA's population programmes relating to the efforts to moderate rapid population growth, uneven population distribution, and high maternal and infant mortality, and to improve the reproductive health and behaviour of the relevant sectors of the population.

It is worthy of note that Africa's economic development has, in general, not kept pace with its population growth rate. The effects of this imbalance are felt in the areas of health care, housing, schooling, employment, and food security, among other pressing needs. Thus, the crucial role of UNFPA in helping to alleviate the inadequacies created by rapid population growth in Africa has continued to grow in scope and importance.

We in Africa are mindful of the fact that efforts to enhance economic performance, provide social services and maintain social order and political stability continue to be eroded, with painful consequences in some cases, by population pressures. It is for this reason that our concerns for population issues have been reflected in many regional declarations, international instruments, documents and action programmes, including, to list just a few, the Treaty establishing the African Economic Community; the Dakar-Ngor Declaration on Population, Family and Sustainable Development; and the Tunis Declaration and Resolution on Population and Development by the General Assembly of Heads of State and Government. In fact, the purpose of the African Population Commission, established in 1993, is to bring maximum political attention to and action on population on the part of the States members of the Organization of African Unity. At Cairo, Africa joined the other regions of the world in focusing on the problems of population and development and arriving at a consensus for international action. Indeed, the world saw the willingness and the commitment of Governments and grass-roots organizations to come together to play a crucial and catalytic role in moving the cause of social development forward into the next century.

Africa is a priority region for population assistance, as is attested to by the depth and breadth of population programmes being assisted by UNFPA. Such assistance at the country level should continue, and should be further intensified in the aftermath of the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development. The relationship between population and social and economic development and the need to formulate and implement a national population policy to address the issues involved are being given more urgency and importance.

Together with UNFPA, and in light of the Programme of Action of the Cairo Conference, African Governments are looking forward to international collaboration to develop and implement that Programme of Action. In doing so, we must concentrate on the following strategic goals: intensification of information on population, education and communication programmes in both the formal and the non-formal sectors in order to encourage attitudinal change, especially among rural and urban adolescents; integration of population factors into development plans and activities; and increased support to reproductive health and family planning in order to cater to the health and social needs of the most vulnerable groups - that is, mothers and children. We should also provide support to help improve the social, economic, health and political status of women.

In recognition of the challenges ahead, UNFPA has been forging partnerships with African regional organizations such as the Organization of African Unity for increased political support and the Economic Commission for Africa and the African Development Bank for an increased resource base for population activities. UNFPA has also actively sought to identify viable non-governmental organizations that can participate in population and development activities at the country level. In order to bring technical assistance nearer and faster to African countries, UNFPA has also set up three country support teams in sub-Saharan Africa, located in Dakar, Addis Ababa and Harare, respectively. More resources would be required to meet the challenge of the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development. I therefore call on all African Governments to continue their support for the population cause and to UNFPA.

In concluding, I should like once more to express the African Group's congratulations to UNFPA on its achievements during the past 25 years and to express our support for its programmes in the years ahead. We take cognizance of the conviction and the resourcefulness of UNFPA's leadership, as personified by its able Executive Director, Mrs. Nafis Sadik, who worked tirelessly and courageously, together with a highly qualified and motivated staff, to make the Cairo Conference a reality and a success. This commemoration of UNFPA's 25 years of operations and notable achievements is indeed timely and memorable.

The President

I now call on the representative of Samoa, who will speak on behalf of the Asian States.

Mr. Slade (Samoa)

I have the honour to speak in my capacity as Chairman of the Asian Group to express on behalf of the Group our warmest congratulations and appreciation to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and its staff on this memorable occasion, the commemoration of the twenty-fifth anniversary of its operations. The Asian Group fully supports the congratulatory draft resolution before the General Assembly.

The Asia Pacific region contains six of the 10 most populous countries in the world. Stretching over nine time zones from Azerbaijan in the west to my own country, Samoa, in the east, this region can be proud of many achievements, from the green revolution to industrial development. Its current population of over 3 billion is both a triumph and a challenge. Better medical techniques and improved health and nutrition have led to dramatic reductions in infant mortality rates and to longer life expectancy.

Since becoming fully operational in 1969, the UNFPA has accumulated a quarter century of experience in formulating and implementing population policies and programmes. As the world's largest multilateral population agency, the Fund is in a unique position to assess opportunities and identify solutions for the smooth and effective functioning of population programmes.

Over the years, in collaboration with and at the request of Governments in developing countries, including many in the Asian region, UNFPA-funded programmes have made advances in increasing awareness of and appreciation for population dynamics and their global implications. UNFPA has always recognized that population activities are multisectoral, with core activities such as family planning and data collection and analysis, as well as the formation of population policy, educational programmes, the provision of vital information and communication. The improvement of women's health and education, and concern for the environment are also key core activities. Regional assistance has been provided in cooperation and collaboration with the relevant subregional organizations: the Association of South-East Asian Nations, the South Pacific Commission, the South Pacific Forum, the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation and the Economic Cooperation Organization.

The overall assistance provided by UNFPA to the Asia region since 1969 amounts to some $869 million. In my own country, I am pleased to note that the cooperation between UNFPA and Samoa started in 1971 with the assistance to the family welfare programme in strengthening service delivery; the provision of information, education and communication; the introduction of population education into the school system; a contribution to the successful completion of the 1991 census and in the population and environment project which is now being implemented by the South Pacific Regional Environment Programme.

The determination of the international community to resolve population issues has reached new heights. Since the 1974 World Population Conference, the International Conference on Population in 1984, the International Forum on Population in the Twenty-First Century in 1989 and this year's International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo, a quantum leap has truly been achieved. There has been a shift from the previous emphasis on demography and population control to population and sustainable development. There is also a recognition now of the need for comprehensive reproductive health care and reproductive rights; growing collaboration between governmental and non-governmental agencies; renewed emphasis on people's participation at the community level; improving the status of women in every aspect of development; a recognition of the needs of adolescents; and, perhaps above all, stronger political commitment.

Rapid population growth and unbalanced distribution pose serious challenges to sustainable development and prosperity in the coming decades. At the national level, developing countries struggle to keep pace with the needs of their people. Governments face critical pressures in trying to feed, house and educate their population while at the same trying to provide adequate services to rural and growing urban areas. At the individual level, reproductive health and family planning are essential needs. The region's challenges include achieving a better balance between population growth and its resource base; providing jobs in growing urban areas; increasing awareness of and overcoming obstacles in environmental protection; and improving the status of women.

But greater challenges lie ahead, and we in the Asian Group are confident that UNFPA, with the assistance of the international community, will continue to provide dynamic leadership as it has done in the past to implement the Programme of Action adopted recently at the Cairo Conference. The successful outcome of the Cairo Conference on Population and Development surely attests to the skilful manner and active role played by UNFPA and the Conference secretariat in guiding and promoting the new global population agenda in the context of sustainable development. The objective now for the Fund and indeed for the international community is fully to implement the Programme of Action agreed to in Cairo.

Let me conclude by offering our congratulations on behalf of the Asian Group to the Executive Director, Mrs. Nafis Sadik, for her devoted and outstanding leadership, for her vision in steering the Organization in the right direction to where it is today, and indeed for the example she and her predecessor in office have set for the entire United Nations system. We wish Mrs. Sadik and UNFPA well in their efforts for the tasks ahead.

The President

I call on the representative of the Czech Republic, who will speak on behalf of the Group of Eastern European States.

Mr. Kovanda (Czech Republic)

It is an honour and privilege for me, as Chairman of the Eastern European Group of States this month, sincerely to congratulate the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) on its twenty-fifth anniversary and to express our sincere appreciation for all the achievements it has attained in defining and resolving problems related to population and development issues and to the improvement of quality of life.

It turns out that, at this moment, not very many of UNFPA's programmes are operating in countries of the region I am representing here today, and one might well ask whether this indicates that the region is not facing any problems. The answer is, obviously, that this is hardly the case. More likely, one could argue that previous regimes of the region of Eastern Europe had little interest in outsiders examining terribly closely their population policies and practices - policies and practices that were often very damaging to the well-being of women, the welfare of children and the health of the family.

I should just like to mention a couple of extreme examples that come to mind. On the one hand, in several parts of the Eastern European region, abortion has been used in essence as a form of contraception, on demand and with hardly any limitations. On the other hand, there were other parts of the Eastern European region in which population growth was promoted at any cost, whatever the effect on the resulting thousands of unwanted babies. Consequently, as I said, hardly can it be said that the region has been spared any problems.

For the Eastern European region, the important perspective is not only the linkage between population policies and economic development, but also - and perhaps even more so - the linkage between population policies and the devastated ecology of many areas in our region. On this occasion, therefore, we look forward to an even closer cooperation of our countries with the UNFPA so that we can garner the full benefits of the experience UNFPA has accumulated over the past quarter century.

Meanwhile, however, we find it absolutely proper and correct that the UNFPA should be focusing in particular on the most vulnerable and most disadvantaged parts of the world. This is indeed as it should be. UNFPA's most recent achievement, of course, was the Cairo Conference. In our opinion, the controversies that were part and parcel of that Conference are a healthy sign that the Conference was grappling with live issues that concern every country - indeed, every family. In our view, the Plan of Action adopted in Cairo should be considered as a minimum programme to be implemented, especially as it concerns the advancement of women, the quality and extent of health care and family care of children, and the quality of education.

My delegation and the countries of the region I am representing here today appreciate tremendously the work of UNFPA's Executive Director, Mrs. Sadik. Let me mention that we find it not terribly common for women to be heading important international institutions, even within the United Nations family, and we certainly hope that she will not be for very long one of the very few women in high positions. Her leadership no doubt contributes to the effectiveness of the UNFPA, and, on behalf of my regional group, I should like to extend my congratulations to her and to all her colleagues - and happy birthday, UNFPA.

The President

I call on the representative of Paraguay, who will speak on behalf of the Group of Latin American and Caribbean States.

Mr. Fernandez Estigarribia (Paraguay)

This month Paraguay has the great honour of presiding over the Group of Latin American and Caribbean States, and, in that capacity, I should like to convey our congratulations and our appreciation to the United Nations Population Fund on the occasion of the commemoration of its 25 years of operation. The Group of Latin American and Caribbean States considers appropriate and supports the commemorative draft resolution introduced before the General Assembly.

Ever since its inception, the Population Fund has provided, at the request of their Governments, assistance to the countries of our region in a broad range of priority programmes and in strengthening their national capacity in population matters. Areas that received support from programmes at both the State and regional levels include: data collection and analysis, including census operations; surveys on fertility, mortality and migration; the extension of health services to mothers and children, including family planning; education on population issues; and research and training in population matters and development.

Almost $380 million of its regular funds have been made available to the region through the Fund ever since the start-up of its operations, and around $23 million in additional funds has been mobilized, on a multilateral and bilateral basis, over the same period.

The Fund has always recognized the multisectoral nature of population assistance, and thus it has been able to meet the needs of the countries of our region despite their very different population situations and problems.

This policy must be pursued and expanded. That kind of support - attuned to the diversity in cultures and differing perceptions as well as to the role of moral and religious values - must be at the heart of all the Fund does.

We consider important the establishment of the new system of technical assistance to countries, which is based in Santiago de Chile and involves a support team that includes 12 advisers. That system has made it possible to increase the capacity of the Fund and the speed with which it will be able to respond to and meet the technical assistance needs of the countries of our region. The system also makes it a priority to identify and make use of the technical resources available at the national level.

Over the 25 years of its existence the Fund has been able to build up vast experience in the formulation and execution of programmes and projects. These programmes have contributed to advancing knowledge of the workings of demographics, its determining factors and its implications.

On this occasion we must also refer to the International Conference on Population and Development, which took place in Cairo last month. The Programme of Action it adopted represents a milestone in furthering the understanding of population matters, as it emphasizes individual rights and decisions and, in particular, the imperative need to give special priority to supporting the integral development of women and to their full participation in the benefits of development.

The last few decades have, in Latin America and the Caribbean, seen a marked drop in the rates of fertility, demographic growth and mortality, particularly in infant mortality. These strides notwithstanding, serious problems remain in the region that affect in particular the poorest segments of the population: the fertility rate of adolescents has not shown the same degree of change as that of other age groups, and maternal mortality continues at unacceptably high levels.

Access on the part of the poor to information and quality services in terms of reproductive health and family planning is limited, and a great deal remains to be learned about interrelationships between population, sustainable development and the environment so that appropriate programmes and policies can be designed. Policies aimed at decentralizing public spending and social services require an increased capacity for analysis and greater operational capability at the local and municipal levels.

The region identified many of the critical problems besetting its countries during the preparation process for the Cairo Conference, and in May 1993 it adopted the Latin American and Caribbean Consensus on Population and Development as the outcome of the Regional Latin American and Caribbean Conference on Population and Development, held in Mexico City. The preparation of national reports on population led to a careful analysis of each national situation and in most of the countries grew out of a broad nationwide consultation process that included Governments, non-governmental organizations and various other groups of civil society. By the same token, this spirit of participation and inclusion was manifest in the make-up of the national delegations to the Cairo Conference.

As our region hails the Population Fund on its twenty-fifth anniversary, it expresses the hope that the Fund will go on supporting the rewarding process of gaining insight, through the broadest possible national participation, into ways of solving the population problems of the twenty-first century.

In conclusion, on behalf of the Group of Latin American and Caribbean States, I should like to convey our congratulations to Mrs. Nafis Sadik, Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund, on her vision in the population arena, which has made it possible to place women and their needs in the forefront of population-related activities.

The President

I call next on the representative of Canada, who will speak on behalf of the Group of Western European and Other States.