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Panafrican News Agency (PANA), June 8, 2004 Africa Reviews Population Policy
Dakar, Senegal (PANA) - Some 53 African countries grouped in the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) are holding a regional conference here on the 10th anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD+10). Participants at the conference, initiated by the UN Fund for Population Affairs (UNFPA), are expected to produce a regional report on the ICPD programme of action (ICPD/PA) for the Africa region. They will basically identify the factors facilitating or hindering the implementation of the ICPD/PA objectives, compare the progress realised in the different sub-regions of Africa, share experiences and practices related to the policies and programmes facilitating socio-economic changes in African countries. The conference is also expected to identify activities that can accelerate the implementation of key actions of the ICPD/PA and the recommendations of the ICPD+10 for the next few years. At the opening session on Monday, Senegalese Minister of Planning and Sustainable Development, Mamadou Sidibe expressed optimism in spite constraints confronting Africa in terms of population and development. "By better structuring the socio-economic and socio-demographic objectives, by broadening the scope and efficiency of the demographic programmes and by ensuring long-term availability of resources, we will pave the way for a sustained and viable development," Sidibe said. In the face of the new challenges including integration in the neo-liberal globalisation, general insecurity, increasing poverty, the search for alternatives in the funding of development strategies, the strengthening of human rights, democracy and good governance, Sidibe urged the participants in to "look into the future with serenity and determination". "Donors must bring their contribution to the realisation of the set objectives. They must also invest in the most precious resources to safeguard the future of Africa," UNFPA-Africa director Fama Hane Ba said. This conference follows the International Conference on Population and Development held in Cairo (Egypt) in 1994 when a programme of action covering 20 years (1994-2015) was approved by 179 countries. The Dakar meeting seeks to draw a mid-term assessment and examine experiences of African countries in the implementation of the ICPD/PA as well as the recommendations of the Dakar/Ngor Declaration on Population, Family and Sustainable Development adopted in 1992. The Declaration formed the basis for the common African position taken in Cairo at the first ICPD meeting in 1994. A Declaration on ICPD+10 and a regional report will be adopted at the end of the meeting on Friday. << Panafrican News Agency -- 6/8/04 >>
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