Fiona O'Malley (Progressive Democrats)

I am grateful for the opportunity to discuss the UNFPA's annual world population report. The particular focus this year is on the effect the growth in population has on climate change. While I am delighted to see the Minister of State, Deputy Finneran, I was particularly hoping to see the Minister of State, Deputy Peter Power. I wanted to compliment him on the speech he made at the launch of the report. It was the first time I had seen a Minister passionately discuss what is one of the most serious issues concerning population development and climate change.

The report is graphic. One section states that population growth is the most controversial and divisive topic concerning climate change itself. It adds that for a long time people have been afraid to discuss the issue of population and its effect on climate change. The report makes clear that population development is critical to climate change and, equally importantly, the fulfilment of the Millennium development goals.

Having read the report, I learned how important meeting the global need for contraceptives is to delivering the Millennium development goals and also to climate change. In our country at the moment we are dealing with deluges in the south and west. I am sure those who have been affected by the recent flooding will blame climate change. It provides us with an example of the effects of climate change in our own community, not to mention in developing countries where the effects are even more acute.

At the launch of the report, I could see clearly that the Minister of State, Deputy Peter Power, believed in the issue of population development and how central it is. The thinking now in the higher echelons of the United Nation is very much about allowing people to access family planning facilities voluntarily rather than about containing the population. Voluntary access will improve economic prosperity in developing countries. Equally, it will assist regarding climate change.

I am very focused on the millennium development goals. The Minister of State, Deputy Peter Power, is of the opinion that they cannot be delivered until there is universal voluntary access to family planning. In the UN report, Mr. Ban Ki-Moon asks that we elicit a new level of engagement by Governments in the areas of population and development and provide access to reproductive health and actively support gender equality. That is the essence of the report and what we should focus on. The purpose of raising this matter is to compliment the Minister of State, Deputy Power, on the approach he took at the launch some days ago and to encourage him to ensure the Government will continue to support the UNFPA and promote the delivery of the millennium development goals in particular.