ICPD 15 Years On

By A.T.P.L. Abeykoon

Subjects: Mortality

Description: As its contribution to the 15th Anniversary of the momentous International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) held in Cairo in September 1994, the author an eminent Sri Lankan scholar describes how the global consensus on population and development reached at Cairo has been transformed into action in Sri Lanka and the emerging challenges which remain to be addressed. The author having represented Sri Lanka at Cairo and all the subsequent conferences connected to ICPD and having led the coordination and implementation of Sri Lanka's post ICPD population programme, describes Sri Lanka's success story in the field of population and reproductive health during that period. http://www.ihp.lk/publications/docs/ICPD.pdf **The following are excerpts of a speech delivered by Mr. Ariya Abeysinghe, the Executive Director of the Family Planning Association of Sri Lanka at a ceremony to felicitate Dr. A.T.P.L. Abeykoon on 1st September, 2006. "On this special occasion to felicitate Dr. A.T.P.L.Abeykoon, former Director of the Population Division, Ministry of Health who retired recently, I have the honour to highlight a few of the many contributions Dr. Abeykoon has made during his distinguished career of nearly four decades as a public servant in the population field. Dr. Abeykoon worked very closely with the Family Planning Association (FPA). He was a keen follower of FPA activities and always kept abreast of what was happening at the FPA. I came to know him within a few days after I joined the FPA in 1991 at a discussion held at FPA on the newly formulated strategic plan. As Director Population, he was instrumental in publishing very useful series of publications on population and related subjects. One such publication is 'Janapuwath' which was a very popular news magazine that FPA found extremely useful in its outreach activities. Another is the 'Population Data Sheet' published annually has been a handy tool for both our staff and volunteers alike. The information contained in the 'Population Statistics Booklet' for the districts and for the country too has helped immensely to improve the subject knowledge on population among school children. One of the significant initiatives that Dr. Abeykoon took which the FPA also benefited immensely was the series of orientation workshops he organized for Planning Officers working at the district and divisional level. But one thing remains as the most outstanding contribution that he has made as Director Population to the nation. This was the national Population Policy Statement promulgated in the year 1991. he was not only instrumental in the formulation but also the architect of this policy. Dr. Abeykoon not only was instrumental in formulating the policy, but also took the helm of steering the activities that were geared to reach the policy goal viz. to reach replacement level fertility by the year 2000. In this task he worked very closely with the NGOs while facilitating and ensuring the government programme was also functioning at its peak level. This enabled the country to reach replacement level fertility in the year 2000 as envisaged in the policy and contributed in no small measure in improving the health of the poor mothers and increasing the per capita incomes of the population due to reduced rate of population growth. Dr. Abeykoon was also instrumental in formulating the national Population and Reproductive Health Policy in 1998 that included all the key issues dealt at the ICPD conference held in Cairo in 1994. Incidentally, the current FPA medium term plan is totally fashioned after the issues as highlited in the national policy. Enlightened leadership in population management is of paramount importance for any developing country. Sri Lanka was fortunate to have had a person of the caliber of Dr. Abeykoon to steer this important sector at a very difficult period of its history. Mr. T.V. Anthony IAS, a very respected Indian Administrator, who was the Secretary to the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu State in the 1990s, a person who worked tirelessly to promote family planning in Tamil Nadu and earned a name for himself, at a session in a population management conference in Nanging, China where Dr. Abeykoon and I attended, pointing to Dr. Abeykoon said in admiration 'You are a Hero'. Yes indeed, Dr. Abeykoon, you are a hero, and the Family Planning Association of Sri Lanka is honoured to felicitate you this evening. Mrs. Abeykoon, we thank you for your presence and for the support you have given your husband to serve our country faithfully."**