Old challenges and new areas for international co-operation in population

Taking stock of accomplishments in the field of population reveals that significant progress has been made since the late 1960s but that much remains to be done. Important challenges in population for 1990 and beyond include the implementation of more effective family planning programs, greater accessibility to better family planning services at the local level, a wider range of choices in contraceptive methods, and better training and supervision of family planning delivery personnel. Another major challenge is to give attention to the various aspects of the role of women--beyond mere acknowledgement and to the actual implementation of programs. Further, policies need to be formulated and implemented across several sectors to deal with the complex interaction between population, resources, and the environment. To devise such policies, knowledge of the interrelationships needs to be clarified and refined. Finally, still greater emphasis will have to be placed on improving the integration of population and development. Accomplishing that will require wider awareness, enhanced coordination and adequate resources--an increase of at least $100 million per year from now to the end of the century over the annual current level of some $550 million for all external assistance for population.