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| July 12, 2005 | Tuesday | Jumadi-us-Sani 4, 1426 |
UNFPA for equal rights at all levels
ISLAMABAD, July 11: United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Executive Director Dr Thoraya Ahmed Obaid has urged leaders at every level to speak about equal rights for the entire human family and to take concrete action to make these rights a reality. In her statement on World Population Day on Monday, the UNFPA executive director said equality was an end in itself and a cornerstone of development, adding that equality was a goal that demanded sustained political commitment and leadership.
The statement said 60 years ago, the founders of the United Nations proclaimed their determination to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, to reaffirm faith in human rights, in the dignity and worth of humans, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small.
They pledged their determination to establish conditions under which justice and the rule of law could be maintained and social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom could be promoted.
Six decades later, it is clearer than ever before that human rights must be at the centre of efforts to reduce poverty, discrimination and conflict.
Today on World Population Day, let us recommit ourselves to this vision of a better world and let us commit ourselves to equality, justice and human rights for all. The benefits of gender equality are many. They include a higher quality of life for individual women and girls, and stronger families, communities and countries.
On the other hand, the costs of maintaining inequality are also high and can be measured by broken bodies, shattered dreams and crushed spirits. The costs include high rates of maternal death and disability because women’s health is not made a political priority.
Today, poor sexual and reproductive health is a leading cause of death and illness for women in the developing world. No other area of health reflects the large inequities between rich and poor, both among and within countries. Poverty and inequality also fuel the acceleration of HIV infection because women lack the power to negotiate their personal safety.
Another cost is the continuation of harmful practices that place the lives of women and girls in danger. For tens of millions of girls, child marriage and early childbearing mean an incomplete education, limited opportunities and serious health risks.
But perhaps the highest cost of gender discrimination is widespread violence against women and girls, which remains one of the most pervasive and shameful human rights violations, compromising the personal security, liberty, dignity and well- being of millions of women and children worldwide.—PPI
Staff Reporter adds: Federal Minister for Population Welfare Chaudhry Shahbaz Hussain said the country would stabilise its high population growth rate at 1.2 per cent by 2020.
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