[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 147 (Tuesday, November 29, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: November 29, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
           SALUTE TO WHO GLOBAL COMMISSION ON WOMEN'S HEALTH

                                 ______


                       HON. CONSTANCE A. MORELLA

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 29, 1994

  Mrs. MORELLA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to salute the efforts of the 
World Health Organization's Global Commission on Women's Health to 
improve the status of women worldwide. This distinguished Commission, 
which met last month in Washington, DC, joined with Members of the 
Congressional Caucus for Women's Issues to discuss the continued need 
for international cooperation to hold Governments accountable for 
commitments made at the Cairo International Conference on Population 
and Development.
  The Commission has advocated worldwide policy changes in areas 
critical to women's health--nutrition, reproductive health, violence 
against women, lifestyle-related health conditions, aging, and work 
environment--as well as fundamental changes in education. The 
Commission's plan of action for women's health will be an important 
component of the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women in 
Beijing in September 1995.
  The Commission is to be commended for its recently published study, 
``Adolescent Health and Development: The key to the Future,'' outlining 
specific actions to improve the health of adolescent girls. This study 
recognizes the concern worldwide for the health of adolescents, who 
represent one-fifth of the world's population.
  Because timely and reliable data on the status of women in the United 
States and around the world is critical if we are to effectively 
implement the Cairo Plan of Action and if we are to accurately evaluate 
the cost effectiveness of our domestic and foreign assistance programs, 
Congresswoman Patricia Schroeder and I last month introduced the 
Women's Progress Assessment Act (H.R. 5194). We plan to reintroduce 
this legislation in the 104th Congress.
  The legislation calls for the U.S. Bureau of the Census as well as 
the State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development to 
collect and to publish data on the status of women at home and abroad. 
By careful monitoring of the data collected, policymakers will be able 
to ascertain which of our domestic and foreign aid programs are truly 
making a difference in the lives of women and girls around the world.
  H.R. 5194 will help give organizations like the WHO Global Commission 
on Women's Health the tools they need to address the problems discussed 
in Cairo--and their possible solutions.

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