The reproductive health agenda is an essential part of a broader agenda for meeting human needs, empowerment and achieving sustainable development in the 21st Century. Non-governmental organizations and civil society have a major role to play in ensuring that these needs are met, and resources are crucial for the implementation of this agenda. As one of our earliest supporters and the biggest donor for many years, the U.S provided the leadership to make the ICPD a success in 1994. Many of the problems found in developing countries are also common to industrialized countries, including the United States. What is needed is a more holistic approach to health.
Health is the keystone to human development.
The highest attainable standard of health is a fundamental right of every human being, and each and every one of us have a responsibility with regard to our personal health and also to the health of the community to which we belong. As members of the health profession, you have many challenges before you. You have the knowledge to make a difference. Whatever you do, you have the potential to make your mark in society and to ensure that changes in your profession not only affect your lives in a positive manner, but also the lives of those who look to you for help and guidance. Your generation is the biggest ever in the history of humanity.