UN Urges More Aid for Women's Health

This is Gwen Outen with the VOA Special English Development
Report.

The United Nations says that developing nations have made great
improvements in reproductive health and women's rights. But it says
that rich counties have given only half of the six thousand million
dollars they promised for these goals ten years ago.

The head of the U-N Population Fund made the announcement last
week in London, England. Thoraya Ahmed Obaid spoke at a conference
of non-governmental organizations. The meetings examined progress to
improve reproductive health around the world by two thousand
fifteen.

The meetings observed the tenth anniversary of the International
Conference on Population and Development in Cairo, Egypt. At that
time, one hundred seventy-nine countries agreed to a U-N plan of
action to improve women's health, education and rights.

Mizz Obaid says a new study by the U-N Population Fund shows that
twenty-three countries have made the most progress toward improving
the reproductive health of women. They include Zambia, Bangladesh,
Guatemala, Paraguay, Peru, Nepal and the Philippines. But, Mizz
Obaid says there has been little progress toward reaching other
goals set ten years ago. The number of women who die during
pregnancy and childbirth remains high. In addition, the spread of
AIDS and the H-I-V virus is now affecting more women and children
than ever before.

The report studied one hundred thirty-three countries with
populations over one million. Researchers examined national rates of
death among mothers and babies, number of children, national
policies to end pregnancies, and the average number of children with
H-I-V or AIDS infections. Portugal, Kuwait, the United States,
Botswana, Namibia, Senegal and South Africa are among the countries
that made little or no progress.

Mizz Obaid identified three important areas for reaching the
goals by two thousand fifteen. They are better health for mothers,
efforts to fight H-I-V/AIDS and devices to prevent pregnancy and the
spread of sexual diseases. Mizz Obaid says the amount of money that
rich nations give to pay for such contraceptives has dropped by more
than thirty percent. But, she says the need for contraceptives in
developing nations will increase forty percent by two thousand
fifteen.

This VOA Special English Development Report was written by Jill
Moss. This is Gwen Outen.