Regional Ministerial Review Dakar/Ngor Declaration and Cairo @ 10

Statement by Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, Executive Director, UNFPA

Good morning.

Your Excellency, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Senegal,
Distinguished Ministers,
African Union Commissioner,
Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General,
Deputy Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa,
Honourable Parliamentarians,
Members of the Diplomatic Corps,
Colleagues and Friends,

I would like to extend my warm greetings to all of you. I would like to thank the Government of Senegal for its hospitality in hosting this important meeting. And I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the Economic Commission for Africa and to my colleagues at UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, for all the hard work you have put into organizing this meeting. I am very delighted that we have also with us the distinguished representative of the African Union (AU). We applaud the AU for its proactive leadership in the area of population and gender equality.

From Dakar To Cairo And Back To Dakar

It is a great honour to be with you here in Dakar, the capital of the famous land of teranga. Twelve years ago, African countries met in this beautiful city of Dakar and worked tirelessly to formulate, debate and adopt by consensus the Dakar/Ngor Declaration. This was a direct and valuable contribution by Africa to the International Conference on Population and Development, held in Cairo in 1994.

I am particularly pleased to join you on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the historic Cairo Conference. In Cairo, about 179 nations, including many from this great continent of Africa, agreed on a Programme of Action to establish a balance between the population and the distribution of resources, and shifted the focus from numbers to human beings and a focus on human rights. Its message rings loud and clear today: We must put people first and we must promote human dignity and equal opportunity for all people, especially those who are most marginalized.

The Cairo Programme of Action recognized the right to development, to education, to health, including sexual and reproductive health, and the empowerment of women and gender equality as decisive factors needed to reduce poverty. The right to decide freely on the number and spacing of children was reaffirmed as a fundamental human right of individuals and parents.

The Review Process

Today, 10 years later, we are gathered in Dakar to review the results of this process, to determine the progress that has been achieved in Africa, to examine the obstacles that have been confronted and, most importantly, to plot the way forward.

As my colleague, the Deputy Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), said, the Africa regional review report notes that Africa has taken important steps to apply the recommendations of the Cairo Conference and has made substantial advances. This has been confirmed by the global survey undertaken by UNFPA.

It is heartening to observe that at least 90 per cent of the countries that responded to the survey have reported adopting national policies on reproductive health, including the development of guidelines and standards for service delivery. They have also defined a minimum package of reproductive health services, which has been integrated into primary health care systems. Most of these efforts have been undertaken in partnerships with national non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and other civil society groups, including religion-based organizations, to ensure that services reach the most needy at the community level. It is also encouraging to note that about 50 per cent of the countries have initiated actions, including enactment of legislation, to ban female genital cutting. But as we all know, success in eradicating this practice depends on working with communities, engaging in dialogue, and using culturally sensitive approaches.

Mr. Chairman,

As we all know, HIV/AIDS is threatening the lives of African people. But African leaders have taken up the challenge and have shown high political commitment to confront the pandemic. This has been translated into the creation of strong institutional arrangements and increased national spending on HIV/AIDS programmes. Recognizing that women and youth are the most affected, at least 80 per cent of the countries have introduced HIV/AIDS prevention programmes in the formal school system. Youth-friendly services targeting out-of-school youth are also increasing. You may be aware of the saying: “No Commodities, No Programme”. In response, governments have taken on board reproductive health commodity security issues and are pursuing strategies to extend coverage to hard-to-reach groups.

In the area of gender equity, equality and women’s empowerment, capacity-building at the institutional level has occurred in more than 90 percent of African countries, including collection, analysis and use of gender-disaggregated data. The gender gap in primary education is being reduced in all countries.

The achievements of the last 10 years have been possible because of strong political will, strengthened partnerships and increased domestic and external spending on population and development programmes. But it is clear that, while noticeable progress has been made, much more work needs to be done.

Obstacles, Constraints and Challenges to Achieving Cairo Goals

Nations have confronted numerous obstacles to achieving the Cairo goals in the past decade since the conference. Conflicts in many countries have impeded progress and caused a tremendous amount of human suffering, and violation of human rights, the burden of which fell mostly on women and children. Other obstacles to progress are related to the severe fiscal restrictions. Social spending has not been sufficient to satisfy the basic necessities of large parts of the population, especially in the area of education and health services, including reproductive health, and women’s empowerment. There has been inadequate institutional capacity for policy development, programme implementation and coordination. And there is a serious shortage of skilled service providers.

NEPAD, ICPD and the MDGs

As you know, the United Nations General Assembly has welcomed the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) as the framework for international cooperation with Africa. The Fund is working closely with sister United Nations agencies, under ECA coordination, in this regard. The Fund has realigned the assistance programmes in its new Africa regional strategy and is working closely with African Union commissions to mainstream population, reproductive health and gender issues in their programmes. To further strengthen our collaboration, UNFPA has established a liaison office in Addis Ababa to work very closely with the AU and other intergovernmental organizations there.

As we move forward to achieve the aims of NEPAD, the Cairo Conference and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), we must remember that they are complementary and mutually reinforcing and that there is still a need for more focused policy and programmatic actions to position human development at the centre of all of our interventions.

Mr. Chairman,

I would like to quote United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, as he spoke on the MDGs in a context that is relevant to our discussions today. At the Asia-Pacific regional ICPD review, which was held in Bangkok in December 2002, he said:

“The Millennium Development Goals, particularly the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger, cannot be achieved if questions of population and reproductive health are not squarely addressed. And that means stronger efforts to promote women’s rights, and greater investment in education and health, including reproductive health and family planning.”

The AIDS Crisis

All over the continent, governments are pursuing the Cairo Programme of Action by recognizing and dealing with sexual and reproductive health issues, including HIV/AIDS. Yet, despite the work that has been done, 30 million of the 40 million people living with HIV/AIDS are in sub-Saharan Africa, with 58 per cent of them being women. Africa’s young women are especially hard-hit by the epidemic; they are three times more likely to be infected than young men.

The recommendations of the United Nations Secretary-General’s Task Force on Women and Girls and HIV/AIDS in Southern Africa provide guidelines for concrete action. Together, we must take stronger action to help girls and women protect themselves from HIV/AIDS and empower them to claim their rights.

Today, a growing number of countries have established national AIDS councils. In our host country, Senegal, the rampage of the epidemic has been arrested. The actions taken included intense and early engagement in prevention work by the outreach units of relevant ministries, people living with HIV/AIDS, NGOs and civil society organizations, including women’s and youth groups, as well as social, religious and traditional leaders. In Uganda, verifiable reductions in prevalence rates have been registered, thanks to the strong leadership role played by the Head of State and the involvement of community leaders, among other factors. This shows that strong action and leadership at all levels can and do produce real and measurable results.

Yet, despite local successes and some recent signs of growing commitment, national and international responses to the epidemic remain wholly inadequate. Only 2 per cent of those who need anti-retroviral treatment in sub-Saharan Africa receive it; access to services to prevent transmission from mother to child is still equally poor; and even in the hardest-hit regions, most young people do not have reliable information on how to protect themselves from infection. Moreover, the distribution of treatment and prevention services remains profoundly inequitable. This is the reality we are facing and it is a reality we must confront together, a great challenge that we have to address effectively. Far greater efforts are needed to link reproductive health and rights with HIV/AIDS, at both policy and service-delivery levels. The benefits of combining efforts and pooling resources are clear. We now have a range of proven, effective ways to prolong life and control the spread of HIV/AIDS. Our challenge is to work together to scale-up the interventions we have.

Empowerment of Women and Male Responsibility

In all African cultures, as expressed through art, literature, sculpture and music, women are central to the family, the community and society. They are respected, revered and affectionately called, “Mama”, in most African societies. Yet, in many cases, we face everyday practices that are opposite to the real value accorded women. African women face practices that demonstrate their low social, economic and legal status. Action to counteract this situation is a matter of urgency. Greater dialogue, and shared understanding and action, are needed to extend human dignity to all.

As long as girls are being married off at young ages and cannot refuse, we must continue to work for human rights for all. As long as women suffer from conditions of fistula, are inherited without their consent, we must continue to work for human rights for all. As long as women contribute about 70 per cent of total agricultural labour, but receive less than 10 per cent of the credit for small farmers, and as long as women cannot inherit land or property, we must continue to work for human rights for all. When women have equal opportunity and equality before the law, the benefits go to everyone. Families, societies and nations are better off.

The wise African leader and great statesman, the late Mwalimu Julius Nyerere, said:

"Even at the dawn of the 21st century, it is not uncommon for women in Africa, when about to give birth, to bid their children farewell. What needs to be done to bring hope and smiles to African mothers is well known. …A person does not walk very far or very fast on one leg. How can we expect half the people to be able to develop a nation?"

Men have a key role to play. More and more men are taking a stand against the unfair treatment of women and girls. We are making progress because these issues are now being discussed openly within many families and, increasingly, within communities. The same is true of family planning. While the number of children is a matter of personal decision, it is important to acknowledge that women and couples should have the information and means to discuss these issues, come to joint agreement and make informed decisions. A mountain of evidence exists to show that family planning saves lives and constitutes an enabling factor in development. Having children too close together, too early or late in life pose grave health risks to both mothers and children.

Accounting for Cultural Realities

Gender roles and the status of women are closely linked to two areas that may seem contradictory, but which are actually complementary—human rights and cultural values. In 2002, UNFPA conducted research in many African countries on the impact and role of cultural values and sensitivities in UNFPA programmes. The Africa findings were reviewed at a special UNFPA retreat in Ghana last April during which experiences from other regions were exchanged.

We have taken the lessons to strengthen working relationships with communities and local social, political, cultural and religious leaders, engaging them in dialogue, listening to them, sharing knowledge and insights, jointly planning the way forward and moving ahead. UNFPA is set on a path of systematically mainstreaming cultural factors in programming efforts in order to make greater progress and affirm human rights.

Mr. Chairman,

I would like to conclude my statement today with a call to action for Africa’s youth. Today, Africa’s population is young, with persons under 15 years constituting over 40 per cent of the population. Africa has the largest youth population in history that is entering reproductive age. Let us pledge at this meeting to take stronger collective action to meet their needs and to support the rights of Africa’s young men and women. Let us listen to the voices of Africa’s youth, who have dreams for a better life. Let us be infected with their idealism and honesty. Let us work with them hand-in-hand, side by side, to ensure that they have real reasons to have hope. Let us strive to ensure that all young people have the skills, education, knowledge and services they need to lead healthy and productive lives. Africa’s young people are a force for positive change. They are part of the solution, and we must give them this recognition. This is not only a human rights issue; but also a human security and sustainable development issue, as exemplified by experiences in Asia.

Let us work to quickly close the gender gap in schooling. Between 1960 and 1992, East Asia closed its gender gap in schooling and the region’s per-capita income grew by an additional one-half to nearly one percentage point per year. In Africa, this would have meant close to a doubling of per-capita income growth.

What We Want from Governments

As Africa continues implementing the Cairo Programme of Action and NEPAD in order to achieve the MDGs, people will be looking up to you, as their leaders, to show the way and continue to exhibit due leadership in development policy and programmes. I hope concrete actions will include: 

1. Paying closer attention to the budgeting process in order to make adequate and gender-sensitive budgetary allocations for population and reproductive health programmes;
2. Prioritizing population and reproductive health as items worthy of increased official development assistance in dialogue with development partners;
3. Being open in discussing and addressing HIV/AIDS, especially among vulnerable segments of the population; and
4. Strengthening national institutional capacity, especially at decentralized levels, so that current population, reproductive health, HIV/AIDS and gender policies can be translated into effective programmes that touch and change the lives of the people for the better.

I can assure you all that UNFPA will continue to work with you every step of the way. Thank you.