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Population

Volume 716: debated on Tuesday 5 January 2010

Question

Asked by

To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with other countries in the last year about international population control measures. [HL455]

The UK Government are firmly committed to the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD).

The Department for International Development (DfID) actively engages in supporting countries to address rapid population growth. Through our country offices as well as internationally we are working to advance progress on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), including improving access to family planning and safe abortion services. The increased choices and opportunities, especially for women, that come from better and more accessible sexual and reproductive health services have led millions of people in many countries to opt for smaller families.

In 2007, the UK committed to providing an additional £100 million over five years to the United Nations’ Global Programme for Reproductive Health Commodity Security. This programme is providing direct support to Governments worldwide to help them address population growth and women's need for family planning.