Asia’s Demographic Miracle: 50 Years of Unprecedented Change

Abstract

Asia has made excellent progress over the past 30 years and we must maintain the momentum into the new millennium As we celebrate the dawn of the twenty-first century and the start of the new millennium, a number of development-related issues come to mind: rising poverty levels, increased income inequality, the spread of HIV/AIDS, and social, cultural and gender deprivations. The issues are of global concern and must be kept to the fore even as we take stock of some impressive development gains made since the late 1960s. Among these are the increasing global nature of social, economic and political developments. Population trends are an integral part of our common future. On 12 October 1999, many countries observed the Day of Six Billion. It was a day to reflect on what a world population of 6 billion would mean, now and in the future-while population growth rates continue to decline, numbers are still increasing owing mainly to the effects of population momentum. It was a day to recognize that individual lives and health come first, and that poverty, food and water shortages and other problems of underdevelopment can be helped by paying close attention to population issues. There is general agreement that we should aim to stabilize global population size and only through the one acceptable way: by widening choices. That means paying close attention to individual needs for reproductive health, including family planning and sexual health; to education, especially of girls; and to achieving equality between women and men. The International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in 1994 reconfirmed the vital role of population in social development strategies and stressed the dynamic relationships among population, social and economic development, poverty alleviation, the environment and the empowerment of women. At the ICPD + 5 review, delegations recognized that, in spite of the progress made, more action is required in key areas, among them reproductive and sexual health, reduction of maternal mortality, the reproductive health needs of adolescents, reducing abortion and addressing the health consequences of unsafe abortion, prevention of HIV/AIDS, gender issues and education. They recommended setting new benchmarks and milestones in several of them, and urged strong action to meet ICPD goals in others. To confront the challenges of the twenty-first century successfully, we must strive to promote, respect and protect all human rights: economic, social, cultural, civil and political rights. Asia has made excellent progress over the past 30 years and we must maintain the momentum into the new millennium. Remarkable progress has been made by the Asian and Pacific countries towards achieving the goals and objectives of the ICPD Programme of Action. We must now increase our efforts and forge ahead to respond to the key actions that came out of its review. National governments, and especially the donor community, must commit the necessary resources to realize the vision behind the recommendations for further a...

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