Summary: May 6, 2004: Statement by Ms. Joana Betson, First Secretary, Mission of Ireland to the United Nations, on behalf of the European Union. Commission on Population and Development, 37th Session, 9th Meeting, Explanation of Position (New York)
The Candidate Countries Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey, the Countries of the Stablisation and Association Process and potential candidates Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, the Former Yusoslav Republic of Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro, and the EFTA countries Liechtenstein and Norway, members of the European Economic Area, align themselves with this statement. Canada, New Zealand, and Switzerland, also wish to associate themselves with this statement.
The European Union welcomes the adoption by consensus of the resolution "Follow-up of the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development, Cairo, 1994" and the positive signal this sends during the tenth anniversary year by the international community for the ICPD agenda. We were encouraged by the overwhelming reaffirmation and continued support for the Cairo Programme of Action during the opening Plenary debate of this session.
The European Union considers that a strong and unequivocal reaffirmation of the Cairo Programme of Action is important. The Programme of Action is fundamental to the development and human rights agendas and the EU considers the full implementation of the Programme of Action and the Key Actions essential to the achievement of all the MDGs. Universal access to sexual and reproductive health services is central to that end.
This requires the commitment of all governments at the highest political level. Delivery also requires the full partnership of the international community, in the spirit of Monterrey.
The European Union remains fully committed to the Programme of Action and the Key Actions, and to accelerating progress towards their full implementation and the achievement of the ICPD goals.
We request the Secretariat of the Commission on Population and Development to include a summary of this Explanation of Position and a clear reference to this Explanation of Position in the official record of this meeting.
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