THE 2009 INTERNATIONAL PARLIAMENTARIANS’ CONFERENCE ON THE
IMPLEMENTATION OF THE ICPD PROGRAMME OF ACTION
STATEMENT
Parliamentary Interventions: National Successes/Progress in advancing the Implementation of the Cairo Agenda and the Way forward to 2015 – Role of Parliaments
Name: Şerban RĂDULESCU, Senator, Member of the Subcommittee for Population and Development, Senate of Romania
Country: ROMANIA
Please cite the one or two most important accomplishments of your All-Party Parliamentary Group or National Committee over the past three years (i.e. advancing and/or implementing laws and policies, allocation of resources) leading to progress on the implementation of the Cairo Agenda.
Romania, like many other European countries, is facing a serious demographic challenge due to the numeric decrease and the aging of its population. It is estimated that, with current fertility rates unchanged, Romania’s population is likely to decrease from 22 to 16 million by 2050.
1. Since its creation in 2007, the Subcommittee’s main priority has been to enhance the legislative framework and parliamentary oversight in the fields of health, social protection of families, mothers and children, and gender equality. The Labor and Family Codes, the Education Law, as well as legislative provisions regarding the health care system, maternity pay and child allowance, paternal leave, support for families to raise their children, protection of pregnant women at the workplace, and equal opportunities between women and men were revised and improved.
2. An equally important priority has been to raise awareness in Parliament and among all relevant stakeholders on:
- the urgent need to develop a coherent, long term national approach to population and development issues;
- the new responsibilities incumbent upon Romania as ODA donor country following its EU accession in 2007, and within this general framework, on the need to increase development assistance allocations to population/sexual and reproductive health and rights.
The Subcommittee’s awareness raising activities - political declarations, press statements, consultations and working meetings with Government and civil society representatives - culminated with the organization, with the support of UNFPA, of two landmark events: the International Conference Romania’s population: where to? (September 2007), inaugurated by the President of Romania, and the 35th Anniversary Meeting of the World Population Conference, Bucharest 1974 (June 2009), under the high auspices of the President of the Senate.
The debates highlighted the need to develop a National Strategy on Population and Development, and helped in identifying the required mechanisms and steps. They prepared the ground for a comprehensive evaluation of the demographic and social risks facing Romania, as indispensable starting point. In September 2009, a committee of academics and experts published the first part of a detailed report on this topic; its findings and recommendations are currently under public debate.
Please name two strategic priorities that need to be addressed in the next five years to fulfill the ICPD PoA
1. From a national perspective, Romania’s key priority is to increase access to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights information, education and services - in particular affordable and appropriate family planning methods - for vulnerable groups (young people, Roma minority members, people living in disadvantaged areas).
2. At international level, particularly in the context of the global economic crisis, a strategic priority is to maintain an adequate funding of the ICPD Programme of Action, all the more as the implementation of the Programme is a pre-requisite for achieving all development goals internationally agreed upon.
The Sub-committee for Population and Development of the Senate of Romania strongly promotes the need to increase parliamentary input in national policies of international cooperation for development, in both donor and recipient countries.