The United Nations (UN) wants Bangladesh to increase funding from its K own resources for family planning programmes urgently, saying that slower population growth can better help the country' for adaptation to climate change and sustainable development

Slamming collapse of overseas funding for family planning. UN Secretary General's Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS Dr Nafis Sadik yesterday said, “Bangladesh cannot afford to wait on overseas assistance. The government should increase funding out of its own resources for family planning programmes as a matter of urgency."

Support for family planning has collapsed from 55 percent to eight percent of the total funding for sexual and reproduc-tive health at a time when its demand is increasing in Bangladesh and elsewhere, she added.

Dr Sadik was addressing a national symposium organised by United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in collaboration with the government at a Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in the city

to mark the 15th anniversary of International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD).

Bangladesh's population growth now is 1.48 percent annually which is a significant achievement Still, almost one-fifth of all married couples want to use family planning but have no access to it Some 12,000 women die each year of pregnancy-related complications while some 120,000 children die annually before they reach their first year, according to a UNFPA data.

"Continued lower birth rates and slower population growth in Bangladesh will offer all its people more room for adaptation to climate change and progress towards balanced and sustainable development," said Dr Sadik, also former executive director ofUNFPA

Stating that it will be difficult to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by cutting extreme poverty by half because of the global economic downturn, the development expert said closing the gap between the richest and the poorest people in the world is essential to avoid the worst impact of recession.

“But, Bangladesh must find a way to meet the MDGs, if not by 2015 then as soon

as possible," Sadik said.

She said it is the human development and security that should be priorities, not the global business and profit. “Let us be clear the situation will not improve in the long term unless priorities change.”

UNFPA Representative in Bangladesh Arthur Erken said the ICPD Programme of Action taken in 1994 in Cairo had a major influence population and development issues worldwide. Almost all the countries now have comprehensive reproductive heal tli programmes.

Bangladesh now has the total fertility rate of 2.7 percent while 56 percent women and men use some form of contraception against 45 percent 15 years back Under-five and maternal mortality rate decline and free education for girls up to class 12introduced.

A lot is yet to be done, Erken said, adding: “We cannot build a nation of healthy and prosperous people if women cannot go through pregnancy and childbirths safely. "

UN Resident Coordinator Renata Lok Dessallien and Additional Secretary to Health and Family Planning Ministry BD Mitra also spoke at the symposium where TauhidAlam ofUNFPA made a presentation.