Wednesday, July 2, 2014

TRANSPORT ------ GEOGRAPHY FORM TWO --- QUESTIONS WITH ANSWERS.



TRANSPORT----GEOGRAPHY    FORM  TWO---QUESTIONS   WITH  ANSWERS---BY.    MWL    JAPHET    MASATU.
--CONCEPT/MEANING  OF TRANSPORT
--IMPORTANCE   OF   TRANSPORT IN  TANZANIA  AND  EAST  AFRICA.
---MAIN   TYPES/PATTERNS   OF  TRANSPORT SYSTEM IN  EAST  AFRICA AND  IN  THE  WORLD.
--PROBLEMS  FACING  TRANSPORATTION  SECTOR /INDUSTRY  IN  EAST  AFRICA.
---SOLUTIONS   TO  THE  PROBLEMS  FACING  TRANSPORTATION  IN   TANZANIA.

SECTION  A:  MULTIPLE  CHOICE  QUESTIONS.
{1}.Movement of  goods, people  and  services from  one   place  to  another  place   is  referred   to  as :--  A.Transport.    B. Trading.  C.Communication.  D. Networking.

{2}.The  following  are   economic   importance  of   transport  apart   from :--
A. Make  goods  available   where  they  are  demanded.
B.Helps   in  supplying  raw   materials.  C. Improve  trade  relations.
D. Prevent  spread  of  technology.

{3}. Which  one   of  the   following  sets  are   forms  are  forms  of   land  transport ?  A. Human  portage , animals,road ,  railways  and  pipelines.
B. Water ,  air , lake ,Ocean  and   sea.    C. Ponds , dams , channels  and   canals.
D. Aircrafts , aerolplanes ,  ships  and  cars.

{4}.There  are   three {3}   main   forms   of  transport, mainly :--
A. Land , Water  and  air   transport.
B. Human  portage , animal  transport ,animal   transport  and  pipelines.
C.Water  ,  lakes  and  rivers.    D. Oceans, lakes  and  rivers.

{5}. Good    examples   of  animal  transport    include :--
A.  Camels , donkeys  and   horses.  B. Cows ,  dogs   and  pigs.
C. Chicken ,  Cows and  Cats.  D. Elephants ,rhinos  and  hippopotamus.

{6}. Road   transport   equipment   involve   the  following :--
A. Vehicles , bicycles , motorcycles  and   cars. B. Donkeys , aeroplanes  and  trucks.    C. Elephants ,  rhinos   and  hippopotamus  D. Motorway , highways   and   low  way.

{7}.Railway   transport   refers  to :---
A. Carrying   of   goods  and   passengers  by    train.
B.Carrying  of  goods   and  passengers  by  air.
C.Carrying  of  goods  and  passengers    by  road.
D. Carrying   of  goods   and    passengers    by  sea.

{8}.What   are   the   main   advantages   of  railway   transport    over   air   transport :---  A, Cheaper ,  simple    and    not  affected   by  weather.                     B. Expensive ,  quick    and   affected   by  weather.  C. Carry  very   small   goods  and  passengers.   D.  Flexible ,  efficient   and  quick.

{9}. Which   form   of  transport   are   more   flexible  than   others  ?
A. Railway   and  water.   B. Road  and   water.  C. Water   and  air.  D.  Animal  portage  and  human   portage.

{10}. Which  is   the  cheapest   means   of  transport ?    A. Road   transport.   B.Air   transport.  C. Water  transport.   D.  Rail  transport.

{11}.  Water  transport  is  also  referred  to   as  :---
A. Marine   transport.  B. Sea   transport.  C.River  transport.   D. Lake  transport.
{12}.Main   pipeline  form  of  transport   is  categorized  as :--
A.Road  transport.  B. Land  transport.  C. Animal  transport.  D. Human  portage.

{13}.TAZARA   transport   is     associated   with  :--  A.  Land  transport.  B. Railway  transport.   C.  Water  transport.  D. Air  transport
{14}. Water  transport   is   sub—divided  into   two {2}  subtypes   namely :---
A.  In  land  water  and  Ocean   water.  B. Sea  and  Ocean . C. Ocean   and  rivers D. Dams  and   Canals.

{15}. Which  form   of  transport  is  most  expensive  ?
A. Air  transport.  B.  Water  transport.  C. Land   transport.  D. Marine   transport

{16}. Water  transport  facilities  include  the  following  devices :--
A. Sips, Canoes  and   boats.  B.  Airplane, local  boat   and  ngalawa.
C. Sea  bus ,ferry   and  aircrafts.  D. Balloon, Car  assembly  and  Shipbuilding

{17}. Common  equipment  associated  with  air   transport   include :---                         A. Airplanes  and  aircrafts.  B. Shipbuiding   and   aircrafts.  C. Car  assembling  and    motorcycles.   D. Balloon   fly   and  butterfly.

SECTION   B :  SHORT   ANSWER  QUESTIONS.
{18}.{a}. Define  the  term  TRANSPORT.
ANSWER:  TRANSPORT  is    a   system   of   carrying   people  or  goods   and  services   from   one  place   to  another.

{18}.{b}.Name   the   three{3}  major   forms   of     transport.
ANSWER:  There   are   three {3}  major   forms   of  transport  namely  :- {a}.  Land  transport.  {b}.  Water  transport. {c}.  Air   transport.

{19}.What  are   the   importance   of  transport ?
ANSWER :  {a}.Transport   is   one   of   the    factors  which   improve  and   develop  trade  activities   within   or  outside  the   country.
{b}. Facilitates  the  transportation   of   raw  materials  from    the  sources   to  the  industries.                                                                                                                      {c}.  Makes    manufactured   goods   available   to  the  markets.
{d}.Leads   to   the   growth  and  development  of  towns.
{e}. Can  lead  to  the  spread   and   improvement  of     technology

{20}.{a}. List  the  advantages   and  disadvantages    of  sea   transport.
ANSWER:      WATER   TRANSPORT  has  been  used  from  the  earliest  times.This  type  of  transport  can  be   divided  into   two{2} sub-divisions or  groups that  are  INLAND  WATER  TRANSPORT  which  involves  rivers, lakes , and  canals and   OCEAN   TRANSPORT  which   involves  Seas  and  Oceans. This  type  of  transport   is  the  slowest  and  cheapest   form  of  transport. The   facilities  that  are  involved  in  water transport  are  ships,boats ,canoes etc.    
                                                       ADVANTAGES  OF    SEA   TRANSPORT:---{i}. Carries  heavy  and  bulky  goods    over  a   long  distance. -----{ii}. Water  way   is  free, no   country  has  to   pay   anything   for   the   use   of  the  sea.  {iii}.i Is  the  cheapest   form  of  transport  for  bulky  goods   which  are  carried   with   the   lowest   cost. {iv}. Uses  the   existing  routes  example  rivers ,  seas   and   oceans  which  do  not  need  special  water  ways  to  be  constructed.  {v}. It  is  suitable  for  the   transportation  of   fragile  or  breakable  goods,  e.g.  glass ,TV, since  there  is  very  limited  shaking  and  jolting   on  the   waterways.   

  DISADVANTAGES   OF  SEA   TRANSPORT:---{i}. Its  a   very  slow   way   of   transporting  goods.   {ii}.  Not  all  countries   have   access  to  sea   or  ocean, for  example.  {iii}. Ocean  currents  harm  ships   and  sometimes  cause  death  of  people  when  they  sink    into  deep  water. {iv}. Overloaded  ships   sinks  easily   so   it  needs  good  management  to  resolve  it.  For   example ,  in  1996  MV   Bukoba  sank  and  caused  a   number  of  deaths. {v}.  Dangerous  animals  like  whales , crocodiles ,  sharks  and  hippopotamus  pose  a  challenge   to  the   users   of  water   ways.   {vi}.  The  danger  of  ships  hijacking ,  example  along  the   coast   of  Somalia , the  Somali  pirates  pose  a  great  threat. {vii}.Port  congestion   may  lead   to delay   in   delivery.  This   is  particular   the  case   with  East  Africa  ports  which  do  not   have   enough   facilities  to   handle  the  grat  volume   of   cargo    off—loaded  every  day.

{21}. Name   two {2}  two lakes   used  for   transport  purposes   in  East  Africa.
ANSWER:- {i}. Lake   Victoria.   {ii}. Lake   Tanganyika.

{22}. What   are   the  advantages   and   disadvantages  of    rail  transport ?
ANSWER:   A  railway  transport   involves   carrying  of  goods   and   passengers  by   train.Today  railway  transport  has   become  an  important   means   of  transporting  bulky  goods.  
                                                                                                               ADVANTAGES    OF   RAILWAY    TRANSPORT :- {i}. Is  cheap  in bulky  goods   and    many   passengers.  {ii}. It   has  limited   number   of   accidents  compared   to  road   transport.   {iii}.  It  is  less  affected  by   weather    conditions. {iv}.  Running  cost  of  railways  are   minimal  compared  to   road  and  air.              {v}. Trains  follow  a  regular  schedule   which  helps  people   plan  their  movements  and   movement  of  thei    goods.  
     DISADVANTAGES    OF    RAILWAY  TRANSPORT :-- {i}.  Environment  pollution.  {ii} Changes   in  Climate  affect   the   construction  activities.  {iii}.Railways  are    expensive   to  construct. {iv}. Not  suitable   for   perishable   goods  such   as  fish   and   vegetables. {v}. Can  only  serve  areas  with  railway  line.It  is  not  flexible  like  road   transport. {vi}. Trains  cannot   move  in  gradient  1:50 m, therefore  extra  costs  are  made  in  building  bridges , embankments  and  leveling.
{22}.How  would  you  compare   ROAD  TRANSPORT   with  RAILWAY  TRANSPORT ?
ANSWER:        ROAD   TRANSPORT   involves  the  use  of   vehicles , bicycles ,  motorcycles , human  portage  and  animal  portage.This   is   the   most  common  used  all  over   the  World   WHILE    RAILWAY    TRANSPORT   involves  carrying  of  goods  and  passengers  by   train. Railways   were  built  before  the    motor  vehicles  were    developed.

{23}. List   the  advantages  and  disadvantages   of  air  transport.
ANSWER:   AIR  TRANSPORT  is  the  latest   and   the  fastest   means    of  transport  in   most   countries. This  type  of  transport  carries  passengers  and   goods   by  aeroplane. Today   AIR  TRANSPORT  is  the   quickest  and   efficient  means  of  transport  all  over   the  World. 
          
 ADVANTAGES   OF  AIR   TRANSPORT :-  {i}. It  saves  time   and   inconveniences    are   avoided  automatically. {ii}.The  helicopters  are    made  to  serve   areas  without   landing  grounds. {iii}It   the   fastest  of  all  types   of  transports, therefore   useful    for  urgent  cases  and   transportation  of   perishable  goods.
{iv}.Usually  they   are  not   affected   by   ground   conditions  as  they  can  cross   heavy  forests , seas  and   oceans  and   high   mountains   at  very  high  speed.  {v}. It  is  comfortable  and  less  tiresome , especially  where  one   is  required   to  travel  greater   distances.  Operations  of  air  transport   are   schedule  and  this   ensures   no  time—wasting.  {vi}.Is    more   economical   for  dispatching  urgently   required  services   like   medical   supplies ,  clothes  and   food , express  mails   and  machines   to   the   isolated  parts  of  the   World.

DISADVANTGES/PROBLEMS  OF  AIR  TRANSPORT : Air  Transport   faces  a    number   of  problems  in  present  and  future   development , these   include :--{i}. Airport  Construction  is  normally  very  expensive.
{ii}.Cannot  transport  inflammable  commodities  such  as  petrol , diesel   and  paraffin.
{iii}.Air  normally  does  not   carry  bulky  goods.
{iv}.Normally   weather   conditions  , for  example   fog   greatly  affect   air   transport. 
{v}.The  running  and  maintenance   costs   are  very   high   which    involve   costs   of  aircrafts ,fuel ,services  of  air  terminal  facilities , flying   and   landing    charges   are   all  expenses.
{vi}.Airlines  must  provide   large  staff   of  pilots ,  ground  clerks ,   booking   personnel  and  airhostes   who    are   highly   paid.
{vii}.During   accidents  there  is  very    little   chance   for   survival. Therefore , it has  contributed   to  the  loss  of  lives     of  many   people  in  the  world.

{24}.  What  factors  would  you   keep  in  mind   while   choosing  a   means   of  TRANSPORT ?


ANSWER:
{25}. Suggest   the  appropriate   form   of  TRANSPORT  in   each   of  the  following  cases :--
{a}.{i}. Transport  of  rice   from  Mbeya   to   Dar—es—Salam---LAND  TRANSPORT.
{ii}. Transport  of  RICE  from  South  Africa  to   Dar—es—Salaam---LAND  TRANSPORT.
{b}.{i}. Transport  of  flowers  from  TANZANIA  to  UK.----AIR   TRANSPORT.
{ii}.Transport   of  flowers  from  Arusha  to  Dar—es—salaam.---LAND   TRANSPORT.
{c}. {i}.Transport  of  heavy  machinery  from   Japan  to  TANZANIA.—WATER  TRANSPORT.
{ii}.Transport  of  heavy  machinery  from  Dar  to  Morogoro.---LAND   TRANSPORT.
{d}. {i}. Transport  of  petrol  from  Iraq  to  Tanzania.----WATER  TRANSPORT.
{ii}.Transport  of  Petrol    from  Dar  es   salaam  to  Zambia.---PIPELINE  TRANSPORT.
{e}. Transport  of  Copper  from  LUSAKA  to  Dar—es—salaam.----LAND  TRANSPORT.

Tuesday, July 1, 2014

OGE 223 : REMOTE SENSING AND QUANTITIVE METHODS.

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Lecture Materials

This page contains all information relevant to the topics covered in lecture. Here you will find: (1) materials presented in lecture, (2) required readings for the class from the text and (3) links to additional readings and other web resources that illustrate topics covered in lectures.
Required Text
Jensen, J.R.  2007. Remote Sensing of the Environment - an Earth Resource Perspective 2nd ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ, Prentice Hall. 592 pp.


Additional readings from sources including:

Lillesand, T.M., Kieffer, R.W. and Chipman, J.W.  2004.  Remote Sensing and Image Interpretation 5th ed. New York, John Wiley & Sons. 763 pp
The Remote Sensing Core Curriculum
- http://www.r-s-c-c.org/
The Remote Sensing Tutorial
- http://rst.gsfc.nasa.gov/
Earth From Space - An Astronaut's views of the Home Planet
. http://earth.jsc.nasa.gov/

In class, I use computer aided presentations. I will place versions of my lecture notes on this page. These materials will be provided as Adobe Portable Document Format files which can be read using the free Adobe Acrobat Reader. Some of the files may be password protected. All materials and are for your personal use only and as stated in the syllabus they may not be copied nor distributed without my permission.
Iinformation about the topics will be added as they are compiled. I will attempt to place lecture materials before class so you can bring them to lecture if you wish. However, simply printing out the materials is NO substitute for taking your own copious notes during lecture and lab.
Links are also provided on this page to recorded video of the my lecture materials. The videos can only be viewed by computers within the Texas A&M firewall. If you wish to view the videos on a machine outside of Texas A&M you must install and use the Virtual Private Network (VPN) software available from the University. As with the lecture notes,All materials and are for your personal use only and as stated in the syllabus they may not be copied nor distributed without my permission.
Please note that I have produced these lecture materials at different times and they periodically updated. So while their content is very similar you may note slight differences between the lecture slides presented in class and the notes presented here. Also, each time I present a lecture it differs so there are also differences between what you hear in class and appears on the on-line videos.

Topic 1 - Introduction to Remote Sensing

  • Lecture Materials
  • Lecture Video
  • Required Readings
    • Undergraduate - L,K&C sections 1.1 & 2.2
    • Graduate - Jensen, Chapter 1
  • Recommended Reading Remote Sensing Tutorial – Overview and Quiz
  • Other Relevant Links
    • Remote Sensing Entry from the IAG Encyclopedia of Geomorphology by Andrew Klein
    • Evelyn L. Pruitt's obituary in the Annals of American Geographers.
      She is credited with coining the term remote sensing and was an amazing geographer.

Topic 2 - Brief History of Remote Sensing

Topic 3 - Basic Principles of Electromagnetic Radiation

Topic 4 - An Introduction to Aerial Photography

Topic 5 - Aerial Photo Interpretation

Topic 6 - Photogrammetry

Topic 7 - Multispectral Remote Sensing

Topic 8 - Thermal Remote Sensing

Topic 9 - Radar Remote Sensing

Topic 10 - LIDAR Remote Sensing

Topic 11 - Digital Image Processing

Basics of Digital Image Processing
Introduction to Image Classification
  • Lecture Materials - Image Cassification
  • Lecture Video - Image Classification
  • Supplemental Reading - Image Classification note by Dr. Klein. This is a *very* rough document which I originally wrote as lecture notes for my Digital Image Processing class, but may help flush out some points note in the slides. The notes do not contain a detailed discussion of maximum likelihood classifiers
  • Required Reading
    • ALL L,K&C Sections 7.7-7.17
  • Additional Resources

Topic 12 - Spectroscopy

  • Lecture Materials
  • Lecture Video
  • A good introduction to spectrocopy, especially of earth materials is available at the USGS Spectroscopy wesite
  • The ASTER team also has a spectral libary website
  • The Spectrometer we will be using is from ASD inc. You might wish to check out their website and their support section for documentation on the FieldSpec Pro spectrometer we are using in this class.
  • The book by McCoy, R.M. 2005. Field Methods in Remote Sensing. New York: The Guildford Press. Chapters has quite useful information on taking spectral measurements in the field in chapter 4 & 7. Some of the book may be available online at books.google.com or it can be obtained from the A&M library.

OGE 225 : POPULATION AND DEVELOPMENT.

Partners in Population and Development

INTRODUCTION:
Partners in Population and Development (PPD) is an intergovernmental initiative created specifically for the purpose of expanding and improving South-to-South collaboration in the fields of reproductive health, population, and development. PPD was launched at the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), when ten developing countries from Asia, Africa and Latin America formed an intergovernmental alliance to help implement the Cairo Program of Action (POA). This POA, endorsed by 179 nations, stresses the need to establish mechanisms to promote development through the sharing of experiences in reproductive health (RH) and family planning (FP) within and among countries and to promote effective partnerships among the governments, Non- Governmental-Organizations (NGOs), research institutions and the private sector.
During the five-year review of the implementation of the POA (“Cairo+5”), representatives at the June 1999 Special Session of the United Nations General Assembly not only documented renewed commitment to the goals of the ICPD, but also encouraged intensified support of South- South Collaboration.
According to their website, the PPD is the "only organization in the world fully dedicated to South-South partnerships." [1]

Mission

PPD an Intergovernmental Alliance of developing countries is committed to improving the quality of life of people through sustained advocacy, capacity building, networking, knowledge sharing and management and transfer of technology in the field of reproductive health, population and development within the framework of South-South Cooperation.

Representatives

Representatives of each Member Country on the PPD Board by Region[2]
Region Country Name Position in PPD Position in home country
Asia  Bangladesh A. F. M. Ruhal Haque, MP Board Member Minister, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW), Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh
 China Wang Xia Vice-Chair Minister, National Population and Family Planning Commission of China (NPFPC), Government of the People’s Republic of China
 India Ghulam Nabi Azad Chair Minister, Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India
 Indonesia Sugiri Syarief, MPA Board Member Chairperson, National Family Planning Coordination Board (BKKBN), Government of Indonesia
 Pakistan Javed Mahmood Board Member Secretary, Planning & Development Division, Government of Pakistan
 Thailand Somyos Deerasamee Board Member Director-General, Department of Health, Ministry of Public Health, The Royal Thai Government
 Vietnam Duong Quoc Trong Board Member General Director of General Office for Population-Family Planning (GOPFP), Government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam
Latin America & Caribbean  Colombia dormant partner N/A N/A
 Mexico Félix Vélez Fernández Varela Board Member Secretary-General, Consejo Nacional de Población (CONAPO), Secretaría de Gobernación
Middle East & North Africa  Egypt Fouad el Nawawy Board Member Minister, Ministry of Health and Population, Government of the Arab Republic of Egypt
 Jordan Nayef AI-Fayes Board Member Minister, Ministry of Health, Government of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
 Morocco El Houssaine Louardi Board Member Minister of Health, Government of the Kingdom of Morocco
 Tunisia Majed ZEMNI Treasurer President, Director-General, National Board for Family and Population
 Yemen Ahmed Ali Bourji Board Member Secretary General, Technical Secretariat, National Population Council, Council of Ministers, Republic of Yemen
Sub-Saharan Africa  Benin Dorothée GAZARD Board member Minister, Ministry of Health, Republic of Benin
 Ethiopia Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus Board member Minister, Ministry of Health, Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
 Gambia Isatou Njie-Saidy Board Member Vice President and Secretary, State for Women's Affairs, Government of the Gambia
 Ghana Stephen Kwankye Board Member Executive Director, National Population Council, Government of the Republic of Ghana
 Kenya Boniface O. K’Oyugi, MBS Secretary Director General, National Coordinating Agency for Population and Development (NCAPD), Kenya
 Mali Diallo Madeleine BA Board Member Minister, Ministry of Health, Government of Mali
 Nigeria Shamsudeen Usman Board Member Minister and Deputy Chairman, National Planning Commission (NPC), Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria
 Senegal Awa Marie Coll SECK Board Member Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Government of Senegal
 South Africa Bathabile Olive Dlamini Board Member Minister for Social Development, Government of the Republic of South Africa
 Uganda Matia Kasaija Board Member Minister of State for Planning, Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, Government of the Republic of Uganda
 Zimbabwe Henry Madzorera Board Member Minister, Ministry of Health and Child Welfare, Government of Zimbabwe

References

About PPD
Creation of PPD

Organizational Structure

How to become a PPD Member

Organizational Priority

List of Partners Country Coordinators (PPD focal persons in the Member Countries)

PPD News

PPD Staff

Contact PPD

  1. http://www.south-south-ppd.org/abtppd_history.asp Partners in Population and Development History
  2. http://www.south-south-ppd.org/abt_gov_brd_members.asp PPD Board Members

External links


OGE 225 : POPULATION AND DEVELOPMENT.

International Conference on Population and Development

INTRODUCTION:
The United Nations coordinated an International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo, Egypt from 5–13 September 1994. Its resulting Program of Action is the steering document for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
Some 20,000 delegates from various governments, UN agencies, NGOs, and the media gathered for a discussion of a variety of population issues, including immigration, infant mortality, birth control, family planning, the education of women, and protection for women from unsafe abortion services.
The conference received considerable media attention due to disputes regarding the assertion of reproductive rights. The Holy See and several predominantly Islamic nations were staunch critics and U.S. President Bill Clinton received considerable criticism from conservatives for his participation. The official spokesman for the Holy See was archbishop Renato Martino.
According to the official ICPD release, the conference delegates achieved consensus on the following four qualitative and quantitative goals:[1]
  1. Universal education: Universal primary education in all countries by 2015. Urge countries to provide wider access to women for secondary and higher level education as well as vocational and technical training.
  2. Reduction of infant and child mortality: Countries should strive to reduce infant and under-5 child mortality rates by one-third or to 50-70 deaths per 1000 by the year 2000. By 2015 all countries should aim to achieve a rate below 35 per 1,000 live births and under-five mortality rate below 45 per 1,000.
  3. Reduction of maternal mortality: A reduction by ½ the 1990 levels by 2000 and ½ of that by 2015. Disparities in maternal mortality within countries and between geographical regions, socio-economic and ethnic groups should be narrowed.
  4. Access to reproductive and sexual health services including family planning: Family-planning counseling, pre-natal care, safe delivery and post-natal care, prevention and appropriate treatment of infertility, prevention of abortion and the management of the consequences of abortion, treatment of reproductive tract infections, sexually transmitted diseases and other reproductive health conditions; and education, counseling, as appropriate, on human sexuality, reproductive health and responsible parenthood. Services regarding HIV/AIDS, breast cancer, infertility, and delivery should be made available. Active discouragement of female genital mutilation (FGM).

ICPD and abortion

During and after the ICPD, some interested parties attempted to interpret the term ‘reproductive health’ in the sense that it implies abortion as a means of family planning or, indeed, a right to abortion. These interpretations, however, do not reflect the consensus reached at the Conference. For the European Union, where legislation on abortion is certainly less restrictive than elsewhere, the Council Presidency has clearly stated that the Council’s commitment to promote ‘reproductive health’ did not include the promotion of abortion.[2] Likewise, the European Commission, in response to a question from a Member of the European Parliament, clarified:
“The term ‘reproductive health’ was defined by the United Nations (UN) in 1994 at the Cairo International Conference on Population and Development. All Member States of the Union endorsed the Programme of Action adopted at Cairo. The Union has never adopted an alternative definition of ‘reproductive health’ to that given in the Programme of Action, which makes no reference to abortion.”[3]
With regard to the US, only a few days prior to the Cairo Conference, the head of the US delegation, Vice President Al Gore, had stated for the record:
“Let us get a false issue off the table: the US does not seek to establish a new international right to abortion, and we do not believe that abortion should be encouraged as a method of family planning.”[4]
Some years later, the position of the US Administration in this debate was reconfirmed by US Ambassador to the UN, Ellen Sauerbrey, when she stated at a meeting of the UN Commission on the Status of Women that: “nongovernmental organizations are attempting to assert that Beijing in some way creates or contributes to the creation of an internationally recognized fundamental right to abortion”.[5] She added: “There is no fundamental right to abortion. And yet it keeps coming up largely driven by NGOs trying to hijack the term and trying to make it into a definition”.[6]

See also

References

  1. "Report of the International Conference on Population and Development", UNFPA, 1995
  2. European Parliament, 4 December 2003: Oral Question (H-0794/03) for Question Time at the part-session in December 2003 pursuant to Rule 43 of the Rules of Procedure by Dana Scallon to the Council. In the written record of that session, one reads: Posselt (PPE-DE): “Does the term ‘reproductive health’ include the promotion of abortion, yes or no?” - Antonione, Council: “No.”
  3. European Parliament, 24 October 2002: Question no 86 by Dana Scallon (H-0670/02)
  4. Jyoti Shankar Singh, Creating a New Consensus on Population (London: Earthscan, 1998), 60
  5. Lederer, AP/San Francisco Chronicle, 1 March 2005
  6. Leopold, Reuters, 28 February 2005

External links

  • UNFPA: ICPD
  • UNFPA Summary of the ICPD Programme for Action: [1]