Good Health and Well-Being

Improvements in health services, education and provision of safe drinking water, all have a desirable impact on child survival

During the last decade, at least three international conferences (the World Conference on Human Rights in Vienna in 1993, the International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo in 1994 and the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995) sought to reshape a vision of women’s lives by placing gender equity, women’s rights, empowerment, health (including reproductive health), quality of life, equality and freedom at the centre of population and sustainable development policies and programmes. In the period since these international events, almost all States, as signatories of the action agendas of the conferences, have attempted to move closer to fulfilling many of the commitments. In this endeavour, they have also sought the help f both national and international non-governmental organizations, institutions and corporate sectors. However, certain challenges remain for many of the countries in terms of access to services for some of the marginalized groups. Perhaps more innovative approaches rather than the standard poverty alleviation approaches are needed to bring all within the fold of development.

The Lao People’s Democratic Republic is - with the exception of Singapore - the least populated country of continental South-east Asia; it also has the lowest density of population. The country’s first nationwide census as of 1 March 1985 reported a preliminary total of 3,584,803 inhabitants

The future of the support system for the Thai elderly is uncertain.

The Fourth Asian and Pacific Population Conference will be held from 19 to 27 August 1992, in Bali, Indonesia, to enable ministers and other senior representatives of ESCAP members and associate members to review the population situation in the region and plan a course of action to deal with population and sustainable development issues into the twenty-first century. They will be joined by representatives of various United Nations agencies, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations in their discussions.

Besides living arrangements and enacted instrumental support, proper emphasis should also be given to various aspects of interpersonal exchanges and their interrelationships

The population of Fiji consisting of two major ethnic groups, the indigenous Melanesian population referred to as Fijians and the population who are of Indian origin referred to as Indians, has gone through significant demographic changes in the recent past. These were revealed in the two latest publications on Fiji (Bureau of Statistics, 1989; Gubhaju and Navunisaravi, 1989). The demographic change with which this note is mainly concerned is the decline in fertility of Fijians and Indians over the past two decades, 1966-1986.

The adoption of modern contraceptive methods appears to have more than compensated for the sharp drop in the length of post-partum amenorrhoea.

This review analyses the gender dimensions of rapid population ageing in the Asia-Pacific region, shares examples of useful practices and makes policy recommendations within the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing. Population ageing is occurring along with urbanization, migration, more women in paid work, smaller families, technological advances and environmental changes. Reports from international agencies and new national policies and plans often fail to respond to the different needs of older women and men and to recognize and benefit from their different contributions. Age and sex discrimination intersect. Women live longer than men yet have higher risk of poor health and disability in old age. Although most older persons continue to live with their families, older women are more likely than men to live alone, be widowed and poor. They have had fewer opportunities to earn or make pension contributions and may lack inheritance rights. Older men are more likely to be socially isolated and miss their earlier roles. Conditions affecting quality of life are more common in older women and often neglected, including sensory impairments, arthritis and incontinence. Risk factors also differ: Women are less likely to be physically active; older men more likely to drink alcohol and smoke. Older women face greater barriers to health care. Caring for dependent older family members is usually the responsibility of women, and paid care providers are disproportionately female. Family caregivers need support, help with assistive devices and respite care. They are often unable to earn and save for their own old age. Government, civil society and the private sector all have important roles. National Governments need to invest in policies that recognize the different rights and roles of older women and men.