Written  8:05 PM  Sep  9, 1994 by icpd:ngonetny in igc:icpd.general
	---------- "Women Get Ready to Implement Progra" ----------

	Copyright, Women's Feature Service, All Rights Reserved

	Women Get Ready to Implement Programme of Action
	By Renuka Motihar

Cairo, Sept. 8 (WFS) -- A total of 60 women leaders from 30
countries in Africa, Asia, North and South America, Eastern Europe
and the Middle East have gathered together at the ICPD in Cairo. 

This special group -- sponsored by the Centre for Development and
Population Activities, a non-profit international organisation
based in Washington D.C. -- the women represent a network of
community-based reproductive health care and women's development
service providers. 

They are lobbying their respective governments, to "try and
influence the delegations as much as possible, on the language
resolution of controversial issues."

A major success for the group has been the inclusion of 11 of the
60 women on official government delegations. "This was our goal two
years ago when we started the process," said Mary Luke, vice
president of CEDPA. "We are very happy to have achieved our goal.
The women are going between the NGO Forum and the CICC and playing
that brokering role not only on behalf of their countries but for
women from the whole network." 

These women will be the ones responsible for implementing the
policies of the ICPD related to reproductive rights, universal
access to family planning, expanded health, education resources for
girls and adolescent reproductive health. To ensure effective
planning and implementation, the group will meet after the
conference to discuss future strategies based on the plan of
action. 

Sylvia Flores is executive director of the Jocotopec Development
Centre in Mexico. Starting with a family life education course, the
group has become an important force for change that has helped
mobilise a community in Mexico. The Centre has begun Eco-Chapala,
a successful campaign to clean up the badly polluted Lake Chapala,
on which the community depends for income from tourism and the
fishing industry. Flores' presence at ICPD is making her aware of
global issues. "When I go back my group will continue to pressurise
the government as we will have the backing of the global action
plan," she said.

Fatoumata Traore, director, Projet de La Sante Familiale, is from
Mali. Her project the Katibougou Family Health Programme is a
successful venture that has had a major impact in influencing and
modernising the national population policy. It has helped improve
the country's  health and family planning service delivery as is
held up as "advocacy by example".

In a continuation of the acknowledgement of women leaders, CEDPA
and The Global Committee for Cairo will present special awards to
Dr. Nafis Sadik, Secretary-General of ICPD and Executive Director
of UNFPA, and Aziza Hussein, a pioneer of Egypt's family planning
programme and co-chair of the Egyptian NGO Steering Committee for
ICPD. 

The awards will be presented by Timothy Wirth, U.S. Under Secretary
of State for Global Affairs, and Senator Maria Elena Chapa of
Mexico on September 9. As Peggy Curlin, president of CEDPA says,
"Through decades of selfless and courageous service, Dr. Sadik and
Mrs. Hussein have helped millions of women and men improve their
lives. The new consensus of ICPD, that women's development is at
the heart of social progress owes much to the work of these
pioneers."