Governments map out population and sustainable development strategies for twenty-first century

The 4th Asian and Pacific Population Conference, which began on 19 August 1992 in Bali, Indonesia, concluded on 27 August with ministers and other high-ranking officials from the majority of countries in the region adopting a Declaration containing policy recommendations for Governments to follow in their efforts to achieve environmentally sustainable population and development goals into the next century. The objective of sustainable development is to meet human needs and aspirations in balance with population resources and the environment, and to enhance the quality of life today and in the future, according to the Bali Declaration on Population and Sustainable Development. Rapid population growth, changes in demographic structure and uneven population distribution have caused considerable damage to the environment, natural resources and economic and social conditions. The Conference reviewed the population situation in the region and established guidelines for population and sustainable development into the 21st century. The results of the Conference will also be used as a regional input for the International Conference on Population and Development, scheduled to be held in 1994 at Cairo, Egypt. Commenting on the Declaration, the ESCAP Executive Secretary, Mr. Rafeeuddin Ahmed, said that the decisions taken by the Conference put strong and unmistakable emphasis on poverty alleviation, on the interactions among population, the environment and consumption, and on the strategic linkages between population and sustainable development. Besides dealing with a host of population issues, the Declaration proposes a number of goals and policy recommendations to be considered by government policy makers. It also sets specific targets for countries with rapid population growth to reduce their fertility and infant mortality rates to replacement level (2.2 children/woman and 40/1000 live births, respectively) and to half the number of maternal deaths by the year 2010.