General Assembly Session 59 meeting 30

The President

The General Assembly will now devote, in accordance with decision 58/529 of 17 December 2003, one day of plenary meetings to the commemoration of the tenth anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development.

Before proceeding further, I should like to recall that, on 8 October 2004, I transmitted a letter to the Chairmen of the regional groups and, through them, to the Member States, to consult on my intention to invite the Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund, Ms. Thoraya Obaid, to make an introductory statement this morning, following the statement by the Deputy Secretary-General.

As I have received no objection, may I take it that it is the wish of the General Assembly to invite the Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund, Ms. Thoraya Obaid, to make an introductory statement this morning following the statement by the Deputy Secretary-General.

The President

Ten years have elapsed since the adoption of the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development, whose anniversary we are commemorating today.

There can be no doubt that the Cairo Consensus ushered in a new era for peoples. Historic resolve was shown by the 179 States that met in Cairo on 13 September 1994 to express their commitment to improve the daily lives of peoples and to respect their rights. The commitment undertaken by States during the Cairo Conference and their interest in empowering women and in promoting gender equality was a decisive factor in improving the quality of life of all societies.

The Cairo Programme of Action has stood the test of time. Indeed, the texts resulting from the International Conference on Population and Development have taken on even greater relevance today, at a time when countries are working together to reduce widespread poverty, hunger, disease and gender inequality, and to bring about a more stable world.

In every region, the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development serves as a reference document for countries -- one that is essential to attain their development goals. Progress has therefore been made in improving family planning and in the creation of institutions and the adoption of legislation aimed at eliminating all forms of discrimination and violence against women.

Likewise, we note that significant progress has been made in educating and informing young people about reproductive health and about the prevention of the spread of HIV/AIDS.

I am firmly convinced that the Cairo Programme of Action is of crucial importance in the process of implementing a coherent and effective approach to achieving the Millennium Development Goals.

It goes without saying that we must continue our efforts to ensure, in an integrated and coordinated manner, the implementation of the recommendations adopted at the major summits organized in the social and economic fields by the United Nations in the 1990s. That is imperative if we want to make progress by the sixtieth anniversary of the Organization in implementing the commitments we undertook and in attaining the Development Goals we set ourselves in the Millennium Declaration.

We do not need to wait for the sixtieth anniversary to consider the tragic situation of the nearly half a million mothers who die each year following childbirth. We do not need to wait until next year to consider the ravages caused by the HIV/AIDS pandemic. We do not need to wait to fight more effectively against extreme poverty, which afflicts more than a billion people throughout the world.

In addition to the symbolic importance of the tenth anniversary of the adoption of the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development, this occasion should remind us of the urgent need to tackle the many problems that continue to affect the lives of our peoples, particularly in the developing world.

We must therefore, swiftly and in cooperation with the international financial institutions and other development partners, take essential measures to integrate population concerns into national development strategies. That will depend, above all, on the mobilization of the resources necessary to attain the objectives of the Cairo Programme of Action.

The seriousness with which we implement that ambitious Programme and our determination to make it a priority in the General Assembly's discussions and decisions related to development will attest, I am convinced, to our resolve to meet together the challenges that increasingly confront us. Let us act while there is still time. The future of humanity is at stake. By doing that, we will live up to our promises and considerably increase our chances of establishing a more peaceful and more prosperous world.

I now give the floor to the Deputy Secretary-General.

The Deputy Secretary-General

Three decades ago in Bucharest, the World Population Conference overcame political differences to adopt a groundbreaking, comprehensive Plan of Action. That Plan gave the world its first template for integrating population concerns into economic and social development, and it established the basic principles guiding population programmes today. Ten years later in Mexico City, despite serious disagreements on some questions, the International Conference on Population adopted additional recommendations that recognized the need for wider access to family planning and underscored the importance of issues such as the needs of adolescents and the role of men.

And then, of course, 10 years ago in Cairo, the world's efforts to address the intertwined challenges of population and development took another major step forward. The Programme of Action adopted there situated population issues more firmly in the broader quest for development and for poverty reduction. It linked them more prominently with sustainable development, reflecting the results of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development -- the Earth Summit -- held two years earlier. It gave renewed prominence to education -- particularly of girls -- as an agent of change. It stressed the importance of reproductive health, gender equality and women's empowerment, and it gave wide and systematic recognition to the role of non-governmental organizations.

Today, countries throughout the world continue to use the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development in forging the strategies and policies with which they hope to address population issues and to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. And they are making substantial progress, building on the achievements of earlier decades.

The world is beginning to see the end of rapid population growth, which should help in the struggle against poverty and pollution. Life expectancy continues to rise in all regions of the world except Eastern and Southern Africa and Eastern Europe. Fertility continues to decline in virtually every region of the world. Couples have increasing access to the reproductive health programmes, contraceptives and information they need to choose the number and spacing of their children. These and other gains are profound and far-reaching, as they involve some of the most basic and intimate human experiences: birth, death and marriage; the joy of seeing grandparents survive or children spared needless suffering and death from a preventable disease.

Yet any satisfaction we may feel at the expansion of rights and freedoms involving population issues must be tempered by an acute awareness of the unfinished agenda, the fact that parts of the world are not sharing in this progress, and the daunting challenges that have emerged in the meantime.

High population growth remains a concern for much of the developing world, while some developed countries have expressed concern that their population is growing too slowly or, in some cases, even declining.

AIDS is taking a devastating toll -- particularly in Africa, where it is reversing the rise of life expectancy in some countries and erasing decades of economic and social progress.

Declines in fertility and increased longevity mean that societies -- developed and developing alike -- are now wrestling with the wide-ranging implications of ageing, including the need for health care, pensions and safety nets and the need to ensure the social integration of older persons.

Rapid urbanization is yet another population challenge. So is international migration. Some 175 million people now reside in a country other than the one where they were born, and people continue to risk their lives in search of opportunity in wealthier countries. The vast majority of migrants are making meaningful contributions. In some cases, however, migration gives rise to economic, political and social tensions.

And we have yet to achieve universal access to vitally needed reproductive health services and family planning, which we must do if we are to achieve the Millennium Development Goals and advance the status of women. Instead, too many women and girls go without, leading to unplanned or mistimed births that keep families in poverty, threaten maternal and child health, and increase the rate at which girls drop out of school. And the persistence of widespread discrimination and violence against women and girls also helps to perpetuate the vicious circle of poverty and poor health.

It is only a little more than a generation since the international community collectively started addressing population and development issues. While much has been achieved and much has been learned, there have also been shortfalls and gaps. In the coming years and decades, we can and must go much further.

The regional review meetings that have taken place during the past two years have shown strong support for the Cairo consensus in all parts of the world. Civil society is also deeply engaged, including through such initiatives as the world leaders' statement that was formally presented to the United Nations yesterday. And our commemoration here today should contribute to preparations for the important events planned for the next year: the 10-year reviews of both the Beijing and Copenhagen conferences and the five-year review of the Millennium Declaration.

I hope Governments are ready to forge closer partnerships and provide the necessary resources, notably to the United Nations agencies that do such important work on the ground, helping people to improve their daily lives. As we commemorate the tenth anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development, I would like to commend the United Nations Population Fund for its tireless and brave efforts in advancing the Cairo agenda. As we look ahead, I urge you to overcome your remaining differences on sensitive issues, reaffirm your full commitment to the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) Programme of Action and intensify our common work towards a world of development and well-being for all.

The President

In accordance with the decision taken earlier and without setting a precedent, I give the floor to the Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund for an introductory statement.

Ms. Obaid (United Nations Population Fund)

It gives me great pleasure to address this commemoration of the tenth anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD).

Cairo was a turning point in development thinking, as it put the focus where it should be: on improving the quality of life of all people, no matter where they happen to be born and whether they are women or men. It put the focus on protecting human rights and the natural resources on which all life depends and bringing our world into greater balance. It recognized that what happens in one part of the world affects what happens on the other side, and that migration, urbanization, ageing, poverty and sustainable development are all interconnected.

All over the world, in every region, people are demanding information and services to prevent HIV/AIDS and unwanted pregnancy. In every country, an increasing number of women are speaking out against the violence they face in their lives, and a growing number of men are standing by their sides demanding that justice be served. Today as never before, young women are refusing to be victims of genital cutting, and in more and more cases, their parents and communities are supporting them in this choice. Young people who live in this global information age are demanding that they be let out of the dark when it comes to information and services to protect their reproductive health and exercise their reproductive rights.

Issues that were sensitive at the time of the conference in Cairo are now matters of open public debate. Never before, for instance, has there been so much discussion and outrage about the sexual violence that women face in conflict situations. There is agreement that much more needs to be done to address these massive violations of human rights. Indeed, the time that has passed since the adoption of the ICPD Programme of Action has only confirmed its deep relevance and vision. For this, much credit belongs to the Secretary-General of the ICPD, Ms. Nafis Sadiq, my predecessor as the Executive Director of UNFPA. Today, I would like to pay tribute to Dr. Sadiq, who was and remains a tireless champion of the Cairo agenda.

The agenda is built on a simple premise: that providing universal access to education and reproductive health services and promoting women's empowerment will reduce gender inequality and poor health, and help break the cycle of poverty in which millions of individuals and families now find themselves. If Governments make these critical investments in people, and use population data and policies, not to count people but to make people count, then a chain reaction will occur, leading to concrete progress that is not only measured by scientists, but most importantly, by individuals as they go about their daily lives.

The links in this chain reaction are increased choices and opportunities, increased knowledge and freedom from fear and ignorance, increased health and productivity and the enhanced ability of individuals to take control over their lives and their futures. This is what empowerment is all about, and this gives real meaning to the term "sustainable human development".

The ICPD Programme of Action is a global Programme based on universal ethical principles that reinforce human dignity and encourage the fulfilment of human aspirations. As the lead agency in implementing this agenda, UNFPA is committed to those human rights, and we are taking a culturally sensitive approach to programme development and implementation. Such an approach does not enforce solutions, but engages the concerned communities in a process of dialogue, so that they can reach out, out of their own positive values and institutions, and bring about the change that is necessary to implement the Programme of Action.

We should be proud of the progress that has been made in implementing the ICPD Programme of Action during the past ten years. Yesterday, an incredible roster of supporters of the Cairo agenda from across sectors and regions of the world was presented to the United Nations. The support provided through the world leaders' statement complements the renewed commitment expressed by the world's Governments and peoples in the regional meetings convened over the past two years in preparation for the tenth year anniversary. From Asia to Africa, from Europe to Latin America, Governments have reaffirmed their support of the Programme of Action, taken stock of the progress to date and identified priorities for the future.

However, while we celebrate our achievements, we must also be realistic. We continue to face key challenges, which must be urgently addressed. We must rise to the challenge of expanding the reach of services and programmes to reach all people, especially the poorest, the young and the most marginalized. Where the ICPD Programme of Action has been implemented, we know it is working. We know how to reduce maternal and child mortality, we know how to reach young people so they can protect their health and lead productive lives, we know how to prevent HIV infection, and we know how to bring about safe motherhood.

However, the reach of these effective interventions is limited by a lack of human and financial resources. We must mobilize the necessary political will to provide the necessary resources. We have to involve more sectors and reach out to ministers of finance, so that sufficient domestic and international resources are allocated for population and reproductive health.

Allow me to conclude my statement today with a warning. If greater action is not taken to fully implement the ICPD Programme of Action, we will not only miss the opportunity to achieve the ICPD goals, we will also fail to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. Together, we must ensure that the ICPD agenda is fully reflected in the 2005 Millennium Declaration review process. Ten years ago, the Governments of the world made a promise to bring about reproductive health for all by the year 2015. Today, I call upon all leaders to live up to this commitment and to keep the promises they made in the great city of Cairo ten years ago.

The President

Before proceeding further, I should like to turn to some organizational matters pertaining to the conduct of the meeting. Members are reminded that the list of speakers on this item will be closed this morning at 10.55 a.m.

I see no objection, it is so decided.

Next, we turn to the length of statements. In my letter dated 11 October 2004 to all permanent representatives, I urged all speakers to limit their statements in the debate to five to seven minutes, in order to allow the Assembly to hear all the speakers today. In view of the large number of delegations already inscribed on my list -- and there are 65 so far -- I therefore appeal to speakers to cooperate in this respect.

To assist speakers in managing their time, a light system has been installed at the speaker's rostrum which functions as follows: a green light will be activated at the start of the speaker's statement; an orange light will be activated 30 seconds before the end of the seven minutes; and a red light will be activated when the seven minute limit has elapsed.

Mr. Al-Mahmoud (Qatar)

I would like to thank you for giving me the chance to speak on behalf of the Group of 77 and China in the Assembly.

Population issues encompass the most basic concerns of human existence. It is the birth, death and migration of individuals that form the essential components of demographic dynamics. For whole societies, these basic events produce rates of population increase or decrease and form the age structure of population and the geographic pattern of human settlements. These patterns have their influence on the social, economic, political and environmental issues that are central to the realization of the goals of sustainable development.

To address these concerns in a comprehensive manner, the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) was convened in Cairo in 1994. The Conference adopted a Programme of Action that addresses the full range of population issues, especially those related to economic and social development. The Programme of Action identified qualitative and quantitative goals in a number of key areas, including universal access to the knowledge and means for achieving reproductive health; goals regarding education, especially for girls; gender equity and equality; mortality and health, stressing infant, child and maternal mortality; and combating the emerging epidemic of HIV/AIDS. Above all, the Programme emphasized the need to provide the resources required to meet those goals.

The Programme of Action is not just a set of goals; it sets out a road map of practical policy and programmatic actions and the ways to reach each goal with specified time-bound targets. After 10 years, there is a need to review the progress made so far and identify the areas that require further work.

World population reached 6.4 billion persons in 2004. The current average annual growth rate of population is 1.3 per cent, significantly lower than the rate of 1.7 per cent during the period from 1975 to 1990. Although there has been significant gain in the universal reduction of fertility, the progress is uneven. While 100 out of 192 countries have met the goal contained in the Programme of Action of a life expectancy at birth greater than 70 years in the period 2000 to 2005, 36 countries, mainly in Africa, remain with life expectancies at birth lower than 50 years. Progress is by no means uniform, as many countries have witnessed a stagnation of mortality improvement, if not a decline in life expectancy. The causes are related to socio-economic transformations, the re-emergence of diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis and cholera, and the impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

The HIV/AIDS epidemic continues to expand throughout the world, erasing decades of social and economic progress and producing a devastating impact on population in terms of increased morbidity and mortality. For some countries, the demographic impact of AIDS is enormous. This has serious consequences for their development prospects, as they are losing people in the most productive times of their lives.

Since the ICPD in 1994, migration has become a major issue of concern for the international community. As of mid-2000, approximately 175 million persons resided in countries other than where they were born. The ICPD Programme of Action accorded particular importance to the basic rights of migrants and encouraged more cooperation and dialogue between countries of origin and countries of destination in order to maximize the benefits of international migration. Unfortunately, recent developments to curb immigration have also resulted in violations of the basic rights of immigrants.

In this respect, the Programme of Action adopted at ICPD stipulates, in paragraph 10.29, the following:

"The problems of refugees and displaced persons arising from forced migration, including their right to repatriation, should be settled in accordance with the relevant principles of the Charter of the United Nations, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, other international instruments and relevant United Nations resolutions."

The Group of 77 and China call for a comprehensive arrangement to address all aspects of the issue of international migration. The Group looks forward to the high-level dialogue on this issue in 2006 and hopes that it will help in forging greater global consensus on issues pertaining to international migration and protecting the rights of all immigrants.

In the key areas of reproductive health, many countries have established reproductive health programmes, including family planning, expanded access to these programmes and improved their quality. Nevertheless, millions still lack access to the means of achieving reproductive health.

The Programme of Action also called for an increased national capacity to enhance primary health care and maternal and child health delivery networks. Many countries have made progress in this area but the pace is slow and there is a need for new impetus.

Infant and child mortality rates have improved, but 62 developing countries, accounting for 35 per cent of the world's population will not meet the goal of an infant mortality rate of 50 deaths per 1,000 live births for the period 2000 to 2005. There are still gaps in the implementation of the Programme of Action and this will have dire implications for the realization of development goals, particularly the Millennium Development Goals.

The Programme of Action recommended time-bound targets on resource mobilization -- $17 billion by the year 2000 and $18.5 billion by 2005. Despite a steady but slow increase in resources for population activities in the last 10 years, the target of mobilizing $17 billion was not met; similarly, attaining the target of $18.5 billion by 2005 remains a challenge for the entire world.

In conclusion resource gaps are especially large in poor countries, and the least developed countries depend entirely on official development assistance (ODA). Unless new, additional and sustained resources are provided to developing countries, it is unlikely that most of the goals and targets of the Programme of Action will be met. Instead, there will be a worsening of the population and reproductive health situation in many poor countries. The need to reach the internationally agreed target of 0.7 per cent of countries' gross domestic product allocated for ODA and to fulfil the commitments made at Monterrey is most urgent.

The Group of 77 and China believe that this year's review should lead to a renewed commitment to the goals of the Programme of Action. This issue should also receive high priority at the 2005 high-level event to be held next year, as the Millennium Development Goals cannot be achieved without the full implementation of the ICPD goals.

The members of the Group remain committed to those goals and will make every effort to achieve them on time. We hope the international community will extend its full support to the Group's efforts to achieve those goals.

Mr. Van den Broeck (Netherlands)

I have the honour to take the floor on behalf of the European Union. The candidate countries Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania and Turkey, the countries of the Stabilization and Association Process and potential candidates Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Serbia and Montenegro, and the European Free Trade Association countries Iceland and Liechtenstein, members of the European Economic Area, align themselves with this statement.

In view of the long list of speakers and the limited time available, I will not read out all of my statement. The full text will, however, be distributed in the Hall.

We are now at the halfway stage on the journey that started 10 years ago in Cairo. The International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) was a landmark event in the history of people-centred development, human freedom and the emancipation of the individual. The ICPD Programme of Action takes a rights-based approach in which the well-being and free choice of individuals -- rather than the population targets set by policy planners -- are key. In 1994, the individual freed himself or herself from the population planners and took centre stage, saying, "I am not a number; I have rights; and my choice is my own".

The Programme of Action is firmly rooted in principles of human development, women's empowerment and gender equality and in the needs and rights of individuals, including young people. As is often the case, liberty and responsibility breed prosperity. When couples and individuals are enabled to make a free and informed choice about the number, timing and spacing of their children, families are smaller and population growth is slower, contributing to economic growth, sustainable development and poverty reduction.

In a series of regional conferences and during the thirty-seventh session of the United Nations Commission on Population and Development, all marking 10 years since the ICPD, Governments throughout the world have reaffirmed their commitment to the Programme of Action. The worldwide consensus continues to be both universal and strong.

But we have not done enough. At all times we should remember the human beings who have died on our watch during the past 10 years whose lives we could have saved by fully living up to the commitments we made. They did nothing to deserve that, but we have not done enough to prevent it. Let us be clear: up to now, we -- donors and programme countries alike -- have collectively failed to deliver. And that is why we failed those people.

Women, in particular, bear the burden. Is it because they are women, whose deaths and ill-health happen in silence and out of sight? Would it be different if they were men? Still today, in our age of unprecedented prosperity, one woman dies during pregnancy and childbirth every minute. That is a double tragedy, given that millions of children each year are left without mothers.

Today is the day that we must reinvigorate our commitment. The ICPD gave us a Programme of Action, not a programme of intention. If we are to translate our commitment to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals into concrete results by 2015, we must dedicate ourselves to the complete and improved implementation of the Cairo Programme of Action. The way to 2015 leads through Cairo.

Before moving ahead, we must look back on the first part of our journey to see where we stand. Although our actions have fallen behind our intentions, progress has been made. For example, important progress has been made towards the ICPD goal of universal access to reproductive health services by 2015. The use of modern contraception has risen from 55 per cent of couples in 1994 to 61 per cent today. The increased use of family planning has contributed to the reduction in global fertility, with a consequent decline in the annual population growth rate to 1.3 per cent.

Governments embrace the ICPD Programme of Action as an essential blueprint for realizing development goals. Ninety per cent of countries reporting took legislative, policy or programme measures to promote reproductive health and rights, to protect the rights of women and girls, to address gender-based violence, to reduce the gender gap in education and to increase women's participation.

Nearly all of the developing countries reporting have integrated population concerns into their development policies and strategies, mostly to address the interaction of population and poverty. Three quarters of countries reported having a national strategy on HIV/AIDS. One third said they had specific strategies aimed at high-risk groups. New partnerships, including public-private partnerships, have been formed, and the commitment of civil society in the form of non-governmental organizations and trade unions has been recognized.

However, we cannot afford to be complacent. Now, 10 years on, the Programme is more relevant than ever. We believe, in particular, that we face the following challenges.

First, as I stressed earlier, maternal mortality remains stubbornly high. There is no more telling manifestation of gender inequity than the death of a woman from the complications of pregnancy or childbirth. Complications from unsafe abortions are a major cause of maternal morbidity and mortality, especially among young, poor and rural women. Millions of women survive childbirth but suffer illness and disability. The empowerment of women, families and communities, and the encouragement of a shared sense of responsibility for pregnancy, are central to addressing the political, socio-economic and cultural factors that so often prevent women from receiving good-quality care.

Secondly, we are facing the scourge of HIV/AIDS. At the time of the Cairo Conference, 20 million people were infected with HIV. Today, that number has doubled. Some 14,000 people become infected with HIV every day, and the vast majority of those infections are transmitted sexually. Yet sexual transmission can be avoided. Condoms constitute a simple and affordable, yet life-saving commodity. The fight against HIV/AIDS cannot succeed without the universal provision of comprehensive reproductive health services. People at highest risk and most vulnerable to HIV infection, such as young people, men who have sex with men, injecting drug users and sex workers, deserve our attention. Just like anyone else, they should be provided with adequate sexual and reproductive health services, offered without stigma or blame, based on a full recognition of their rights and tailored to the realities of their lives.

Thirdly, the largest generation of young people in history, 1 billion strong, is now aged between 15 and 25 years -- they are just entering reproductive life. In a world battered by HIV/AIDS, they must have access to reliable information services and supplies if they are to make responsible, potentially life-saving choices. Almost half of all new HIV infections occur among people younger than 25. It is a fact of life that some young people will have sexual relations. We must have the courage to speak of the everyday reality of sexuality and provide young people with the information they need. It is not just the right of adolescents to be informed; information is essential to survive. And nowadays silence means death.

Fourthly, there is an alarming shortfall in the supply of reproductive health commodities. Over the past ten years, donor support for reproductive health supplies, including contraceptives for family planning and condoms for HIV prevention, has declined. In sub-Saharan Africa, donors provide an average of 4.6 condoms per man per year. Based on an analysis of 49 countries, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) estimates that the financial shortfall in 2004 amounts to $75 million. The real shortfall is likely to be triple that amount. Without the means to exercise them, rights are meaningless.

Fifthly, gender inequality is a continuing impediment to the implementation of the Cairo Programme of Action and an important contributing factor to high maternal mortality ratios and the spread of HIV/AIDS. Many countries have introduced laws on gender-based violence, but these are often not enforced. Efforts promoting women's advancement are often susceptible to budget cuts. In order to improve the status of women, we should, for instance, eliminate gender gaps in education, increase access to sexual and reproductive health information and services, reduce discrimination in employment, property ownership and inheritance and stop gender-based violence.

Sixthly, the complex challenges of ageing populations, the long-term sustainability of pension systems and issues of international and internal migration and integration of diverse populations -- also, by the way, part and parcel of the Cairo agenda -- are fully recognized by the EU.

Finally, reproductive health needs in conflict situations demand our attention. As a consequence of armed conflict and natural disaster, all the wrongs of society are magnified. One quarter of the world's refugees are women of reproductive age; one in five of these women is likely to be pregnant. The ICPD drew attention to the reproductive health needs of people in crisis situations. More deaths occur worldwide from preventable complications of pregnancy and childbirth than from starvation.

As we all know, facing such daunting challenges requires financial means. That costs money. And that is why it is essential that we all live up to the financial commitments we made. The numbers 0.7 per cent, the official development assistance (ODA) promise; and 4 per cent, the ICPD target of allocating 4 per cent of ODA to sexual and reproductive health and rights and to population issues, will all sound familiar in this context. Almost all of us, developed countries in particular, but also developing countries, have failed to live up to our promises in that regard. However, some have done so because they were not willing; others, because they were not able. The EU is making steady progress in fulfilling its commitment on the ODA target announced at the International Conference on Financing for Development.

But it is not all about money. Political commitment also makes the world go round. Beyond all the celebrations and commemorative events of this special year, the Cairo agenda must remain high on our own political agenda. Political leadership is essential if we are to effectively address the challenges of the next decade.

To address the outstanding issues of the Programme of Action is a formidable challenge by itself. Indeed, it is a challenge made more difficult by attempts by some to roll back the ICPD agenda, but the ICPD stands as relevant today as it did in 1994.

What we need is a global partnership to improve the realities of people's lives. All sectors of society must be involved. Governments cannot and should not go it alone. The efforts of non-governmental organizations, local community groups and religious leaders are indispensable. We want to commend them and ask them to keep up the good work. The private sector also has a crucial role to play. Development is everybody's business.

The global partnership for ICPD should ensure that reproductive health issues are adequately addressed in all development processes, ranging from poverty education strategy papers to next year's Millennium Development Goals event. As Secretary-General Kofi Annan wisely stated in Bangkok two years ago, "The Millennium Development Goals, particularly the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger, cannot be achieved if questions of population and reproductive health are not squarely addressed". The EU stresses that these issues must, therefore, be included in the review of the Millennium Declaration in September 2005 and in the Secretary-General's reports on progress made in achieving the Millennium Development Goals.

I am proud to announce that the 25 member States and the Commission of the EU intend collectively to fill the entire reproductive health commodities gap of $75 million in 2004 through a special contribution to the UNFPA Reproductive Health Commodity fund. The analytical work of the UNFPA has demonstrated that reproductive health services are some of the most cost-effective health interventions. A million dollars in reproductive health commodities will avoid the following human tragedies: 360,000 unintended pregnancies; 150,000 induced abortions; 800 maternal deaths; 11,000 infant deaths; and 14,000 deaths of children under five years of age.

After this Assembly session, we again go home with our work cut out for us. After today, the Cairo agenda must remain high on the international agenda. There is still plenty of work to do and there are still plenty of goals to achieve. Someone once said that goals are dreams with deadlines. We can translate these dreams into reality during this generation. The recipe is simple, the message is clear -- less ideology, more reality; less lip service and more money. Our deadline is 2015.

The President

Before giving the floor to the next speaker, I would like to remind the Assembly that we must end our discussion today. We already have an evening meeting planned, so if everyone is going to have an opportunity to speak, and if we are to finish our work tonight, I would ask speakers to observe the time limit for making their statements.

I now call on the representative of Barbados, who will be speaking on behalf of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).

Mr. Hackett (Barbados)

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