For Immediate Release:	October 13, 2004
For More Information:	Phil Singer, Kerry-Edwards 2004, 202-464-2800
Sponsor Organization:	Kerry-Edwards 2004
"We must do more to address the needs of women, to ensure they and their children live healthy lives."
“Ten years ago, I joined a bipartisan delegation from the U.S. Congress to attend the meeting of governments in Cairo, Egypt to discuss the pressing health and development challenges facing the world. The 1994 International Conference on Population and Development brought together 179 diverse nations with different cultures, religions and traditions in a shared promise to improve the health of families and promote global development. “On the 10th anniversary of that historic conference, we recognize that the world has transformed since then. We have seen some notable improvements in global health and women's empowerment, but women continue to face serious challenges, such as intolerably high rates of maternal mortality, rising obstacles to family planning services, and the HIV/AIDS pandemic which affects tens of millions around the world. “We must do more to address the needs of women, to ensure they and their children live healthy lives. As president, I will reaffirm America's leading role in the fight for the rights of women around the world. I will repeal burdensome restrictions on family planning, restore U.S. funding to United Nations Population Fund, and double U.S. funding to fight AIDS. Today, I commend the hundreds of world leaders and advocates who have committed their continued support for the goals set at the Cairo conference in 1994.”