Asia calls for speedy implementation of Cairo Programme of Action
Population headliners 1995(238): 1-2
1995
ISSN/ISBN: 0252-3639 PMID: 12288556 Document Number: 279173
On December 2, 1994, a group of government officials, nongovernmental leaders, and health and family planning experts from the Asian and Pacific region, who met at a UNFPA organized meeting, issued a set of recommendations to speed the implementation of the Program of Action adopted by the recent International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairo. A central recommendation of the Program of Action is making reproductive health care accessible to all couples and individuals as part of primary health care by the year 2015. Reproductive health care is a holistic approach to women's health that includes family planning counseling, education services for prenatal care, assisted deliveries, postnatal care, and prevention of sexual diseases including HIV/AIDS. Participants' recommendations included: 1) educating policy makers, program managers, and women about reproductive health; 2) support of UNFPA and governments for educational programs for adolescents and married adults on family planning, teenage pregnancy, and the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases; 3) advocacy to change the social perception of women's roles; 4) increased education for women, especially girls, and a new partnership between the UNFPA and NGOs aimed at achieving the goals of the Conference.