STATEMENTS TO COMMISSION FOR SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

February 15, 2005 -(Newswire) The Commission on Social Development met today, in two meetings, to conclude its review of relevant United Nations plans and programmes of action pertaining to the situation of social groups, and to embark on a review of its methods of work.

NICOLE ROMULUS ( Haiti ) said the Interim Government was more determined than ever to continue its efforts in keeping with the Copenhagen commitments and was aware of need to strengthen its social infrastructure. It had taken measures to ensure access of the most underprivileged to health care, information and education. While the National Education Ministry had launched a national education and training programme, institutional instability and lack of public financing had negatively affected that programme’s success. Literacy and poverty went hand in hand. As the issue of literacy was not solely a matter of reading and writing, an integrated approach was needed. The Interim Government paid special attention to the issue due to the country’s high illiteracy rate.

Describing the feminization of poverty, she said many women were heads of households and were unemployed. To break the vicious circle of the reproduction of poverty, the Interim Government had stressed the need to improve the access of girls to education. The Ministry of the Status of Women and Women’s Rights had worked to build awareness on the need to improve gender equality. HIV/AIDS and other pandemics were a large problem for Haiti. Great displacements of the population had led to lack of social awareness and poor health care. Also, the country’s precarious economic conditions had pushed people into prostitution. The Interim Government was counting on the support of its partners to improve laws concerning assistance for the most vulnerable people and hoped it would receive the international community’s sustained support.

From: http://i-newswire.com/pr6947.html