EGYPT: DELEGATES AT THE INTERNATIONAL POPULATION CONFERENCE APPROVE A PROGRAMME FOR A NEW CONCEPT OF REpRODUCTIVE RIGHTS AND SETTING A POPULATION STRATEGY FOR THE NEXT TWENTY YEARS

Record ID: 646485

  • Title: EGYPT: DELEGATES AT THE INTERNATIONAL POPULATION CONFERENCE APPROVE A PROGRAMME FOR A NEW CONCEPT OF REpRODUCTIVE RIGHTS AND SETTING A POPULATION STRATEGY FOR THE NEXT TWENTY YEARS
  • Date: 12th September 1994
  • Summary: CAIRO, EGYPT (SEPTEMBER 12, 1994) (REUTERS TELEVISION - ACCESS ALL) 1. GV EXTERIOR CONFERENCE VENUE/ DELEGATES ARRIVING (3 SHOTS) 0.09 2. GV SECURITY GUARDS 0.11 3. GV DELEGATES ARRIVING (2 SHOTS) 0.17 4. GV DELEGATES IN LOBBY 0.20 5. GV VATICAN DELEGATES IN COMMITTE ROOM 0.27 6. SCU IRANIAN DELEGATE BOZORGMEHR ZIARAN SPEAKING (ENGLISH) 0.39 7. GV CONFERENCE HALL/DELEGATES (2 SHOTS) 0.46 8. SCU U.S. UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE FOR GLOBAL AFFAIRS TIMOTHY WORTH SPEAKING (ENGLISH) 1.03 9. GV DELEGATES LEAVING CONFERENCE HALL AFTER SESSION(3 SHOTS) 1.12 10.SCU DEPUTY SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE CONFERENCE JOSEPH SHAMIE SPEAKING (ENGLISH) 1.22 11.GV CONFERENCE SECRETARY GENERAL DR NAFIS SADIK SEATED 1.26 12. CU SADIK SPEAKING (ENGLISH) 1.44 13. WS WOMEN'S FORUM NEWS CONFERENCE (2 SHOTS) 1.49 14. CU DELEGATE BELLA ABZUB SPEAKING (ENGLISH) 2.11 15. GV REPORTERS LISTENING 2.12 SEQUENCE 6 TRANsCRIPT: ZIARAN :"I KEEP MY FINGERS CROSSED THAT THERE WILL BE SOME AGREEMENT AND IF THERE IS SOME KIND OF FLEXIBILITY FROM THE OTHERS WE SHOULD FINISH IT BY TODAY" SEQUENCE 8 TRANsCRIPT: WORTH :"SO ALL THREE OF OUR GOALS HAVE BEEN ACHIEVED AND WE THINK THAT THERE HAS BEEN REMARKABLE CONSENSUS ON THIS FRONT. I WOULD REMIND YOU THAT ON THE ISSUE OF POPULATION JUST AS RECENTLY AS TWO YEARS AGO IN RIO, THE WORLD COULDN'T EVEN TALK ABOUT POPULATION MUCH LESS COME TO AN AGREEMENT ON IT" SEQUENCE 10 TRANsCRIPT: SHAMIE :"I'M CONFIDENT THAT TOMMORROW SHOULD BE SMOOTH SAILING AND WILL HAVE A PROGRAMME OF ACTION THAT WE CAN BUILD UPON DURING THE NEXT TEN OR TWENTY YEARS" SEQUENCE 12 TRANsCRIPT: SADIK :"ANOTHER GAIN I THINK IS THAT ALL RELIGIOUS LEADERS OF ALL DENOMINATIONS, ISLAMS AND CATHOLICS AND OTHERS HAVE TALKED ABOUT ABORTION BUT HAVE ALL SUPPORTED THE RIGHT OF WOMEN AND MEN TO HAVE CHOICES AND CONTRACEPTION AND I THINK THAT IS A VERY BIG PLUS FOR A LOT OF COUNTRIES" SEQUENCE 14 TRANsCRIPT: ABZUB :"A TOTAL SHIFT IN APPROACH FROM A NARROW LENSE ABOUT HOW YOU DEAL WITH POPULATION AND DEVELOPMENT BY TAKING THE APPROACH OF NOT ONLY PROVIDING FOR UNMET NEEDS OF FAMILY PLANNING AND CONTRACEPTION, BUT WE MUST RAISE THE STATUS OF WOMEN" Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
  • Embargoed: 27th September 1994 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: CAIRO, EGYPT
  • City:
  • Country: Egypt
  • Reuters ID: LVAEHROZRP7T5XLYOY3PSBKUY2JC
  • Story Text: Delegates at the International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo on Monday (September 12) approved in committee a programme enshrining the new concept of reproductive rights and setting a population strategy for the next 20 years.

    Following hours of debate over deals on sensitive language, new phrases were deemed acceptable, often with reservations, to the four main blocs of United Nations (U.N.) members -- Moslem states, developing countries, rich Western states and then the Vatican and its Catholic allies.

    The thrust of the programme is to hold down world population growth by making family planning available worldwide and by giving women the power to make decisions on their own lives.

    The programme is not binding, many countries say they will interpret it in their own way and a handful of mainly Moslem countries boycotted the conference from the start.

    After lengthy delays in the morning, the whole text of the final declaration was passed, including the highly controversial chapter on "reproductive rights and reproductive health".

    "Other unions", as in "marriages and other unions", disappeared from the text when Western liberals decided that the concept survived through a reference to various forms of family.

    Earlier on Monday, some arriving delegates were confident an agreement would be struck on global policy.

    Iranian delegate Bozorgmehr Ziaran said he hoped the agreement would be reached.

    United States (U.S.) Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs, Timothy Wirth said delegates had reached a remarkable consensus considering population could not even be discussed at the Rio Earth Summit.

    The Deputy Secretary General of the conference, Joseph Shamie said he hoped every chapter of the document would be eventually be agreed.

    The Secretary-general of the conference Nafis Sadik said for the first time, religious leaders had been forced to not only confront the issue of abortion, but to accept that men and women could make their own choices about contraception.

    Also on Monday the non-governmental organisations' Women's Forum held a news conference at which Women's Caucus representative Bella Abzub said the conference has served to broaden the narrow approach countries have to women and population and development.

    Abzub said the meeting had raised the status of women taking in the social concerns, education and wiping out of poverty which, she said, was an essential part of dealing with population and families.


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