IV

103D CONGRESS

2D SESSION H. CON. RES. 234

Expressing the sense of the Congress regarding the role of the United States

at the International Conference on Population and Development.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

MARCH 24, 1994

Mrs. MORELLA (for herself, Mr. BEILENSON, and Mr. PORTER) submitted the

following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on

Foreign Affairs

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Expressing the sense of the Congress regarding the role

of the United States at the International Conference

on Population and Development.

Whereas slowing rapid global population growth, and the promotion of sustainable economic development and safe, accessible family planning programs, are high priority concerns of the United States;

Whereas such urgent global population and development challenges will require strengthened international institutions

and increased international cooperation;

Whereas the International Conference on Population and Development, to be held in Cairo, Egypt, in September

1994, represents an important opportunity to reach

agreements on such international cooperation;
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•HCON 234 IH

Whereas the International Conference on Population and Development presents a unique opportunity for the community of nations to address the interdependent issues of

population, economic prosperity, and environmentally sustainable development;

Whereas the International Conference on Population and Development will be a milestone in a continuing process of

improving the international response to the issues within

the purview of the Conference;

Whereas, during the 1980’s, nearly 800,000,000 people, a

number three times greater than the population of the

United States, were added to the world’s population;

Whereas, according to the United Nations, if further actions

are not taken immediately to slow population growth,

global population could more than double from the current number of 5,600,000,000 to 12,500,000,000 by the

year 2050, and could more than triple by the year 2100;

Whereas more than 500,000,000 women lack access to safe

and effective voluntary family planning and reproductive

health care, and half of the estimated 910,000 daily conceptions are unplanned;

Whereas over 500,000 women worldwide die annually from

complications related to pregnancy and childbirth, and

another 10,000,000 women annually suffer long-term illness or permanent physical impairment from a lack of

adequate reproductive health care;

Whereas women’s low status, and lack of access to basic education, training, credit, jobs, and resources such as land,

bear a direct relationship to high fertility rates and limit

women’s ability to exercise control over their fertility;
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•HCON 234 IH

Whereas the inability of women throughout much of the

world to exercise voluntary family planning undermines

women’s struggle for self-determination, contributes to

death and suffering among women and their children,

and frustrates the efforts of families to lift themselves

out of poverty, in which over 1,000,000,000 of the

world’s more than 5,000,000,000 people live;

Whereas rapid population growth aggravates poor health,

perpetuates poverty, and inhibits saving and investment

by Nations, particularly investment in people in the form

of basic health and education services;

Whereas the impact of human population growth, wasteful

consumption of natural resources, and widespread poverty is evident in mounting signs of stress on the world’s

environment, particularly in deforestation, erosion of arable land and watersheds, extinction of plant and animal

species, global climate change, waste management, and

air and water pollution;

Whereas rapid population growth, in addition to

overconsumption, undermines efforts for sustainable development and is directly tied to degradation of the natural resource base and the environment;

Whereas rapid population growth can contribute to economic

stagnation and political instability;

Whereas, in 1989, experts from 79 countries, including the

United States, convened at the International Forum on

Population in the 21st Century in Amsterdam and determined that worldwide expenditures for population assistance must double by the year 2000 in order to achieve

a 75 percent contraceptive use rate, which would result

in a world population meeting the United Nations’ me-
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•HCON 234 IH

dian variant projection of 11,200,000,000 people by the

year 2050;

Whereas actions taken before the turn of the century will determine whether world population doubles or triples in

the 21st century;

Whereas it is a fundamental human right to freely and responsibly decide the number and spacing of one’s children, and to have the information, education, and means

to do so;

Whereas the International Conference on Population and Development provides the United States with the opportunity to reestablish itself as a leader of international efforts to ensure that individuals and couples around the

world are able to exercise this fundamental human right,

and of efforts to promote economic prosperity, sustainable development, and environmental protection;

Whereas the role of the United States in negotiations on the

International Conference on Population and Development

is crucial to the success of the Conference; and

Whereas the 3d preparatory committee meeting to plan the

International Conference on Population and Development

will be held in New York in April 1994: Now, therefore,

be it

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate

2 concurring), That it is the sense of the Congress that, at

3 the International Conference on Population and Develop4 ment, the United States should—

5 (1) place the highest priority on the success of

6 the Conference by participating actively in the Con-
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1 ference, particularly through the personal participa2 tion of the President of the United States;

3 (2) propose or support an initiative concerning

4 the financing of global cooperation on efforts to slow

5 rapid population growth, that—

6 (A) takes into account the costs of slowing

7 rapid international population growth and the

8 basic development goals of developing countries;

9 and

10 (B) increases accountability for the use of

11 funds provided for family planning purposes;

12 (3) seek to initiate a process of regular high13 level intergovernmental consultations on the issues

14 under consideration at the Conference;

15 (4) seek to establish improved organizational

16 and procedural means to implement the objectives of

17 the Conference;

18 (5) support the effective implementation of a

19 global action plan to raise the economic, educational,

20 and leadership status of women;

21 (6) promote public participation, especially par22 ticipation by women, at all levels of formulation and

23 implementation of family planning and sustainable

24 development policy and programs; and
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1 (7) support programs that provide maternal

2 and child health care, education and training for

3 women, and voluntary family planning.

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