Christof Maletsky
5 December 2002
The United Nations this week called for urgent action to reduce poverty in developing countries through the combating of poor reproductive health, reduction of unwanted pregnancies and elimination of illiteracy and gender discrimination.
On Tuesday, the State of World Population 2002 report issued by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) was also launched in Windhoek by representatives of UN agencies and the Namibian Government.
The report, 'People, Poverty and Possibilities', says the gap between rich and poor continues to widen and the poorest countries continue to lag behind through lack of access to health services."
The gap in reproductive health is particularly alarming.
For women in particular, poor reproductive health is a source of insecurity and a major factor in their poverty," it says.
It notes that the poor are more often sick than the better off and also more exposed to diseases while they work mostly in physically demanding jobs in unsafe conditions."
They lack full access to health care, and the services they get are often mediocre and do not respond to their needs.
As a result, they live in constant fear of losing their jobs and income," the report says.
It adds that more than one-fifth of the burden of illnesses of women aged 15 to 49 relates to sex and pregnancy."
Poor women are the most affected by discrepancies in getting health care services, with maternal mortality rates-reflecting the extent of women's access to health resources and care-showing a great variation between rich and poor nations."
The report cites child mortality (death) data from 44 developing countries showing very wide differences between rich and poor within countries.
It says infant mortality in the poorest families can be twice as high as in the richest ones while variations also exist between countries and regions, depending on income levels.
It recommends that assistance be targeted directly to the poor while they must also be given a voice in the policies and programmes that affect them."
Particular attention should be paid to incorporating the views of the poor in the design, implementation and monitoring of programmes."
The report calls for a stronger response to last year's call by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan to set up a global fund to help developing countries combat AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis.
The initiative was intended to increase such assistance from under US$2 billion to US$10 billion every year.
Despite vocal support, the international community has not yet provided the needed resources.
The fund's first round of grants, announced last April, included no more than US$378 million."
We will not stop the pandemic by treating it only as a disease," the report says, adding that effective strategies to confront it should be based on a combination of prevention, education and treatment.
Success also depends on strong and committed leadership to take these strategies beyond medicine and health care and reach into the community to consult and work with the people they seek to assist.
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