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U.S. Department of State Office of the Spokesman Press Statement

Press Statement by James P. Rubin, Spokesman
March 23, 1999

U.S. Sends Delegation to UN Population Meeting

A delegation of U.S. Government and nongovernment organization officials will represent the United States at the 32nd Commission on Population and Development at the United Nations from March 24-31.

Julia V. Taft, Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration, will head the delegation at the gathering in New York City. Officials from the State Department, the U.S. Mission to the UN, the Department of Health and Human Services, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and the U.S. Information Agency will attend, along with representatives of six nongovernmental organizations (NGOs)—Population Action International, International Women’s Health Coalition, AVSC International, Save the Children, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, and the Rockefeller Foundation.

The Commission will continue the 5-year review process (ICPD+5) of the 20-year Program of Action forged at the International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo in 1994. That program represents a global commitment to expand access to girls’ education and family planning, improve reproductive health, advance gender equality, and stabilize world population.

A U.S. delegation attended the ICPD+5 International Forum at The Hague February 8-12, where a report was produced concluding that, while progress has been good, resources remain the biggest constraint in implementing the ICPD Program of Action. The Hague report, produced by representatives of 177 nations and hundreds of NGOs, will inform the work of the Commission. The Commission is slated to produce a report that will be used by the UN Secretary General, incorporating key future actions needed to fully implement the ICPD Program of Action.

The ICPD+5 review will conclude at a special UN General Assembly from June 30 to July 2.

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