Furthermore, we express concern at women's continuing recourse to unsafe abortions which are detrimental to their health and welfare and which reflect the deficiencies of existing family planning services.

　　　　We hereby pledge our strong commitment to promote expanded and improved availability and utilization of gender-sensitive reproductive health and family planning services across the region.

　　　　We urge governments to increase budgetary allocations to women and gender-related programmes to counterbalance deteriorating economic conditions. These conditions place young women and children at increased risk of domestic and inter-national trafficking, exploitation, prostitution, and involvement in substance abuse and illegal drug trade. At the same time we call on appropriate national and regional bodies to direct serious and immediate attention to these issues which destroy the fabric of society and thrive on indecision and lack of political will and community involvement.

　　　　We recognize that persistence of women's low economic and social status in many parts of the region is a violation of their human rights and deplore the fact that they are major factors contributing to the high rates of infant and maternal morbidity and mortality, the exposure of some girls to harmful and dehumanizing practices such as female genital mutilation, sex selection and the commercialization and improper use of new reproductive technologies, as well as sexual abuse, exploitation, violence and the explosive spread of STDS and HIV/AIDS infection. We call for urgent and immediate action from the community to the international level to eliminate all these conditions and practices.




2. Empowering Women in Society and the Economy

　　　　Two thirds of the world's illiterates are women, the majority of whom are in rural Asia. The education of girls and women is necessary to overcome this pattern for the realization of women's own potential as well as broader social and economic development in the region, The feminization of poverty - a phenomenon noted for some time - continues in both urban and rural areas.

　　　　We call upon our respective governments to work to institute compulsory education for all girls and boys on the primary and secondary levels and to ensure wide utilization of the opportunities provided. Furthermore, we urge special attention to achievement of greater equity between girls and boys in vocational and higher education in order to make them more employable and economically self-reliant.

　　　　In the context of the call for wider educational opportunity we emphasize the need to promote changes in the attitudes and practices of both women and men re-