Report contradicts non-ideological UN Population Division report
NEW YORK, November 7, 2001 (LSN.ca) – The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) released their State of the World Population report today. The report entitled, ‘Footprints and Milestones: State of World Population 2001,’ suggests that overpopulation is the root cause and major contributor to environmental degradation and resource depletion and advocates a reduction in the number of babies born in poor countries. Or as the report delicately puts it, “Slower population growth in developing countries will contribute measurably towards relieving environmental stress.”
Stephen Mosher, of the Population Research Institute points out that the UNFPA report is troubling in its emphasis on “targets” for contraceptive use. Originally set at the UNFPA’s 1994 International Conference of Population and Development in Cairo, Egypt, to “help slow population growth and reduce the future size of world population (ICPD),” Mosher says “such targets constitute another reason why the organization should be denied U.S. funding.” Under the Tiahrt Amendment, the pursuit of such targets in U.S.-funded family planning programs is illegal.
The Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute points out that the report makes clear that UNFPA seeks to take control of next year’s Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+10) and turn it into a population control and abortion conference. The report makes the case that the way to reduce environmental degradation and resource depletion in through the spread of “reproductive rights” which, according to the World Health Organizations, includes access to abortion.
Footprints and Milestones is in direct contradiction to much recent scholarship that the great problem in the world today is the graying of the population resulting in economic decline, increased requirements for immigration, and intergenerational competition. UNFPA’s report is in direct contradiction to the recent report of the UN Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs.
(with files from Population Institute and Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute)
See the UNFPA report at: https://www.unfpa.org/swp/swpmain.htm