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Statements/Documents
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Population and
Development in the 1990s
The international development agenda changed markedly during the
1990s. Global population concerns and strategies shifted to a quest
for sustainable human development and enlarging people’s choices.
There is consensus within most international forums that population
issues should be integrated into the formulation, implementation,
monitoring, and evaluation of all policies and programmes relating to
sustainable development. It is further agreed that the framework of
population policies should be conceived as integral to development
policies and strategies; not as a substitute for them. Highlights
include the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, Rio de
Janeiro, 1992; The Programme of Action of the International Conference
on Population and Development (ICPD), Cairo, 1994; the World Summit on
Social Development, Copenhagen, 1995; the Platform of Action of the
Fourth World Conference on Women and Development, Beijing, 1995; the
second United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II),
Istanbul 1996; and the World Food Summit, 1996.
South Africa actively participated in all these forums. Our government
through the National Population Unit endorsed the Programme of Action
of the ICPD. Follow-up international activities in this regard were
participated in. Feedback on progress with the implementation thereof
was given earlier this year.
Five years later governments and the international community endeavour
to promote enabling environments to achieve sustained economic growth
in the context of sustainable development. Eradicating poverty and
reducing the debt burden is reflected in international agreements on
areas such as environment and trade, population related goals and
policies, thus ensuring that programmes respond to social, economic
and environmental concerns.
Population and Development and HIV/AIDS
AIDS mortality is having major demographic impacts on populations. The
90’s saw the rise of HIV/AIDS as the greatest health and demographic
challenge facing humanity. Despite efforts by governments,
community-based organisations and other parties to curb the spread of
the disease, Southern Africa remains the hardest hit. Current
estimates indicate that 20 to 26 percent of people aged between 15 and
49 in this region are living with HIV/AIDS.
This is vitally important for national manpower planning, especially
in a country where there is a shortage of skilled and experienced
labour. The impact of AIDS on household incomes and national savings
is critical for the individual, family members, planners, and
policymakers because of the effect on dependency ratios, particularly
the increase in orphans. The loss of women of childbearing age may
result in a decrease in the birth rate. This will potentially change
the demand for certain social and health services offered to children
and mothers such as immunisation, childcare, and education. Pressure
on the government and the public alike to provide health and care
facilities for people with AIDS will however increase dramatically.
In South Africa 3,6 million people are already infected with HIV and
it is estimated that the virus will have infected 20 percent of the
workforce by next year. Over the next three years the annual death
toll could be 250 000, leaving behind almost 600 000 orphans. The
economic growth rate is expected to be reduced by two percent due to
the loss of productive workers. Changes are also seen in indicators
such as infant and child mortality, which increases, and life
expectancy, which decreases. These indicators are generally seen as
marking the success or lack thereof in improving the lives of people.
The most dramatic difference will occur in life expectancy, due to the
increases in mortality amongst young adult. The disease is projected
to cut average life expectancy by 20 years, to 40 years of age,
between 1998 and 2008.
It is estimated that worldwide over 40 million people were infected
with HIV since the beginning of the pandemic in the late 1970s and
that over 11 million of these people have already died.
Therefore, President Thabo Mbeki sees curbing the spread of HIV/AIDS
as a national priority, which every individual and institution in
South Africa should respond to.
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National
Population Unit (NPU)