How it came about
The Population & Sustainability Network initiative developed
out of the UNED-UK Committee's preparations for the World Summit
on Sustainable Development 2002, in Johannesburg.
It was formally launched as a UN-registered Partnership at
the Commission for Sustainable Development Session at the UN in
New York in April 2004. (See Past Events)
Rationale for the Development of the Network
The
'population' debate has a chequered history: for some the
implications of global population growth for economic social and
environmental well-being have been central concerns; for others,
and particularly following the ground-breaking Cairo conference
in 1994 (the UN International Conference on Population and
Development) the key issue has been reproductive rights and the
human right of choice about when and if to have children.
For yet
others, this is a religious matter, which argues against any
sort of population planning, and may interfere with the human
right of a woman to choose modern methods to control her
fertility.
Meanwhile it
has become clear that funding targets, set at the seminal Cairo
Conference in 1994 to enable attainment of its objectives, are
not being met, and that population matters are not receiving the
global profile which they urgently require.
Balancing the Rich and Poor Worlds
As the
concept demonstrated by our Population Coin indicates, we are
also concerned with impacts on the environment (biodiversity,
climate change, pollution etc) of the consumption patterns of
those living in the 'minority' rich world.
So these are
issues for both the majority and minority worlds, intricately
concerned with poverty eradication and sustainable development.
Another focus
for the Network is to address the taboo nature of 'population
issues' - the very word 'population' seems to be problematic for
many.
The taboo
about 'population' extends to discussion about the
over-consumption by the rich minority world. It is, after all,
the rich world which is causing disproportionate damage to our
fragile planet through its consumption patterns. Biodiversity,
climate change and pollution are all serious issues which the
Network plans to address. |
The Focus of the Network
Whilst
seeking to highlight existing arguments for population planning
such as women's reproductive health rights and the fight against
AIDS, the Network also aims to emphasise hitherto under-stated
issues - particularly the negative impact of population increase
on poverty alleviation and socio-economic development, and the
implications for the environment of unsustainable patterns of
consumption in the rich world. One central aim of the Network is
to bring together different constituencies: Reproductive Health,
Development and Environment organisations who rarely
collaborate.
A Steering Group
has responsibility for taking forward the work programme
assembled by its members, part of which is displayed on this website.
The overall
ethos of the Network is well captured by two comments: by Kofi
Annan in Bangkok in December 2003 and Imre Loefler (editor of
the Nairobi Hospital Proceedings) in an article in the British
Medical Journal (March 2003).
"The
Millennium Development Goals, particularly the eradication of
extreme poverty and hunger, cannot be achieved if questions of
population and reproductive health are not squarely addressed.
And that means stronger efforts to promote women's rights, and
greater investment in education and health, including
reproductive health and family planning."
Kofi Annan
"In
Johannesburg they talked about the scarcity of water, land,
food, medicines, and education, the disappearance of forests,
and the depletion in fish stocks, they talked about trade and
sustainable development, and they identified, yet again,
poverty, ignorance, disease, and the cussedness of the rich as
the factors that keep the poor world poor, make it gradually
poorer, destroy the environment and by diminishing hope,
increase hate. What they did not talk about was population
growth, the demographic entrapment of many countries, and the
consequences….there is an international taboo: it is not
desirable to talk about population problems."
Imre Loefler
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