An article by Nicholas Eberstadt (“Curb the Population Myth , Daily News Egypt, Feb. 9, page 7) misrepresents the work and mandate of UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund.
It also does not take into account the following points: First, freedom should not only be understood as economic freedom. In the context of human reproduction, it implies that women must be free to choose the number of children they want, independent of the constraints poverty may impose on that decision. The key objective of the population programs UNFPA has been asked to support by more than 150 countries is to help women exercise this human right, including the freedom to bear children without dying.
Second, economic growth is not independent of population growth, but more importantly, changes in population age structures affected by fertility decline may have a substantial effect in reducing poverty through the demographic bonus originated by these changes. In Brazil, for instance, recent research has shown that about one third of poverty reduction in the past decade has been due to these effects.
Finally, at issue is the asserted ineffectiveness of population policies. The example cited by the article is where the active pursuit of lower fertility by Mexico led essentially to the same results obtained by Brazil, where no such explicit policy was in place. This is true in terms of the level of fertility attained, and has been cited by demographers as a caution against overestimating the impact of government policies. But what the article did not say is that the existence of a government-supported policy in Mexico has reduced the social and health costs of the fertility decline, particularly for women in terms of lower teenage pregnancy rates and less recourse to surgical contraception or unsafe abortions. Ultimately, these results – as well as fewer maternal and child deaths – not lowering fertility per se, is what UNFPA strives to help developing nations achieve.
For some 40 years now, the policy objective of UNFPA, reinforced by the world community at the 1994 Cairo Population Conference, has been to help women exercise their right to have the number of children they desire and survive healthily, rather than to help fertility goals dictated by demographic considerations. This is why many women across the world are thanking President Barack Obama for joining the 180 other nations – including all in Africa – that fund a United Nations agency devoted to providing life-saving assistance to some of the world’s poorest populations.
By supporting UNFPA, the US Administration would be investing in the health and welfare of the people in our human family, especially where it is most needed.
Sincerely,
Ziad Rifai
UNFPA Representative
Cairo
