Issued by: SA Communication Service
MINISTERS FROM SOUTHERN AFRICA TO CONSIDER POPULATION AND DEVELOPMENT
Delegates started gathering today at the Southern African Ministers Conference on Population and Development outside Pretoria. This is the first Southern African Ministerial Conference on Population and Development issues to take place following the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD).
This Conference is being held as part of the regional follow-up to the ICPD. The main objectives of this Conference are to explore areas for collaboration in the field of population and development between countries in the Southern African region and to establish a formalise structure for cooperation in the field of population as part of the SADC structures.
During the following four days delegates are to share their experiences regarding population policy formulation, implementation and review in order to indicate the main focus and direction of their policy priorities which in turn will be used to establish possible areas of collaboration. Areas of collaboration being considered are regional approaches towards ensuring economic empowerment of especially the rural poor in order to combat poverty; strategies to eliminate all practices which create gender inequalities and inequities; regional cooperation concerning reproductive health matters as well as ways of exchanging technology for the production of contraceptives so that contraceptives of an acceptable quality are made more available and are affordable; possible joint research ventures between the countries of the region on population issues of mutual concern; to consider developing and adopting coordinated population policy information, education and communication (IEC) strategies which can maximise the impact of national and regional IEC activities and to consider the possibility of a coordinated regional approach to obtaining support from cooperating partners in order to develop long-term joint programmes between countries of the region.
It is expected that the Ministerial Conference will take far-ranging decisions regarding the future of cooperation in Southern African regarding population and development and present future strategies for dealing with issues of common concern. However, to many the conference is being seen as the first step towards the formalisation of population as part of the SADC structure and as a sign of the continued commitment from countries in the region towards implementing the ICPD Programme of Action.
A press conference has been scheduled to take place on 31 October 1996 at 16:00 at Rhoode Vallei Country Lodge to provide feedback on the outcome of the Ministers Conference. Map providing directions to Rhoode Vallei is available on request. Members of the media requiring further information are requested to contact Cornel van Rooyen at 0828076639 or Richard Delate on 0824146680.
28 October 1996