Co-operative Spirit At E.C.A.F.E. Talks

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30709, 26 March 1965, Page 2

Co-operative Spirit At E.C.A.F.E. Talks

An obvious determination to pull together in the promotion of economic development in the E.CA.F.E. region, was the impression gained by Mrs W. Grant, while attending the conference of the United Nations Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East, now being held in Wellington.

“Naturally there were points on which delegates did not agree, but I felt a spirit of co-operation was certainly in evidence —an anxiety to work for the common good,” she said.

Mrs Grant, who is New Zealand president of the National Council of Women, made a statement to the conference on behalf of the International Council of Women.

“While I was at the conference the two outstanding problems discussed were agricultural development and population,” she said. Lag In Output

In spite of real efforts made by countries in the E.C.A.F.E. region to increase their agricultural output, the net gain was not keeping up with the population increase, she said.

“It was pointed out that the colossal size of the population in the region sets the framework within which all discussion regarding economic and social development must take place,” she said. Though there had been gradual improvement in food production in the region, population increases had resulted in the per capita food

supplies in many countries being still below the pre-war levels, she added. Many countries had had to spend substantial amounts of precious foreign exchange on food, to the detriment of their industrial development. Juvenile Dependents

"The problem is even more serious if the age structure in the population of most of the countries in the region is examined,” she said. “An alarmingly large percentage is under 15. This imposes a heavy burden of juvenile dependents on the working population.” In summing up the discussion on the economic development in Asia, the executive secretary (U Nyum) had said the population growth was a serious problem in the region and even if it was a difficult and delicate matter, it had to be tackled, she said. The leader of the United States delegation (Mr Walter M. Kotchnig) had told the conference that the United

States was prepared to receive and consider requests for technical assistance for family planning and that it was prepared to move ahead with careful consideration of all economic, social, religious and human relations issues involved, said Mrs Grant In a review of the International Council of Women’s contribution to the advancement of women in developing countries, Mrs Grant outlined pertinent resolutions passed at the council’s conference in July, 1963. Family Planning

The international council had recommended that a programme of education be encouraged concerning the medical, ethical and moral aspects and the dangers of the world population increase, she said. It had also recommended that parents be educated in thejr duty and responsibility to plan their families in such a manner as to meet the requirements of their children: that, wherever possible, childspacing information should be made available to all parents as part of the regular medical services to the community; and that instruction, acceptable to their personal, moral and religious convictions, be given by suitable trained persons to all parents who ask for it. To Combat Hunger The international council reaffirmed its support of the Freedom-From-Hunger Campaign and resolved to mobilise its resources for awakening public opinion to combat hunger and malnutrition throughout the world. It had appealed to governments of the advanced industrialised countries to devote more istensive efforts to the needs of the less developed countries and to divert to this great constructive endeavour a substantial part of the resources spent on military purposes.

The international council sincerely wished to co-operate at all times in every possible way in the work of E.C.A.F.E., Mrs Grant said.