UN DOCUMENTAION CENTRE

GENERAL ASSEMBLY





Commission on Population and Development                   POP/819

Thirty-fifth Session                                         2 April 2002 

3rd Meeting (AM)

 

 

COMMISSION ON POPULATION AND DEVELOPMENT FOCUSES ON REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH,
RIGHTS, WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO HIV/AIDS

 

 

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 OLGA SHARAPOVA, Deputy Minister of Health of the Russian Federation, said that preservation and protection of the reproductive health and reproductive rights of citizens was becoming an important issue, given the evolving demographic situation in her country.  The rights of its citizens in the reproductive sphere were ensured by the Constitution and other legislation.  Significant improvement had been attained on most reproductive-health indicators.

 

      She said the absolute number of abortions had been reduced by 50 per cent The number of criminal abortions had also diminished.  The maternal mortality rate was progressively decreasing, but still remained high with 34 mortalities per 100,000 births.  The infant mortality rate had also declined.  Increasing premature mortality rate and mortality rate among young people was still a problem that had to be controlled.

 

      The situation regarding diseases of social importance, in particular HIV/AIDS, had yet to be stabilized, she said.
About 180,000 HIV positive people were registered in her country.  The overwhelming majority of them were drug addicts.  The year 2000 had marked a dramatic increase in the number of people infected after heterosexual intercourse.  The proportion of women among HIV-positive patients was increasing rapidly.  Her country was working hard to improve the demographic situation, she said.  An important component of those efforts was improving the reproductive health of the population.  It was important to use multisectoral approaches in reducing maternal mortality and sickness rates.  Such approaches would envisage measures not only in the health care system, but also in education, legislation and advocacy.  It was important to ensure synergy between activities in the sphere of population and the sustainable development agenda.

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