Forum of African and Arab Parliamentarians on Population and Development / FAAPPD
Final Report
Fourth Conference for the Population and Development Committees in the Arab States members in the forum
3 - 5 December 2003
Rabat - Morocco
RABAT DECLARATION 2003 ON POPULATION AND DEVELOPMENT
INTRODUCTION
In congruence with their immense roles and responsibilities as legislatives guiding and monitoring governments’ actions visa-a-vise the international declarations, and as peoples’ representatives mirroring the public views at various levels, the parliamentarians have progressively convened their forums in parallel with the global conferences on population and development, from Mexico to Cairo and after.
Naturally, the Rabat Declaration reinforces the guiding and leading roles of the Arab Parliamentarians in shouldering the pronouncement of democracy, peace and cooperation that were projected by the ICPD PoA, MDGs and other resolutions emanating from the relevant international conferences.
The Parliamentarians, through this Declaration, ensure their full compliance with the tasks and functions required for translating the population and development issues in their respective countries into actions and providing the enabling stances for this mission in the Arab World, particularly in the areas of reproductive and sexual health and in issues concerning women and youth.
The parliamentarians reflected their appreciation and gratitude to the UNFPA’s efforts towards integrating the dimensions of Culture and Values into its supported population programmes and in assimilating them in the broader context of population.
For furthering the qualitative action in light of the UNFPA’s vision and for addressing the Arab Peoples’ concerns through population and developments programme efforts and in light of the goals generated by several Arab and global conferences since 1994, the Arab Parliamentarians enunciate this declaration entitled as “Rabat Declaration on Population and Development”
Stance towards 1994 ICPD PoA.
The Arab Parliamentarians, members of Parliaments and Shura Councils in the Arab States, who convened in Rabat, the Kingdom of Morocco, following an invitation by the Forum of the Arab and African Parliamentarians on Population and development, ensure their commitment and support to population issues and concerns in the region, emphasizing the common Arab efforts at all institutional levels in this regard, and to continue promoting the 1994 Cairo ICPD PoA and the recommendations emanated from the ICPD+5 reviews in the Hague and New York. They underscored their contextual relevance in promoting human advancement, mitigating disparities and protection of the current and future generations from encountering hazards, particularly STDs/HIV/AIDS.
The Parliamentarians expressed their concern about the global level of commitment to the ICPD POA and the attenuation of the pledged resources required for achieving an equitable programme that contributes to mitigating the gap between the rich and the poor countries. In this regard, they expressed uneasiness about the fact that 55% of the pledged resources from the external sources have not been allocated till now. Doubtless, this, according to them, has contributed to growing difficulties encountered by millions of people in various parts of the world and to increasing maternal deaths and mortality caused by HIV/AIDS, lacks of basic health, reproductive health, education and employment-related services, consequently, the widespread of poverty and far-reaching hunger.
Ottawa Declaration Commitment
The Arab Parliamentarians confirmed their commitment to the 2001 Ottawa Commitment. Specifically, the Arab Parliamentarians reconfirmed their commitment to the following:
Further actions towards increased proportion of development budgets for Population and development Programmes, including Reproductive Health in their respective countries;
Eliminating Gender gaps at both legislative and operational levels;
Provision of political support and legislative revision for ensuring the human rights and the integration of reproductive health, including STDs/HIV/AIDS in public policies;
Strengthening capacity development at local geographical areas for data collection, analysis, dissemination and utilization underpinning national development plans and provision of required resources and opportunities for exchanging lessons drawn in this regard among the Arab States.
Millennium Development Goals
The parliamentarians expressed their commitment and support to the MDGs that had been endorsed by heads of states in 2000, especially in relation to:
Eradication of absolute poverty and hunger,
Promotion of gender equality and empowerment of women,
Improving reproductive health and fight against STDs/HIV/AIDS.
The Arab Parliamentarians agreed to create national environment that is supportive to development, and that contributes directly in eliminating all forms of poverty.
Population Growth in Arab Countries
The Parliamentarians have noted that the average population growth rate in the Arab world is still among the highest worldwide (and some of them view it as the highest). This rate varies considerably between the countries and, as a result of widening gaps between fertility and mortality rates, the numbers and ratios of the youth and aged people have notably increased. This fact has resulted in high dependency ratios which have been associated with diminishing employment opportunities for youth and, subsequently, with expanding poverty, malnutrition and mal-distribution.
Therefore, the parliamentarians pronounced their concern and support to policies and programmes that help in creating balance between all these aspects through better distribution of resources and articulation of more equitable social policies and enunciating legislations that ensure adoption of human rights principles in all areas of life.
The participants have noted with concern the state of the Arab youth and adolescents who “represent half of the present and all of the future” and, particularly, recognized the following:
Rapid increase in their numbers,
Deteriorating educational levels for them,
Increased levels of unemployment among them,
Increasing age at marriage for both sexes, resulting in sexual acts outside wedlock and increased vulnerability to high risks,
Fading familial ties and parental control structure, due to lack of recognition of the importance of the integration of the young people and promotion of their autonomy while respecting the societal values and principles;
Increasing delinquency and risky behavior, including drugs use, and other dangerous behaviors;
Large scale of environmental degradation, thus making the young people accountable for the wrong deeds committed by the others;
Impact of globalization, electronic communication and media in general in shaping the behavior of the young people, particularly in developing countries.
These above-mentioned conditions that the youth and adolescents suffer from at various levels have created the feelings among them that they are not accepted by the society, and that their needs are not met. These have led the youth and adolescents to attitudes of anger exemplified and expressed in despair, extremism and risky behavior for their own health and that of their society. Furthermore, the youth and adolescents have become easier target for exploitation by certain groups that harbor evil intentions to the Arab and Moslem World, as some countries have experienced terrorist actions strange to our tradition and Humane values and alien to our religious teachings. Therefore, the Arab Parliamentarians committed themselves to according the youth and adolescents issues and concerns the highest attention, and to translate this commitment into positions and actions that contribute to empowering the youth and adolescents and to meeting their needs particularly in the following areas:
Availing academic and vocational education opportunities to the youth and adolescents of both sexes, especially the females, and to avail training to compensate for the lost opportunities in education and specializations;
Sparing no effort in creating suitable job opportunities to absorb the un-employed and the new graduates in such a way to meet their expectations/aspirations and to serve their societies;
Exerting genuine and continuous efforts for the real integration of the youth and adolescents in their societies, and for emphasizing their independence and identity and participation in the process of decisions making affecting their life at all levels, as well as meeting their immediate and future needs;
Articulating laws, and ensuring its implementation, that secure and protect the youth and adolescents rights in Reproductive and Sexual Health, along with their right to the related information and services; and to empower the youth and adolescents so that they become able to make the right decisions and choices, that are based on knowledge, concerning their Sexual and Reproductive Health;
Urging governments and the concerned administrations to incorporate Reproductive and Sexual Health in school curricula, and in this connection the Arab Parliamentarians emphasize the importance of peer education and the strengthening of youth to youth educational programmes;
Supporting and advancing the programmes for the collection of data and indicators that allow measuring and monitoring progress of Reproductive and Sexual Health;
Protecting the adolescents, especially female adolescents, from sexual harassment and empowering them with knowledge, attitudes and familial environment that is understanding for the strengthening of the protection of the adolescents;
The commitment to ‘youth shadow parliaments’ and to ensure that it moves from being ceremonial to actual and effective roles in preparing the youth to shoulder their future political and legislative responsibilities along with appreciating the meaning of public responsibility; and
Emphasizing the recommendation made at Damascus Meeting that FAAPPD arranges a special meeting for youth male and female parliamentarians on Reproductive Rights and Reproductive Health.
Women assume most crucial role in society managing resources, involved in economic activities, and national development. The Arab Parliamentarians reconfirm what Ibn Kholdoun had said ‘women account for half the society, and thus un-employing women wastes half national potential’;
The necessity to apply compulsory education to the 9th grade with emphasis on girls education, as well as to controlling school drop outs that result from the narrow consideration of the roles of women and the pre-conceived ideas about their roles. Such pre-conceived ideas have resulted in the observed high illiteracy among women reaching 50 per cent of all women in the Arab World, thus wasting great potential that is most needed by our societies for development and for facing future challenges, considering that illiteracy are among the age group 15-24;
Enacting the laws that immediately put a stop to violence, by any party, against women, especially psychological violence emanating from discrimination and condescending attitudes against women. The Arab Parliamentarians call on countries that has not ratified the Convention of Eliminating Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) to do so, and where it was ratified to enact appropriate laws to implement the terms of the convention and to share experiences among the Arab Parliaments in this respect;
Strengthening the roles of women at all fronts, ensuring women’s rights, and eliminating all forms of discrimination against women, as well as granting women their political participation rights, paving the road for her assuming high government positions, facilitating women’s education and illiteracy eradication, and empowering women to have income generating projects and other empowering actions;
The Arab Parliamentarians reaffirm the recommendation by the Arab Ministers of Health at their 26th meeting in 2000 for the elimination of female genital cutting being unhealthy practice and un-humane action against women and requesting Arab Parliaments and Shura Councils to make sure of the implementation of this recommendation;
Fighting against all practices that are demeaning to women, on Gender basis, as repeatedly echoed by numerous international conferences, particularly the 1995 women’s conference in China. And specifically emphasizing the contributions by males in understanding and acknowledging women’s rights and roles, and the attainment of these rights;
Ensuring emergency obstetric care; means and commodities, in the framework of reproductive health services provided, which due to the following set of factors are not receiving the full attention:
Delay in recognizing pregnancy and/or delivery complications;
Delay in decision making respect seeking medical intervention;
Delay in transporting the woman to a health service delivery point;
Delay in accessing the health services; and
Lack of conscientious follow-up on the required health services, mainly due to poverty, ignorance and/or spousal indifference.
The Arab Parliamentarians took note of the fact that national contributions by recipient countries had declined by 24 per cent, while donors’ contributions had declined by 55 per cent. In addition, the Arab Parliamentarians confirmed that partnership and cooperation with the private sector and civil society institutions contribute to strengthening the efforts [in population programmes planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation], and they reconfirm assurances by the group of 77 on this matter.
In congruence with the above-mentioned state of lack of full financial commitment by the recipient countries in providing two-third of the required annual amount of 17 billion US Dollars as well as that of the donors’ countries to meet the cost of Population programmes and activities, the Arab Parliamentarians commit themselves to:
Urge their respective governments to honor their commitment with respect to all their responsibilities towards ICPD PoA, particularly those related to the displaced, refugees and marginalized population groups;
Call upon the donors community to fully honor their commitments;
Support the mission and directives of the UNFPA Executive Director, and to provide the moral and financial support to UNFPA to continue its mission;
Ensure and deepen the partnership between the Government and the Private as well as the Civil society, particularly with reference to articles 75, 78, 79, and 80 of the report of the Special Session of the General Assembly, New York, 1 July, 1999;
Emphasize the importance of the existing partnership between the UNFPA and the United Nations specialized agencies, including the World Bank and emphasize further the relevance of this partnership in strengthening and implementing the population programmes. The Arab Parliamentarians call for according special attention to partnership with the Arab Financial Institutions;
Recognize the vital role IPPF plays through its National affiliated FP Associations.
In promoting Reproductive and Sexual Health information and Services, including defending women’s rights as well as youth and adolescents RH Rights in the Arab World. The Arab Parliamentarians further emphasize the relevance and importance of partnership between the Arab Parliamentarians Forum on Population and Development and the IPPF/Arab World Regional Office which has contributed to the realization of the FAPPD mission; and
Work on ensuring the Social Justice concepts to minimize hunger and poverty in the Arab World and to contribute to people’s dignified life.
Endorsed at the closing session and signed by heads of all delegations and agencies participating at this 4th Arab Parliamentarians meeting on Population and Development in accordance with their commitment to Human concerns and commitment to Population and development in their respective countries.
The Report emanated from the Extraordinary Meeting of
The General Assembly/ New York 1 / 7 / 1999
Through consultation with the national NGOs including youth organizations when convenient and through the Governments ought to evaluate the required assistance from the UN and the International NGOs and the Arab World division for family planning and the bestowal regions. The governments ought to evaluate programmes and document experiences and set data bases to monitor the progress achieved and give information about the programmes’ design, its performance and influence and on the sexual and reproductive health for youth. The UN organizations and the provisioner countries should sustain the international mechanisms in exchanging experiences among all countries, especially the developed countries.
Governments and the civilian society on the national level. The Un system and the international union for family planning ought to work to foster and stabilize its cooperation for encouraging the existence of an enabling environment adequate for partnership in order to execute the operational programmes , governments and the civilian society organizations should also set a certain systems for increasing transparency and sharing information to improve its supervision.
Encouraging the governments to recognize and sustain the essential and complementary role on the national domain to create changes in stances and actions to foster executing the operational programme of the international conference of the population and development.
Encouraging the governments to recognize and sustain the essential and complementary role that might be performed by the civil society on the national domain in helping the local groups to clarify and respond to its needs of the health care including the reproductive health.