Statement by Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, Executive Director, UNFPA

Mr. Chairman, Members of the Commission, Ladies and Gentlemen,

It gives me great pleasure to address the opening of this thirty-eighth session of the Commission on Population and Development.

Let me begin, Mr. Chairman, by congratulating you and the members of your Bureau on your election as officers to the Commission this year. I would also like to express my appreciation and congratulations to my colleague, Hania Zlotnik, as the new Director of the Population Division. I look forward to continued and strengthened collaboration between the Population Division and UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund.

It continues to be a privilege for me to work closely with Member States through the Commission to implement the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD).

Mr. Chairman, it is especially gratifying to be here following the resounding success of the tenth anniversary of the historic Cairo Conference. It is a success shared by all of us in this conference room. And it is a success for women and men as well as youth in countries around the world.

Governments in all regions have reaffirmed their commitment to the ICPD Programme of Action, and to the achievement of universal access to reproductive health by the year 2015.

They have acknowledged that the issues of population and reproductive health are central to the Millennium Declaration, and to the creation of a world where people live free from fear and free from want, in dignity and in peace.

There is widespread agreement that the Cairo agenda makes a significant contribution to the reduction of poverty and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.

Population is first and foremost about people, about meeting their needs, respecting their human rights and investing in their well-being. It is about developing human and national capacity—so that human beings are empowered to exercise their human rights and reach their full potential.

Collecting and analysing population data is the first step to successful development policies and programmes. Censuses and surveys allow people to be counted. Therefore, verifiable and meaningful data for development is essential to good governance, transparency and accountability.

Population issues constitute a major part of the broader development, peace and security agenda. 

• The degree of respect for human rights;
• the status of women;
• the levels of poverty, and access to health and education;
• the movement of people—whether they be migrants, refugees or displaced;
• the density of a given population;
• urbanization;
• the age structure and the ratio of workers to dependents;
• the sex ratio of a population; and
• fertility and mortality rates are all factors that have a profound effect on a nation’s very prospects for development.

My friends,

Human beings are at the centre of concerns for sustainable development.

And women are powerful drivers of the development process.

When a woman is empowered, and able to live free of coercion, discrimination and violence—and to participate on equal footing in the society—the benefits extend far beyond the woman herself—to her family, community and nation.

Today, the greatest improvements in reducing extreme poverty have been registered in East Asia and South Asia, where more than 200 million people have been lifted out of poverty since 1990 alone.

Mr. Chairman,

We cannot overstate the importance of advancing gender equality throughout the processes of development, humanitarian response and peacebuilding.

And we cannot overstate the benefits of reproductive health, especially as it relates to women and their very right to life and to general well-being.

I would like to take this opportunity to inform members of the Commission that next week, the Government of Sweden and UNFPA are co-sponsoring a high-level meeting in Stockholm where ministers of finance, planning and health will discuss the inter sectoral benefits of investing in reproductive health and rights.

Experts of the task forces of the Millennium Project agree that ensuring access to reproductive health information and services, including voluntary family planning, are absolutely essential to gender equality, to reducing child and maternal mortality, to combating HIV/AIDS, and to reducing poverty.

One of the quick wins endorsed by the 250 experts of the Millennium Project is to expand access to sexual and reproductive health including family planning and contraceptive information and services, and to close funding gaps for supplies and logistics.

They have also recommended that governments incorporate universal access to reproductive health as an integral part of their responses to HIV/AIDS.

Mr. Chairman,

This relatively inexpensive, high-impact quick win holds the potential to generate major gains and save millions of lives.

It is estimated that guaranteeing access to family planning alone could reduce maternal mortality by 25 per cent and child mortality by up to 20 per cent. Ensuring skilled attendance at birth could reduce maternal deaths by 74 per cent. And Thailand and Uganda can testify that, in addition to abstinence and faithfulness, a 3-cent condom is a powerful tool in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

Five years into the new millennium, we have an unprecedented opportunity to make the right to development a reality.

The Millennium Project has recommended that an additional target—universal access to reproductive health—be added to MDG 5, on improving maternal health. Today, I urge all governments to support this critical target so that access to reproductive health is clearly articulated within the Millennium Development Goals.

During this year, we have an obligation to lay the groundwork for bolder action to bring about far-reaching change. This is the message contained in the report just released by Secretary-General Kofi Annan, In larger freedom: towards development, security and human rights for all.

Yes, we must be bold. Yes, we must achieve results, and increase assistance effectiveness and system coherence. And yes, we must have as our guiding light the needs and hopes of all people.

In his report, the Secretary-General urges Heads of State and Government to launch a series of quick wins to register immediate progress. And he stresses that gender equality, education and health, including reproductive health, are critical investments and political priorities. In addition, he calls on governments to recognize the special needs of Africa and reaffirm the solemn commitments made to address those needs on an urgent basis.

This was further elaborated in the recent report issued by the Commission for Africa. The report urges African governments to prioritize sexual and reproductive health within their vision of health systems, and to integrate HIV and AIDS treatment and care into it, as set out in the New York Call to Commitment.

Today, AIDS poses a serious threat to populations in every region and to development itself. The MDGs will not be achieved without an intensified, expanded and effective global response to HIV/AIDS.

In order to be more effective, we need to ensure that HIV/AIDS and reproductive health and family planning are linked, as appropriate. This will allow women at the community level to benefit directly from such services and the services would be cost-effective and more efficient in reaching the vulnerable group of women and young people. We also need to ensure that this is reflected in national plans and budgets, including health sector reforms and poverty reduction strategies.

And we need to ensure reproductive health commodity security. Prevention of HIV requires the availability and accessibility of condoms, as part of the comprehensive approach adopted by the United Nations special session on HIV and AIDS.

We need to address more forcefully HIV prevention and the terrifying trend of increasing HIV infection rates among women and girls. We must ensure that they are reached with information and services that address the realities they face. All data show us that the ABC approach is not sufficient to protect women from HIV; therefore, protecting women from violence and empowering them to protect themselves and to courageously say, “NO,” to unwanted or unprotected sex are critical requirements to turning down the trend of the feminization of HIV and AIDS. We must confront the poverty, human rights violations and gender inequalities that drive the epidemic among women. By doing so, we will enable women and girls to protect their health, and that of their families and communities.

As we look ahead, five months from now—the September Summit will be a unique opportunity for world leaders to consider a broad range of issues and make decisions that will ensure that all people are able to enjoy their human rights for a better life.

This meeting of the Commission on Population and Development is an important part of the process leading up to the September Summit. With its focus on HIV/AIDS, this meeting will also contribute to the June review of the special session on HIV/AIDS.

I am pleased to report that, today, funding for population and reproductive health activities is on the rise. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all governments in all regions for your contributions, which reflect your commitment to this important part of the development agenda.

As you know, the ICPD Programme of Action estimated that carrying out programmes in the area of reproductive health and the collection and analysis of population data would cost $17 billion annually by the year 2000 and $18.5 billion by 2005. Approximately two thirds of the projected costs would come from developing countries and one third from the international donor community.

According to the latest figures, donors provided an estimated $4.5 billion in 2004, up from $2.6 billion in 2000, and projections for 2005 are encouraging.

Today, I urge donors to remain on track to reach the 2005 target by living up to their commitments and continuing to increase funding levels as promised. And I urge all countries in a position to do so, as well as other partners, to contribute to the UNFPA Trust Fund on Reproductive Health Commodity Security.

Increased resources are urgently needed for all areas of the ICPD population package. This includes family planning, reproductive health, sexually transmitted infections, the prevention of HIV/AIDS, and basic research, data, and population and development policy analysis.

Mr. Chairman,

In closing, I would like to stress UNFPA’s commitment to make the right to development a reality for all people, and to work closely with our partners in government, the United Nations system, and civil society to expand human freedom and well-being.

Thank you.