Activity 1: The Cairo Conference-Population Policy and Development
Introduction
As early as the 1950s, international meetings were convened to address issues related to population. Scientists viewed uncontrolled population growth as a potential barrier to development efforts in less developed countries. Although meetings were held each decade, it was only during the 1974 meeting in Bucharest that population concerns were elevated to the policy level; the conference called on governments to make family planning widely available. A decade later government delegates met again in Mexico City, reaffirming the need for universal access to family planning programs. The 1994 Cairo Conference broke new ground in shifting the emphasis of population policies and actions.
The Cairo Conference was the first international conference in which women played an active and visible role. Population issues were framed as part of a broader development agenda that emphasized the empowerment of women. Governments were called upon to set national goals and to establish policies that would address the needs of individuals, and make family planning available as part of comprehensive reproductive health services. Conference participants were convinced that focusing on human needs would ultimately have the greatest impact on stabilizing population growth.
Part One: What Is the Role of Women in Development Policy?
Materials Needed
Instructions
- Have students read the executive summary from "Women's Rights and Status."
- Guide a class discussion following the questions below:
- Why is it important to single out the role of women when considering population and development policy?
- Why does the summary refer to "gender relations" as "power relations"?
- How does the summary define women's status?
- What legislative changes does the summary propose?
Part Two: What Was the Cairo Conference?
Materials Needed
Instructions
- Have students read "What Was Cairo? The Promise and Reality of ICPD."
- Use the following questions to guide a class discussion of population policy.
- What shift in emphasis in population policy occurred in the early 1990s?
- In what ways was the Cairo Conference different from earlier international population conferences?
- What major goals came out of the Cairo Conference?
- Despite national action plans, in what areas have many countries fallen short in implementing the goals of the Cairo Conference?
- Identify five issues on which there have been major differences of opinion [such as women’s reproductive rights; abortion; population control; poverty; HIV/AIDS; aging populations].
- Have students read "Population Growth in Egypt : A Continuing Policy Challenge." Ask them to evaluate the article in light of what they have learned about the goals and issues emerging from the Cairo Conference.
- In what areas has Egypt achieved progress?
- What challenges remain to be addressed?
Extension
Materials Needed
- Reading: "Evolving Population Policies in India and China" in Transitions in World Population, pp. 26-27 (PDF: 320KB)
Instructions
- Direct students to "Country Profiles" on the website of the UN Population Fund at www.unfpa.org/profile/default.cfm.
- Assign each student a country.
- Have students use the "Country Profile" database to develop a summary of population progress and challenges facing the assigned country, keeping in mind the goals and issues emerging from the Cairo Conference.
- Allow students to share their findings with the class.