Human Rights Brief
A Legal Resource for the International Human Rights CommunityFall 1994
Cairo Conference Invokes the Empowerment of Women
by Renate Nikolay
Almost 180 countries attended the recent United Nations International Conference on Population and Development (Cairo Conference) held in Cairo, Egypt. Although the event was the third in a series of conferences on the world's growing population (following the 1974 Conference in Bucharest and the 1984 Conference in Mexico City), one element distinguished the Cairo Conference from its predecessors: no prior meeting on population or related social issues had attracted as large a contingency of non-governmental organizations involved in women's rights.
The catch-phrase of the conference was "empowerment of women." Queen Noor of Jordan, a participant at the conference, stated that the biggest success of the meeting was the linkage drawn between population control and women's rights. She and others noted that this was a significant shift from the earlier population conferences which promoted the use of contraceptives without regard for societal pressures on women. Conference participants acknowledged that educated women with economic and political power could do more to effect a reduction in fertility rates. Emphasis was also placed on the importance of eliminating disparities in the treatment of men and women. Norwegian Prime Minister Gro Brundtland stated that "only when men and, equally, women have the right and the ability to take part in the shaping of society will the profound changes that are needed be politically sustainable."
The focus of the conference was the spiraling growth in global population, which by the year 2050 is estimated to double to over 10 billion people. Many participants contended that such a growth, if realized, will have serious consequences for sustainable development, a principal objective of the conference, as well as upon the environment. They believe that an increase in global population will damage the ecological system of the planet and hinder the process of development.
The Programme of Action, the final document of the Cairo Conference, incorporates the principle of the empowerment of women as a fundamental means of contending with and managing the world's growing population. This includes promoting cooperation and equality among men and women, involving women in the decision-making process at all stages, and providing equal access to education for women as well as for men. Other goals endorsed in the Programme of Action include the reduction of infant, children, and maternal mortality rates, and the universal access to reproductive health services, including family planning and sex education.
One of the major controversies connected to the population issue concerned abortion. Although the right to an abortion was supported to varying degrees by numerous countries and non- governmental organizations, they met vigorous opposition from the Holy See and countries intent on preserving life from the moment of conception. A compromise, however, was eventually reached providing that "in no case should abortion be promoted as a method of family planning," but conceded that "in [such] circumstances in which abortion is not against the law, such abortion should be [made] safe."
This compromise illustrates another element which distinguishes the Cairo Conference from prior world population conferences. The Cairo Conference ended with a record level of consensus; the Vatican approved six of the final document's sixteen chapters. In both earlier conferences, the Holy See had refused to join the consensus in any way.
As noted in the Programme of Action, population management policies remain the sovereign right of each nation, consistent with its values, though all policies ideally should conform to international human rights standards. Although the Programme only has the power of recommendation, its effectiveness will depend on the implementation of its suggestions at the national level where it will likely face religious and cultural opposition. Hence, the participation of women in domestic population issues will likely be tempered by national and local realities.
Nonetheless, the participation of women and women's rights organizations at the Cairo Conference is a growing trend on the international scene. Past occasions include the 1990 World Summit for Children, the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, and the 1993 World Conference on Human Rights. Upcoming opportunities for such participation include the Fourth World Conference of Women in Beijing, China and the Social Summit in Copenhagen, Denmark, both to be held in 1995.
