[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 234 Introduced in House (IH)]

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;
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;
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' median 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
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That it is the sense of the Congress that, at the International 
Conference on Population and Development, the United States should--
            (1) place the highest priority on the success of the 
        Conference by participating actively in the Conference, 
        particularly through the personal participation of the 
        President of the United States;
            (2) propose or support an initiative concerning the 
        financing of global cooperation on efforts to slow rapid 
        population growth, that--
                    (A) takes into account the costs of slowing rapid 
                international population growth and the basic 
                development goals of developing countries; and
                    (B) increases accountability for the use of funds 
                provided for family planning purposes;
            (3) seek to initiate a process of regular high-level 
        intergovernmental consultations on the issues under 
        consideration at the Conference;
            (4) seek to establish improved organizational and 
        procedural means to implement the objectives of the Conference;
            (5) support the effective implementation of a global action 
        plan to raise the economic, educational, and leadership status 
        of women;
            (6) promote public participation, especially participation 
        by women, at all levels of formulation and implementation of 
        family planning and sustainable development policy and 
        programs; and
            (7) support programs that provide maternal and child health 
        care, education and training for women, and voluntary family 
        planning.

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