IV 111th CONGRESS 1st Session H. RES. 947 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES December 3, 2009 Ms. Lee of California (for herself, Mr. Grijalva, Ms. Jackson-Lee of Texas, Ms. Slaughter, Mr. Rush, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, and Ms. DeGette) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs RESOLUTION Expressing commitment to the objectives of the Program of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development.

Whereas the International Conference on Population and Development was convened by the United Nations Population Fund and the Population Division of the United Nations Department for Economic and Social Information and Policy Analysis in Cairo from September 5 to September 13, 1994, for the purpose of addressing critical issues regarding population, development, and human rights; Whereas the International Conference on Population and Development built upon earlier initiatives aimed at addressing development and population growth, including the World Conference to Review and Appraise the Achievements of the United Nations Decade for Women in 1985, the World Summit for Children in 1990, the International Conference on Nutrition in 1992, and the World Conference on Human Rights in 1993; Whereas at the time of its convening, the International Conference on Population and Development was the largest intergovernmental conference ever organized, with representatives from over 10,000 concerned groups and 179 governments, including the United States; Whereas the conferees of the International Conference on Population and Development adopted a new approach to sustainable development, focusing on women’s rights, the links between population growth and development, and expanded access to education and health services; Whereas the International Conference on Population and Development was guided by Fifteen Principles, foremost of which was the fact that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights; Whereas the Fifteen Principles of the International Conference on Population and Development furthermore included the recognition that the family is the basic unit of society and as such should be strengthened and the recommendation that all States and families should give the highest priority to children; Whereas the International Conference on Population and Development resulted in the drafting and adoption by acclamation of a 20-year Program of Action referred to as the Cairo Consensus, the goals of which included sustained economic growth in the context of sustainable development, universal access to education, gender equity and equality, the reduction of infant, child, and maternal mortality, and universal access to reproductive health services; Whereas the Program of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development provided a strategic underpinning for the development and adoption of the eight Millennium Development Goals adopted at the Millennium Summit in 2000; Whereas the United Nations Commission on Population and Development has acknowledged that without a firm commitment to population, reproductive health, and gender issues, it will not be possible to meet the goals of either the International Conference on Population and Development or the Millennium Development Goals; Whereas substantial progress has been made in the 15 years since the adoption of the Cairo Consensus, including but not limited to improvements in gender equity, decreases in the world rates of poverty, infant and child mortality, and maternal mortality, and improvements in access to primary education, safe water, and health and family planning services; Whereas, despite this progress, many of the goals of the Cairo Consensus remain unmet; Whereas 1,000,000,000 people still live in abject poverty; Whereas each year half a million women die of causes related to pregnancy and childbirth; Whereas each year 4,000,000 infants die in their first month of life; Whereas a disproportionate number of the world’s impoverished and illiterate are women; Whereas it is currently predicted that 58 of the 86 countries that did not provide universal primary education in 1994 will not meet this goal by 2015; Whereas 200,000,000 women have an unmet need for safe, effective, and modern contraceptives; Whereas pregnancy-related complications are the leading cause of death for young women aged 15 to 19; Whereas the International Conference on Population and Development called for governments to commit themselves at the highest political level to achieving the goals and objectives of the Program of Action and to take a lead role in coordinating the implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of follow-up actions; and Whereas the General Assembly of the United Nations endorsed the Program of Action, affirmed that governments should commit themselves to their goals and objectives, and furthermore called upon all governments to give the widest possible dissemination to the Program of Action and to seek public support for its goals, objectives, and actions: Now, therefore, be it

That the House of Representatives— (1)remains committed to the goals and objectives of the Cairo Consensus, as set forth at the International Conference on Population and Development; (2)supports the President’s public commitment to the advancement of the Cairo Consensus and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals; (3)encourages media organizations to participate in publicizing the issues addressed by the Cairo Consensus, including global poverty, gender equity and equality, the reduction of infant, child, and maternal mortality, and universal access to primary education and reproductive health services; and (4)encourages nongovernmental organizations, faith based organizations, community organizations, and private citizens to take action where possible to improve gender equality, end violence against women, expand access to reproductive, maternal, and other health services, lower infant, childhood, and maternal mortality rates, and eradicate world poverty.