Organized by the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

The International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo in 1994 represented a remarkable watershed. Not only did it produce an unprecedented degree of agreement among the 179 countries and thousands of non-governmental organizations taking part, it also created a wide-ranging Programme of Action which for the first time offers real chances of progress, by putting population policies at the heart of the struggle for social development. This book recounts what actually happened in Cairo and how it was achieved. The early chapters look in some detail at the preparations for Cairo, in the context of over three decades of attempts to integrate population, development and environmental issues. Focusing on the key controversial questions, including abortion, contraception and adolescent sex, it examines the ways in which attempts were made to reconcile opposing positions. Setting the discussion in a much wider context, it argues that Cairo witnessed a 'quantum leap' in the way the population issue is seen, and the need to give them control over their own lives, - central to the discussion about population, resources and development. The Programme of Action which emerged from the conference, particularly the parts dealing with gender issues (included here in appendices), is the most forward-looking ever adopted. As a whole the Programme is probably one of the most important social documents of our time. This book captures both the drama and the detail of its creation. Stanley Johnson edited The Population Problem (1974) and is the author of World Population and the United Nations (1987) and World Population Turning the Tide (1994), as well as numerous other books, including eight novels. Originally published in 1995

This book argues cogently that India’s policymakers need to urgently take up the cause of the elderly in order to create an environment that insures them against various risks and allows them to maintain as much economic independence and self-sufficiency as possible without disturbing the intergenerational balance. The first of its kind to be based on data from the National Sample Survey Organisation and providing a global perspective, this book constitutes the most comprehensive analysis of the causes and consequences of ageing in India./-//-/The major objectives of the book are to:/-//-/ - Document the rapid growth of older populations in India. /-/ - Address the key issues and topics related to ageing. /-/ - Assess the implications of demographic changes for programmes and policies for the aged. /-/ - Present an Elderly Status Index based on available data. /-//-/Timely, stimulating and challenging, this book is packed with relevant and hitherto unanalysed data on ageing in India. In particular, it provides an exhaustive discussion on various conceptual and measurement issues relating to population ageing.

Organized by the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) with financial support from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) with reference to countries in the Asia and Pacific region.