DUSHANBE, July 1, 2013, Asia-Plus — The regional two-day conference entitled “Enabling Choices: Population Priorities for the 21st Century” opened in Geneva today.
UN Radio reported that organized by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), the conference is the culmination of the UN International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) review in the UNECE region comprising Europe, Central Asia and North America.
Based on the outcomes of the regional review, which will be launched at the conference, over 200 high-level experts from governments, civil society and academia, as well as members of parliaments and youth representatives will discuss strategies for action beyond 2014. They will assess the progress made towards achieving the Cairo goals, identify neglected areas and discuss what needs to be done to accelerate implementation and reduce inequalities.
ICPD held in Cairo in 1994 was a turning point in the way population issues were approached. It firmly placed the needs and rights of the individual at the heart of development policies and programs and envisioned a world where all people enjoy equal opportunities and freedoms to make choices and pursue their own life aspirations.
Tajikistan is among 179 countries that adopted a forward-looking, 20-year Program of Action (PoA) at the ICPD in Cairo. This program is built on the success of the population, maternal health and family planning programs of the previous decades while addressing, with a new perspective, the need of the early years of the twenty-first century
According to the Agency for Statistics under the President of Tajikistan, Tajikistan showed positive improvements in some of its health indicators. The under-five mortality rate was 43 deaths per 1,000 for 2008-2012, compared to 54 per 1,000 for 2003-2007 and 76 per 1,000 for 1998-2002. Among women with a live birth in the last five years, 87 percent had their last birth delivered by a skilled provider and 77 percent delivered in a health facility.
