|
Global Population and Environment Program Director Annette Souder Travels to London in Honor of the Ten Year Anniversary of the Cairo Conference
Ten years ago, the population movement was seen as quite contentious, with rifts about how to define and implement global solutions. Environmentalists, women's rights activists, governmental officials, development professionals, demographers and human rights advocates were on opposing sides. A plan was desperately needed to outline solutions that would address the social and environmental impacts of population growth without compromising human rights.
The Cairo Plan of Action included language to:
So, ten years later, how are we doing? In late August, almost 700 delegates from 109 countries gathered in London to share analyses and stories about progress in meeting the commitments each of our countries has made. Some participants shared stories of the individual mothers, children and families who have directly benefited from improved access to reproductive healthcare. Others discussed the how the HIV/AIDS pandemic has impacted work in family planning and reproductive health. Other participants discussed why maternal mortality rates are still unacceptably high in so many parts of the world. I was one of a handful of individuals representing environmental organizations at the Roundtable in London and participated in daily small group sessions that analyzed challenges to Cairo. Religion, money and politics proved to be the underlying cause for many of the shortfalls in meeting Cairo's goals. Sadly, much of our discussion centered around policies the Bush administration has imposed and their implications for family planning providers and services around the world. Perhaps one of the most inspirational moments during the Roundtable was the speech delivered by Timothy Wirth, President of the UN Foundation and leader of the US delegation in Cairo in 1994. He encouraged all of the participants to be proud of the mostly high marks countries have received in meeting their Cairo commitments. He stated that the reason population growth rates are going down is due to the increase in family planning. He asked the audience, "Isn't it shameful that so many of the men talking about the sanctity of life are by their actions, ignorance and prejudice, effectively condemning women to die?" At a conference where individuals from so many different countries vehemently expressed dismay with our current administration, this was a rare moment to be very proud of the US's original contributions to such a critically acclaimed global agreement. For Timothy Wirth's full speech, please click here (pdf). Globally, Cairo has provided a family planning roadmap for ten years that has led many countries towards significant progress. But, each of us at the meeting recognized that we have a long way to go with our countries playing different, yet collaborative roles. With input from all 700 delegates working in small groups, a final agreed upon agenda for moving forward to 2015 in meeting the Cairo goals was created. To view the agenda, go here. The organizers of the Roundtable also created a "global report card" tracking individual country progress that can be viewed here. As I traveled back to the U.S., I felt energized and motivated by the men and women I met who are working in clinics, communities and cities all over the world to accomplish the very same goals that we are through our work at home - to improve the lives of women, children and families and to protect the sustainability of the planet by making the promises set forward in Cairo ten years ago a reality.
Up to Top |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The answer came in 1994 at the International Conference on Population and Development held in Cairo, Egypt. The Plan of Action that emerged after painstaking dialogue and negotiations among governments, NGOs, health professionals and demographers from around the world was forward-thinking and revolutionary in its ability to bring together all sides in the creation of universally accepted solutions.