Abstract

PIP: The 1994 International Conference on Population and Development will be relevant to everyone working to improve the health of women because of the close link between global population dynamics and the life events of individuals. The reproductive health needs of women, including safe motherhood, are central to human development and must be central to the provision of health services. The promotion of healthy sexuality is more vital now than ever before, and reproductive health encompasses this as well as the safe delivery of healthy and wanted babied through effective prenatal, delivery, and postnatal care as well as through access to a range of contraceptive choices. Fertility regulation is a preventive health measure and is also a way of achieving gender equality. Family planning (FP) programs should 1) be based on voluntary informed choice; 2) be available to all at convenient times and places; 3) offer privacy and confidentiality; 4) provide a broad choice of traditional and modern methods; 5) hold the client's safety and comfort as a prime concern; 6) offer only methods that they are competent to provide; 7) encourage male involvement and responsibility; 8) be supportive of women with unwanted pregnancies; 9) provide management, control, and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs); and 10) provide advice and treatment of other aspects of women's reproductive health. FP services must also be provided to adolescents and to migrants and displaced persons. By focusing health support on families in an atmosphere which allows women more choice and encourages men to accept their responsibilities, health interventions will begin to be really effective in improving lives. The status of women must also be improved in order to improve reproductive health, reduce maternal mortality, and take advantage of the potential contributions women can make to sustainable development. The energy of healthy people is what drives human development, and the energy of healthy women who have access to FP, obstetric care, the prevention and management of STDs, safe abortions, and infertility treatment will make the goal of sustainable development more attainable.