Thank you Mr Chairman,
I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union. The Central and Eastern European countries associated with the European Union, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, and the Associated countries Cyprus, Malta and Turkey align themselves with this statement.
First of all, let me congratulate you, Mr. Atoh, for your election as Chairman of the meeting. We look forward to fruitful and constructive discussions over the next few days. In addition, we sincerely believe that your capacity to lead us through the 34th session of the Commission on Population and Development will facilitate the deliberations so that towards the end of the week we shall have achieved a very positive final result.
The European Union would also like to thank the Secretary-General and the Secretariat for the preparatory work for this session of CPD and especially for the excellent and comprehensive report on population, environment and development. It will be very useful, indeed as a starting point for our discussions. In view of the importance of this year's subject, particularly as an input towards the process for the World Summit on Sustainable Development next year, a timely submission of documents could have contributed even more to this important event.
Mr Chairman,
The theme for this year's Commission concerns the linkages between population, environment and development. At the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, the international community adopted Agenda 21 - an ambitious and comprehensive strategy to address environment and development challenges through a global partnership for sustainable development. Almost a decade after this Summit, expectations are, however far from being realised. Despite the continuing and often successful efforts of the international community in which some progress has been achieved, the environment and the natural resource base continue to deteriorate at an alarming rate.
The world population depends on the environment for its existence. Poor people, especially poor women and their families in rural areas, are, however even more directly dependent on the environment for their survival. Better management of natural resources such as land, forestry, water, fisheries and biodiversity would increase their possibilities for improving their lives. In this context, it is necessary to take into consideration traditional knowledge of the rural population concerning the environment, and in particular the knowledge of women. Also, it is essential, for example, to invest in education programmes aiming at implementing better cultivation techniques in order to ensure a balance between economic development and a healthy environment. At the same time, the fact that half of the world's population now live in urban areas calls for urgent and renewed efforts to minimise the negative effects of urbanisation on the environment as well as on health and quality of life, with particular attention given to the living conditions of the poor. In this respect, public information and investment in social sectors, including social education programmes, should be part of an overall strategy to improve the living conditions of the poor in urban areas.
The interrelationships between population, development and environment have been the object of research and debate for many years. These complex linkages are highlighted in the Secretary-General's report now before us. In the present context, the European Union would like to underline that demographic dynamics can not be regarded solely as cause-related factors for environmental changes. Population dynamics should not be viewed as a problem as such. It is people and their activities that provide both the challenges and the solutions. All of this is in line with ICPD and ICPD +5.
Poverty often contributes to environmental degradation. At the same time, environmental degradation itself aggravates poverty and promotes social exclusion as well as self exclusion behaviours. Poor people have less control over their own welfare and over natural resources. They also have limited access to political and economic assets, which prevents the empowerment necessary for a sustainable use of natural resources. Poverty affects women and men in different ways. In this respect, women's situation, in their role as food suppliers and producers, is particularly important to address. Population growth has in many parts of the world contributed to an absolute increase in the number of poor people. Concerted actions to empower the poor together with measures to control the way in which natural resources are impacted by more resource-rich actors, should be part of our work to prevent the scale of human activities from reaching a point where it will exceed the limits of finite local resources.
Unsustainable patterns of consumption and production, in particular among the richer segments of societies, represent one of the main threats to the global environment and to the natural resource base. All people are affected, but the consequences for the poor are, of course especially serious. Turning production and consumption patterns onto a sustainable path remains a tremendous challenge, which needs to be urgently addressed. Consumer behaviour and awareness are of particular importance. Concerted efforts are needed to make production and consumption more sustainable.
Public investment by governments and support from development partners directed to social sectors, such as education and reproductive health, have contributed to reduce mortality rates and to change reproductive behaviour in certain parts of the world. However, in view of the gender related impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic and the prevailing macro-economic frameworks, these efforts have to be geared more towards women and girls.
It is critical to note that mortality rates are rising in some countries, in part due to infectious diseases. The HIV/AIDS epidemic alone has killed over 21 million people world-wide. The links between the epidemic, population and development are clear. The epidemic contributes to reverse decades of development achievements in many countries, as reflected in the Human Development Index. The European Union believes it would be valuable if the Commission could provide inputs regarding the demographic impact of HIV/AIDS to the upcoming UNGASS on HIV/AIDS.
Progress made in reducing infant and child mortality rates slowed during the 1990s, and maternal mortality rates remain high in many countries. As outlined in the key actions identified at ICPD+5, education and proper health services, including dealing with the health impact of unsafe abortion as a major public-health concern, must be provided in order to lower these rates. The provision of these services has to take into account the specific needs of women, and their access has to be on a universal and non-discriminatory basis. The number of infant deaths could be reduced through stronger efforts to prevent HIV transmission from mother to child. Maternal, infant and child mortality rates and universal and equal access to sexual and reproductive health care are closely linked to the eradication of poverty. Intensified efforts are therefore urgently required to attain the targets related to them. Targets which were reiterated by our Heads of State in the United Nations Millennium Declaration.
Population ageing is another important issue. It should not been seen as a concern for developed countries only. The continued rise in life expectancies and the special needs of rapidly growing numbers of elderly people are global challenges indeed. Therefore, the European Union attaches great importance to the Second World Assembly on Ageing, which will take place in Madrid next year.
The ICPD and its follow-up conference provide a firm base for a continuation of our efforts to address population, environment and development issues so as to enhance the lives of all people around the world. In line with ICPD, human beings must be placed at the centre of concerns for sustainable development. The European Union will continue to support developing countries in their efforts to achieve the international development targets, including those of ICPD and ICPD +5. In this context, the European Union reaffirms its commitment to reaching the ODA target of 0.7 per cent of GNP, as soon as possible.
The European Union would like to underline the importance of a number of UN conferences taking place over the coming years. These conferences all have bearing on the population and development agenda. Among them are the Special Session of the General Assembly on HIV and AIDS, the World Summit for Children, the Third UN Conference on Least Developed Countries, and the Second World Assembly on Ageing. The World Summit on Sustainable Development that will be held in South Africa in the year 2002 is of particular relevance for the theme of this meeting, and will provide an opportunity to revitalise the spirit of Rio and to shape a renewed political commitment by all countries to achieving sustainable development. In order to achieve an integrated development agenda, the European Union recommends that issues related to population and development will be given due attention during all of these events.
Last year, ECOSOC invited the functional commissions of the United Nations to consider options for enhancing the reviews of major UN conferences and summits, including - of course - ICPD. Reviews are important. Technical reviews of the implementation of commitments made should take place regularly, mainly by the functional commissions. However, political reviews, aimed at establishing new commitments, should in our view not be convened automatically within a given period of time, but rather on a case-by-case basis when there is room for new political commitments, and in the light of new challenges and new priorities. An integrated approach should also be taken with regard to the follow-up of different conferences. Let us discuss in a constructive manner how we can use this and other commissions, ECOSOC and the General Assembly to enhance our review of the implementation of the Cairo conference and other commitments.
The European Union sees the Millennium Declaration as an essential step forward in consolidating the key results of all major UN conferences during the 1990s, including their five-year follow-ups. The Declaration could be used as a starting point for an integrated follow-up of all major UN conferences, and as a means to build on the many linkages between them.
Let us be innovative and in global partnership review various ways to make the most efficient use of time and resources in pursuance of common goals and objectives in order to improve the lives of poor people around the world, with special focus on women, children, the elderly, migrants and refugees.
Thank you.