26 July 1989

35th plenary meeting

Strengthening actions concerned with the fulfilment of the World Population Plan of Action

The Economic and Social Council,

Recalling General Assembly resolutions 3344 (XXIX) of 17 December 1974 on the United Nations World Population Conference and 39/228 of 18 December 1984 on the International Conference on Population,

Recalling also Economic and Social Council resolutions 1985/4 of 28 May 1985, 1986/7 of 21 May 1986 and 1987/72 of 8 July 1987 on follow-up to the recommendations of the International Conference on Population,

Having considered and approved the findings of the third quinquennial review and appraisal of progress made towards achieving the goals of the World Population Plan of Action, which was called for in paragraph 108 of the Plan of Action and recommendation 88 of the International Conference on Population,

Expressing its appreciation for the action taken by many States, organizations of the United Nations system and intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations pursuant to the provisions of the World Population Plan of Action,

Concerned about certain population issues that have emerged during the past five years and the need to reinforce previous recommendations that urgently call for new action,

1. Urges all Member States and regional and international bodies to continue their advocacy of the principles and objectives of the World Population Plan of Action and the recommendations for its further implementation adopted by the International Conference on Population and in particular to provide special support for the implementation of the recommendations contained in the annex to the present resolution;

2. Urges governmental, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations and organizations of the United Nations system that provide technical and financial assistance in the field of population to increase their efforts to implement the World Population Plan of Action in their programmes of work and to give special attention to the recommendations contained in the annex to the present resolution.

Annex CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE THIRD REVIEW AND APPRAISAL OF PROGRESS MADE TOWARDS THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE WORLD POPULATION PLAN OF ACTION A. Overall assessment

1. The World Population Plan of Action and the recommendations for its further implementation continue to provide a policy framework for carrying out population activities at the national, regional and global levels.

Governments have found the provisions useful for formulating, implementing and evaluating their population policies. The international community has made them the analytical basis for the provision of financial and technical assistance to developing countries.

2. During the recent discussions on the efficiency of the United Nations and on its intergovernmental structure and functions in the economic and social fields, the field of population was singled out as one in which the work of the United Nations had been relatively effective. In spite of the inherently controversial nature of the subject, population is one of the main fields of work of the United Nations and other international organizations and is considered a programmable sector by many Governments. Today, for virtually every country in the world, there is a set of reliable population indicators.

Population is one of the better co-ordinated sectors of international assistance. Furthermore, the World Population Plan of Action is an international instrument that serves as a standard reference and continues to rest firmly on a global consensus. Although there are many reasons for such achievements, it is important to emphasize the benefits that result from bringing together the political will of Governments and the scientific and programming skills of many units of the United Nations and of numerous academic centres, professional associations and other non-governmental organizations.

3. It can be concluded that the main findings of the third review and appraisal of the implementation of the Plan have been judged satisfactory, although a number of issues remain unresolved and others have emerged only recently. Further implementation of the Plan requires the serious consideration of certain critical issues. On the basis of the findings of the current assessment, the following recommendations have been adopted to address, in particular, the new issues that have emerged during the past five years and, in a few cases, to reinforce previous recommendations that urgently require new action.

B. Recommendations Recommendation 1 Governments, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, parliamentarians and the public in general are urged to reaffirm their support for the principles, objectives and provisions of the World Population Plan of Action and the recommendations for its further implementation.

Recommendation 2 Governments and intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations are urged to attach high priority to co-operative efforts to alleviate problems arising from the difficult economic situation faced by developing countries, including the problem of external indebtedness, in order to overcome major obstacles to the economic and social development of developing countries and to the fulfilment of the objectives of the World Population Plan of Action.

Recommendation 3 Governments and intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations are invited to pay special attention to the conclusions and recommendations of the Environmental Perspective to the Year 2000 and Beyond and the report of the World Commission on Environment and Development, particularly on matters pertaining to population issues.

Recommendation 4 Governments and international organizations are encouraged to give the support needed to strengthen programmes to improve the role and status of women. In those programmes particular attention should be paid to the needs of young women and the importance of the active involvement of men in all areas of family responsibility, including family planning and child care.

Recommendation 5 Governments are urged to give full attention to all aspects of population in the formulation of their social and economic development plans and programmes, both within and outside the context of formal development planning, and the international community should assign high priority to supporting them in that goal. The concept of integrating population into development plans and programmes needs to be more clearly defined, as do the approaches to be used. The definitions must cover the institutional and human resources needed for effective integration.

Recommendation 6 Governments and international organizations are urged to strengthen their efforts to achieve the targets established by the International Conference on Population for mortality in general and child and maternal mortality in particular.

Recommendation 7 A continuous assessment of the demographic, economic and social consequences of the AIDS pandemic should be made at the national, regional and global levels, and the results should be conveyed to Governments and international organizations. Special attention should be given to the spread of AIDS among the working-age population and among children, protection of the human rights of persons infected with AIDS, the devastating consequences for the families of persons infected with AIDS, and the possible adverse effects on resource allocations to general health and development programmes.

Governments are urged to encourage patterns of behaviour and promote the development and use of barrier contraceptive methods that deter the spread of AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases.

Recommendation 8 In view of the rapid development and growing availability of new biotechnologies affecting human reproduction, Governments should evaluate their multiple consequences, in terms of both universally recognized ethical values and human rights and the possible demographic impact.

Recommendation 9 Considering that the new area of assistance called "refugee aid and development" is aimed at assisting not only refugees but also host communities, Governments and local and international organizations are urged to collaborate with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in providing full support for the design and implementation of programmes in that area.

Recommendation 10 Governments are invited to design a balanced programme of data collection, analysis and dissemination that includes gathering population data through civil registration systems, population censuses and national sample survey programmes. To that end, international organizations are invited to provide support and assistance. Special emphasis should be given to data on the education and socio-economic integration of women and other special population groups, such as indigenous communities, disabled persons, youth and the elderly.

Recommendation 11 Governments and the international community should strengthen the institutional base required to carry out the theoretical, methodological and applied research needed to support population programmes and policies and to fill gaps in knowledge. While biomedical research should continue to receive support, more intensive policy-oriented research is needed on the socio-cultural factors affecting human behaviour in relation not only to reproduction but also to morbidity, mortality, migration and urbanization.

Recommendation 12 Governments and intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations are urged to give high priority to the managerial aspects of population programmes and to ensure the availability of trained specialists in that area. Increased efforts will be needed to establish monitoring, evaluation and research activities and make use of them in formulating and implementing population programmes. Family planning programmes should receive increased support in order to guarantee higher standards and meet the demand for services.

Recommendation 13 The Governments concerned and the international community should give the highest priority to assisting the population programmes of the least developed countries that have large populations and high rates of population growth, in particular those in sub-Saharan Africa.