KARACHI, Dec 16: The three-day population research conference, which ended on Saturday, urged bridging of gaps between policy, research and action for the timely implementation of population and development programmes.

In the last session of the conference on "Sharing Population and Development Research across South and West Asia", jointly organized by the population Association of Pakistan (PAP) and the Sociology Department of the University of Karachi, speakers called upon demographers and social scientists not to loose heart in the given situation and continue trying - even adopt new and innovative tools - as it due results would surely be achieved in the end.

The concluding session was chaired by the Provincial Minister for Women Development, Dr Saeeda Malik, while Dr Khalif Bille Mohamud, the country representative of WHO in Pakistan, delivered special remarks.

Dr Saeeda said that stakeholders should be taken into confidence while implementing population policies. "Until and unless you succeed in convincing the masses and policymakers about the need for undertaking measures for reducing the fertility rate, any real achievement would remain a far cry," she pointed out.

She stressed the need for undertaking activities with regard to the population rate control and betterment in the reproductive health in the rural areas - where the population was largely uneducated and ignorant of the problems and challenges of the population explosion.

"We have been failing to have our strategies implemented effectively in the rural population, which has vigorous energy for the country's overall development," she noted.

The WHO representative, Dr Bille, observed that evidence and research was sometimes available, but that failed in helping out, because of the gap that existed between the researchers and policymakers, attributing it to their possible non-readiness to share information.

He noted that like other sectors, the pace of activities in the population sector was also slow and that was why targets were not being met despite the maturity of policy.

However, he mentioned that social acceptability and structural factors should be kept in mind while devising any system for awareness, action and commitment in the population sector.

The President of the PAP, Zeba Sarthar, pointed out that there was a need for undertaking good quality research in adolescent, reproductive track infection, malnutrition and contraceptive discontinuation.

The Dean of the KU Arts Faculty, Dr Mohammed Shamsuddin, said there was a strong consensus on the need to mobilize significant additional financial resources for national population programmes in support of sustainable development.

He suggested for undertaking policy-oriented integrated research at the national and international levels in areas beset by population pressures, poverty, over-consumption patterns, and destruction of ecosystems and degradation of resources.

Dr A.R. Kemal of the Pakistan Institute of Development Economies said the rate of fertility could not be reduced without having any holistic and practical approach to the problem. "We will have to undertake research of the type which brings more return and is based on projection, and that should involve stakeholders as well."

The Chairman of the KU Sociology Department, Dr Fateh Mohammed Burfet, while presenting the vote of thanks, emphasized for a greater role of public sector universities in undertaking operational and evaluation research.

Earlier, during the scientific sessions, Dr Aparajita Chattopadhay, discussed the changing preference pattern in the Indian 'arranged-marriage-market' in the face of the ongoing economic transition.

Based on the classified data from a largely circulated Indian daily, she concluded that the average age of girls advertised in the matrimonial column was increasing while a declining trend in the husband-wife age difference could be observed.

"Declaration of 'slim' figures or beautiful looks has declined remarkably among girls, though boys have always demanded 'beautiful girls' throughout," she said. The craze for - boys or girls - with management degrees was well-established followed by ones with engineering degrees. The noteworthy trend was; however, the declining demand for 'own caste', both for boys and girls, she added.

In another presentation, Mohammed Jashim uddin of Bangladesh said that adolescent girls of rural areas in Bangladesh were extremely vulnerable in terms of issues related to reproductive health, particularly sexuality, menstrual problems, unwanted pregnancy, STDs and HIV/AIDS.