Final Report.CDR - National Institute of health and family welfare

Opening Remarks by Mr. Harry S. Jooseery,
Executive Director, PPD Secretariat, Dhaka,
Bangladesh
Mr Jooseery in his opening remarks gave an
international perspective to the issues of gender.
He said that the International Conference on
Women in Beijing, 1975, outlined 12 critical
reasons for women's access to education, vocational training, science and
technology. Further, World Education Forum in Dakar, 2000, to which India
was a signatory, committed itself to:
Ensuring
that by 2015, all children, particularly girls, have access to
education of good quality.
Eliminating
gender disparities in primary and secondary education by
2005 and achieving gender equality in education by 2015, with focus on
ensuring access to equal education to girls.
Mr. Jooseery drew attention to the fact that the commitment and contribution
at international level regarding the official developmental assistance
towards population issues has not been extended as promised. Assistance
to Family Planning programmes has decreased by 60% worldwide, leading
to declining access to family planning services. HIV/AIDS is rampant and
women still choose to adopt unsafe abortion methods in many developing
countries . Unfortunately, there is low commitment from the policy makers
and religious leaders on these issues.
He cited many international case studies from Africa, Mynammar etc. where
practices like genital mutilation are still the norm. Citing the role of
international bodies, he urged that time has come where each individual has
to take action at his own level. We have to see how each of the policies
framed by our States or Nation, can be translated into action for gender
mainstreaming. He urged the gathering to introspect whether we as a nation
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