Vol. 444 No. 1
51 Mr. J. Mitchell asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if the Government's position in relation to the population control document tabled for a decision at the United Nations Conference in Cairo in September 1994 reflects the Irish Protocol to the Maastricht Treaty; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
The Cairo Conference on Population and Development follows on two previous conferences on population (Bucharest, 1974 and Mexico, 1984) and comes at a time when the links between demographic factors and sustainable development are now accepted by all developed and developing countries with many of the latter adopting population programmes which include family planning components.
The Conference has been organised under UN auspices and will provide an opportunity for the international community to consider the broad issues of human population growth and distribution and their implications for economic and social development.
Three preparatory conferences have been held before Cairo. The last one in New York in April this year drew up a draft Final Document setting out a comprehensive Programme of Action for adoption in Cairo. The draft on which final negotiations will be held in Cairo is extensive and reflects the broad mandate which the UN General Assembly gave to the Conference. This recognises the growing awareness that population change, poverty, inequality, patterns of consumption and threats to the environment are so closely interconnected that none of them can profitably be considered in isolation.
In the preparation for the Cairo Conference and in particular at the Preparatory Conference held in New York in April, the Government have made clear that we will not accept language which position relating to abortion and that will continue to be our stance at Cairo.
