PRESS RELEASE
United Nations Population
Fund
|
Contact: |
Alex Marshall
Fax:
(212) 557-6416 |
|
|
First event in the ICPD+5
review process
Meeting will Review
Progress on Adolescent Reproductive Health Care, Sex Education, and
Reducing Teen Pregnancy
UNITED NATIONS, New York, 9 April 1998
-- The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) will convene
an international "roundtable" meeting on 14-17 April to
discuss progress made since the 1994 International Conference
on Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairo in addressing
adolescent reproductive and sexual health needs and in
reducing levels of teenage pregnancy.
The Roundtable
on Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights is
the first in a series of international events that are part of
the ICPD+5 process which consist of activities connected with
a five-year review of progress made in implementing the 1994
ICPD Programme of Action and to make recommendations for the
future. |
The meeting will review the achievements, programme experiences
and policy changes made by countries in response to the reproductive
and sexual health needs of adolescents since the Cairo
Conference.
The ICPD Programme of Action called on countries, with the
support of the international community, to "protect and promote the
rights of adolescents to reproductive health education, information
and care". It also urged governments, in collaboration with
non-governmental organizations (NGOs), to "meet the special needs of
adolescents and to establish appropriate programmes to respond to
those needs".
Hosted by the Ford Foundation at its headquarters at 320 East
43rd Street in New York, the roundtable meeting, "Adolescent Sexual
and Reproductive Health and Rights: Assessing the Impact of ICPD",
will examine lessons learned, success stories and constraints faced
by countries in implementing the ICPD recommendation on
adolescents.
The meeting will be attended by government representatives, and
NGOs from developing and developed countries, foundations, experts
on adolescent reproductive health, academic and research
institutions and United Nations Agencies.
The four-day meeting will be broken into sessions devoted to
particular topics: Promoting an Enabling Environment for Adolescent
Reproductive Health (Tuesday, 14 April); A Special Session on
Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention with Dr. Nafis Sadik, Executive
Director, UNFPA and Ms. Jane Fonda of the Georgia Campaign on
Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention (15 April); Health Promotion (15
April) Providing Youth Friendly Services (16 April) and Innovative
Approaches to Involve Youth in Adolescent Reproductive Health
projects (17April).
The meeting will also feature panel presentations on a wide array
of related subjects, among them: Teen Concerns and How Young People
Make Choices; the Reproductive Health Needs of Adolescents; Sexual
and Reproductive Health Education; Promoting Gender Sensitivity and
Sexuality Education in and out of Schools; Strengthening
Reproductive Health Services and Sexual Education for Adolescents;
Involving the Community in Adolescent Reproductive Health
Programmes; and The Role of Parents and the Extended Family in
Adolescent Reproductive Health.
On Friday, 17 April, working groups at the roundtable will
produce a summary report with recommendation for future actions.
As part of the ICPD+5 process, UNFPA is sponsoring a series of
events including technical meetings and roundtable discussions on
selected subjects as well as an International Forum on ICPD
implementation to be held in February 1999 in the Netherlands.
Forum participants will include governments, parliamentarians,
academics, foundations, and representatives of civil society
including NGOs and the private sector from more than 100
countries.
The ICPD+5 process will conclude with a Special Session of the
United Nations General Assembly on 30 June-2 July, 1999, which will
review and appraise the implementation of the ICPD Programme of
Action.
The report of the Roundtable on Adolescent Sexual and
Reproductive Health and Rights will be consolidated, along with
those from other roundtables and technical meetings, into a document
for review by the International Forum and as background material for
the Secretary-General’s report to the Special Session.
|