ENB: ICPD + 5 PREPCOM March 30, 1999, New York


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UN Commission on Population and Development
Resumed Session of the ICPD+5 PrepCom
24 - 29 June 1999
Twenty-first Special Session of the UN General Assembly (UNGASS-21)
30 June - 2 July 1999
UN Headquarters, New York

The PrepCom began its morning session, adopting the list of NGOs recommended for accreditation to the Special Session. Then the PrepCom continued its informal consultations on the Chair's revised working paper containing proposals for key actions for the further implementation of the POA in preparation for the Special Session of the General Assembly as contained in document E/CN.9/1999/PC/CRP.1/Rev.3 (click here for working paper). Based on amendments proposed in Wednesday's session, the PrepCom continued its work on paragraphs addressing outstanding issues from the March PrepCom. In making proposals, some delegates sought to reach a middle ground. The PrepCom heard proposed amendments to the document's first paragraph summarizing the ICPD outcomes. The PrepCom also discussed proposals to paragraphs on, inter alia:

developing and implementing plans to meet young people's needs;
the needs of refugee women and children in refugee assistance activities;
sex education in school curricula;
the role of the WHO and other UN agencies in efforts on key indicators on sexual and reproductive health;
allocation of resources to provide access to information;
counseling services and follow-up on family planning services;
health impacts of unsafe abortion;
WHO's leadership role in assisting countries to establish standards for care; and
providing user-friendly reproductive and sexual services for adolescents.

Chair Chowdhury adjourned the PrepCom early to allow the G-77/China to hold consultations.

Official UN documents for UNGASS-21

Provisional list of speakers for UNGASS-21

Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development

Photo and RealAudio highlights for 25 June

After adopting the list of NGOs recommended for accreditation to the Special Session of the General Assembly, the Prep Com continued informal consultations on the Chair's revised working paper . . . .

UNFPA Executive Director Nafis Sadik speak with delegates from Algeria (right). Making an intervention, she highlighted DESA's work on indicators and suggested its inclusion in the list of UN bodies involved in efforts to agree on key indicators for sexual and reproductive health.

Arq. Maria del Carmen Simone de Grimaux (Argentina)

Argentina supported balancing reference to adolescents' rights to privacy, confidentiality and informed consent with recognition of the prior rights of parents by including relevant language from POA paragraph 7.45

Margaret Pollack, Office of Population, US Department of State, United States, speaks with G-77/China Chair June Persaud (left) and Chair Chowdhury. The US expressed concern over proposed text specifying the allocation of resources for family planning and contraceptive methods "which are not against the law" and supported identifying methods such as female condoms, emergency contraception and underutilized methods, such as vasectomy and male condoms.

Jeanne E. Head, R.N., UN representative for International Right to Life Federation, Inc., speaks with the delegate from Pakistan

John Klink (Holy See) speaks with the delegate from Haiti (right). The Holy See urged returning to the language agreed to in Cairo with respect to the difficult issues. On refugee assistance activities, he emphasized access to social services, including sanitation, clean water and nutrition

Israel and Ireland before the morning session

	Amparo Claro, Latin American and Caribbean Women's Health Network with ENB writer Angela Churie (left) Bharati Sadasivam, Women's Environment and Development Organization, discusses the resumed PrepCom thus far with ENB writer Kira Schmidt (right)
Members of the G-77/China discuss the proposed amendments made to a paragraph on refugee assistance activities

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