Caribbean countries reaffirm commitment to women's health

Friday, November 14, 2003

PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad: Caribbean countries and territories have reaffirmed their commitment to the goals of reproductive health, gender equity and the empowerment of women at the end of a two-day summit on population and development, according to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

Twenty countries and territories were meeting in Port-of-Spain, the capital of Trinidad and Tobago, to review their progress on the action programme devised at the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo.

The Director of UNFPA's Latin America and Caribbean division, Marisela Padron, praised the Caribbean countries' efforts to meet the goals set in Cairo despite their limited resources.

But Ms. Padron said that while the Caribbean countries had reduced infant and maternal deaths, much more must be done to ensure that all people in the region have access to reproductive health services.

During the summit, the countries and territories pledged to fight the HIV/AIDS pandemic through a combination of prevention, treatment and care. They also asked for more financial support from foreign aid donors to allow them to fund the necessary programmes to meet the Cairo goals. 

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