The second programme area of Chapter 5 shifts the emphasis to governments and what they should do. The "Basis for action" describes how the problem is perceived.

"5.16. Existing plans for sustainable development have generally recognized demographic trends and factors as elements that have a critical influence on consumption patterns, production, lifestyles and long-term sustainability...[In the future,] all countries will have to improve their own capacities to assess the environment and development implications of their demographic trends and factors...Policies should be designed to address the consequences of population growth...while at the same time incorporating measures to bring about demographic transition. They should combine environmental concerns and population issues within a holistic view of development whose primary goals include the alleviation of poverty; secure livelihoods; good health; quality of life; improvement of the status and income of women and their access to schooling and professional training, as well as fulfillment of their personal aspirations; and empowerment of individuals and communities. Recognizing that large increases in the size and number of cities will occur in developing countries...attention should be given to preparing for the needs, in particular of women and children, for improved municipal management and local government."

This description of the problem leads to the following objective:

"5.17. Full integration of population concerns into national planning, policy and decision-making processes should continue. Population policies and programmes should be considered, with full recognition of women’s rights."

Even though governments will have to shoulder the main responsibility for the proposed activities in this programme area, there is much that UNFPA has already done and can do to support governments. A priority for UNFPA is to incorporate environmental concerns in the population and development strategies of its country programmes and to look at the environmental impacts of its own country programmes. For example, the Programme Review and Strategy Development (PRSD) exercises seek to introduce a strategic approach to population programming by developing a conceptual and programmatic framework to guide population activities in a country. The framework will help developing countries to coordinate activities between sectors, among implementing agencies and between donors, as well as to achieve synergistic impact from implementing population and related development activities in individual countries. By the end of 1996, a total of 125 PRSD exercises had been undertaken to assist countries in integrating population and environmental concerns into development planning.

The "Basis for action" then continues with a series of appropriate activities that fall within the areas of UNFPA’s mandate:

"5.18. Governments and other relevant actors could, inter alia, undertake the following activities, with appropriate assistance from aid agencies, and report on their status of implementation to the International Conference on Population and Development to be held in 1994, especially to its committee on population and environment.

"5.20. Research should be conducted on how environmental factors interact with socioeconomic factors as a cause of migration.

"5.21. Vulnerable population groups (such as rural landless workers, ethnic minorities, refugees, migrants, displaced people, women heads of house-hold) whose changes in demographic structure may have specific impacts on sustainable development should be identified.

"5.22. An assessment should be made of the implications of the age structure of the population on resource demand and dependency burdens, ranging from education expenses for the young to health care and support for the elderly, and on household income generation.

"5.24. The impact of national demographic trends and factors on the traditional livelihoods of indigenous groups and local communities, including changes in traditional land use because of internal population pressures, should be studied.

"5.25. National databases on demographic trends and factors and environment should be built and/or strengthened, disaggregating data by ecological region (ecosystem approach), and population/environment profiles should be established by region.

"5.26. Methodologies and instruments should be developed to identify areas where sustainability is, or may be, threatened by the environmental effects of demographic trends and factors, incorporating both current and projected demographic data linked to natural environmental processes.

"5.27. Casestudies of local level responses by different groups to demographic dynamics should be developed, particularly in areas subject to environ-mental stress and in deteriorating urban centres.

"5.30. The direct and induced effects of demographic changes on environment and development programmes should, where appropriate, be integrated, and the impact on demographic features assessed.

"5.31. National population policy goals and programmes that are consistent with national environment and development plans for sustainability and in keeping with the freedom, dignity and personally held values of individuals should be established and implemented.

"5.34. Demographic concerns, including concerns for environmental migrants and displaced people, should be incorporated in the programmes for sustainable development of relevant international and regional institutions."