Consensus in Cairo
The UN-sponsored International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo ended yesterday after delegates from more than 150 countries reached a consensus on how to wisely rein in world population growth over the next 20 years.
It was a rewarding achievement for all taking part in the conference, especially in light of the moral and religious controversies over family planning, abortion, sexual rights and reproductive health.
Right from the beginning, when the conference introduced the draft document on population control, both the Moslem delegations and the Roman Catholic church aired their objections to what they considered dangerous religious and moral values.
The Moslems, concerned about the intrusion of Western cultural values though electronic media and the imposition of Western morality on the rest of the world, were very tactful during the nine-day meeting.
Moslem delegations successfully removed a passage on sexual rights, fearing that it could encourage promiscuity and also eliminated a reference to "an alternative to early marriage for young women" on the grounds that such wording could encourage prostitution.
The Vatican, which is staunchly against abortion and only allows Catholics to use family planning methods based on the natural monthly menstrual cycle of the female, finally accepted the finished document after including a passage stating that "abortion should not be promoted as a means of family planning".
The controversial conference has demonstrated the wisdom of consensus. The participants eventually agreed to adopt the final program of action on population, although some accepted it with reservations.
The program of action lists the guiding principles on world population strategy for the next two decades. If successfully implemented, it will stabilize world population at 7.27 billion in the year 2015, compared to 5.67 billion today.
If the program fails, according to UN experts, "the world could have up to 7.92 billion by 2015 and 12.5 billion in 2050".
As a result, we must respect what has been adopted at the Cairo conference. Overpopulation is a potential time bomb for our planet and could rapidly deplete food and other natural resources, thereby spreading poverty and conflict.
Many underdeveloped countries, particularly those in Africa, have not been able to curb their population growth and face repeated food shortages. Hundreds of thousands of Africans, if not millions, have died of starvation.
Data shows that over the past 50 years, world population has increased by 100 percent. If such an increase continues unabated, mankind will be confronted with worse shortages of natural resources and healthy places to live.
The Cairo conference aimed at controlling population growth by making family planning programs available to families worldwide, as well by giving women the power to make decisions governing their own lives.