THE Minister of Immigration and Population, Major General Sein
Htwa, highlighted measures taken by the government to improve
the quality of women’s lives at a ceremony to mark World
Population Day, which falls on July 11.
He said July 11 also marked the 10th anniversary of the International
Conference on Population and Development in Cairo, which was attended
by nearly 180 countries, including Myanmar.
Major
General Sein Htwa said governments at the conference had adopted
a 20-year program aimed at improving the quality of life for women
and families by providing access to health services, education
and a clean environment.
The conference had also pledged to work to provide women with
a comprehensive range of reproductive health care and to reduce
infant, child and maternal deaths,he said at the ceremony, held
at the International Business Centre on Pyay Road on July 12.
The event was organised by the ministry and the United Nations
Population Fund (UNFPA) and was attended by government officials
and representatives of other UN agencies as well as national and
international non-government organisations.
The theme of World Population Day this year was ‘Statistical
Girl.’
“We could portray a girl according to her statistical
background and we can imagine her improved prospects and situation
by 2015 under the goals set at the Cairo conference,” Major
General Sein Htwa said.
The event also saw the presentation of prize money totalling
K1.33 million to 51 winners of essay and poster competitions held
by the ministry to mark World Population Day.
Students accounted for more than 40 of the winners.
The competition, which attracted more than 2000 entries, was
held with the support of the UNFPA.
Posters which won first prizes will be sent to the UNFPA’s
head office in New York for judging in its international competition.
Myanmar’s U Aung Myat won first prize in the open category
of the UNFPA competition in 2002 and U Zar Ni Tun came second
in the same category last year, for which he received a prize
of K150,000.
Myanmar has been celebrating World Population Day since 1990.
