Title: Cairo goals for reproductive health: where do we stand at 10 years? [editorial]

POPLINE Document Number: 194559

Author(s):

Stewart FH
Shields WC
Hwang AC

Source citation:

Contraception, 2004 Jul;70(1):1-2.

Abstract:

Ten years ago, 179 countries—including the United States—agreed on a Programme of Action that revolutionized international population policy. In the Programme adopted at the International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo, the notion of “population control” was replaced with a more comprehensive approach to reproductive health, as a means to achieve development and population stabilization by improving the lives of women and men worldwide [1]. The Programme identified policy goals to be reached by 2015, including: increasing the percentage of deliveries attended by skilled caregivers; decreasing infant and child mortality; improving the social, economic, and educational status of women; increasing access to contraceptive care; and increasing life expectancy. With its broad scope, the Programme engaged forcefully with the intrinsic interconnectedness between reproductive health and other aspects of social and economic development. The ability to delay or space childbearing, for example, can allow women to participate more fully in educational and economic opportunities, and advance women’s roles in society. At the same time, a woman’s status in a relationship may dictate whether she is able to negotiate contraceptive use with her partner in the first place. In addition, delaying or spacing childbearing may be critical to the survival of a family during difficult economic times. Adequate birth spacing also leads to better health outcomes for women and their children, while poor health status due to poverty can increase maternal and child mortality. (excerpt)

Keywords:

Developing Countries
Developed Countries
Critique
Population Control
Reproductive Health
Women's Empowerment
HIV Prevention
Family Planning
Abortion Law
Health Policy
Population Policy
Social Policy
Policy
Health
Women's Status
Socioeconomic Factors
Economic Factors
HIV Infections
Viral Diseases
Diseases
Fertility Control, Postconception