war and civil strife and stress that there can be no solution of the population issues or attainment of sustainable development without peace and justice.

Propose furthermore that as the respective goal, the annual growth rate of population in Asia should be brought down under I percent by the year 2005 by implementing the measures advocated in the Program of Action adopted at the International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo. We also propose that the currently high levels of infant, child and maternal mortality, which are the major causes of rapid population growth, be lowered sooner than targeted in Cairo (an infant mortality rate below 35 per 1,000 Live birth, an under- five mortality rate below 45 per 1,000 children, and maternal a mortality rate below 75 per 100,000 Live births, all by the year 2015) by the year 2005.

1. Women and Health

; ; ; ; ; ; ; Equitable and universal access to education and reproductive health and rights including sexual health and rights, are a pre-requisite for improving the living conditions of all individuals, including adolescents, and for empowering women and promoting their advancement.

; ; ; ; ; ; ; Equity and equality between men and women are essential for fuller realization of reproductive health and rights and men that are required to actively participate and equal sharing of household work and share cooperation and responsibilities with women.

; ; ; ; ; ; ; Note with concern the high, and in some cases increasing, rate of pregnancy among adolescents and the need to provide adolescents with necessary education on their health and rights regarding reproduction and sexual behavior and with services, including information.

; ; ; ; ; ; ; Emphasize the need to eradicate the unsafe abortions which are quite detrimental to the health of women, through dissemination of reproductive health services and pledge our strong commitment to reduce the recourse to abortion through expanded and improved family planning services.

; ; ; ; ; ; ; Note with concern, in the context of deteriorating economic conditions which have placed young women at increased risk of exploitation, prostitution, trafficking in women and children, drug abuse and unsafe sexual encounters and have diminished their already inadequate access to appropriate reproductive health information and services and urge governments to maintain or increase their budgetary allocations to women and gender-related programs, even in the process of economic recovery.

; ; ; ; ; ; ; The low economic and social status of women is a major factor in the high rates of infant and maternal morbidity and mortality, the rapid worldwide spreading of AIDS/HIV infection among women, the exposure to harmful and dehumanizing practices, such as female genital mutilation, sex selection and the commercialization of certain new