NIGER DRAFT POPULATION POLICY DECLARATION

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 NIAMEY 000920 SIPDIS AIDAC, SIPDIS ACCRA FOR USAID DAKAR FOR USAID AF/W FOR BACHMANN INR FOR BEGOSIAN PRM FOR POLLACK E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAID EAGR SOCI SENV NG SUBJECT: NIGER DRAFT POPULATION POLICY DECLARATION REF: NIAMEY 574 ¶1. SUMMARY. THE MINISTRY OF POPULATION AND SOCIAL ACTION RELEASED SUBJECT DECLARATION IN JULY 2006. EMBASSY BELIEVES IT OF SOME SIGNIFICANCE THAT THE GOVERNMENT OF NIGER (GON) RELEASED SUCH A DECLARATION, PARTICULARLY IN VIEW OF THE STRONG OPPOSITION SHOWN IN THE PAST BY SOME CONSERVATIVE ISLAMIC GROUPS TO SOME OF THE ISSUES TOUCHED UPON IN THE DOCUMENT. SUBJECTS INCLUDE: FAMILY PLANNING, FAMILY LAW, AND THE USE OF MODERN CONTRACEPTIVES. OVERALL, THIS DOCUMENT REFLECTS GON CONCERN ABOUT THE HARSH DEVELOPMENT CONSEQUENCES OF ITS HIGH ANNUAL POPULATION GROWTH RATE (THE WORLD'S HIGHEST AT 3.3%) AND ITS POSSIBLE WILLINGNESS TO BEGIN IN EARNEST THE IMPLEMENTATION OF ACTIVITIES NEEDED TO HELP SLOW THIS GROWTH RATE. THE FOLLOWING HIGHLIGHTS THE DAUNTING DEVELOPMENT CHALLENGES FACED BY NIGER. END SUMMARY -------------- -------------- DIRE CONSEQUENCES OF THE WORLD'S HIGHEST FERTILITY RATE -------------- -------------- ¶2. THE DECLARATION CLEARLY NOTES THAT NIGER'S HIGH POPULATION GROWTH RATE STEMS FROM THE HIGH FERTILITY RATE OF WOMEN OF REPRODUCTIVE AGE. CURRENTLY, THIS RATE IS ESTIMATED AT 7.2 CHILDREN PER WOMAN (HIGHEST FERTILITY RATE IN THE WORLD.) THE FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO SUCH A HIGH RATE LEND THEMSELVES TO THE CONSISTENT RANKING OF NIGER AT THE BOTTOM OF THE U.N.'S HUMAN DEVELOPMENT INDEX FOR MORE THAN A DECADE. ¶3. THE PAPER NOTES THE NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES SUCH A FAST POPULATION GROWTH RATE (THE WORLD'S FASTEST) HAS ON NIGER'S FRAGILE ENVIRONMENT, ECONOMY, EMPLOYMENT, AND ITS WEAK HEALTH AND EDUCATION INFRASTRUCTURES. NIGER'S NATIONAL POPULATION HAS GROWN FROM 3 MILLION IN 1960 TO 11.1 MILLION IN 2001, TO NEARLY 12.5 MILLION TODAY. AT THE SAME TIME, MUCH OF THE AVAILABLE CULTIVATABLE LAND HAS BEEN DEGRADED BY OVER-CULTIVATION, DESERT ENCROACHMENT AND INCREASED ARIDITY, AND PASTORAL LANDS HAVE BEEN OVERGRAZED. ALL THIS ADDS TREMENDOUSLY TO THE NUMBER OF CONFLICTS BETWEEN AGRICULTURALISTS AND PASTORALISTS, AS WELL AS TO OTHER KINDS OF CONFLICT AND CRIME. ¶4. MORE TROUBLING IS THE PROJECTION THAT THE NATIONAL POPULATION WILL REACH 17 MILLION IN 2015; THAT IS NEARLY 5 MILLION MORE PEOPLE IN A BRIEF NINE YEARS. THIS KEY DEMOGRAPHIC FACT NEEDS TO BE WELL NOTED BY DEVELOPMENT PLANNERS, FOOD SECURITY SPECIALISTS, ETC. AT THE CURRENT RATE, NIGER'S POPULATION IS PROJECTED TO REACH 56 MILLION PEOPLE IN 2050, AND OVER HALF OF THESE PEOPLE WILL LIVE IN URBAN AREAS AND OVER 50 PERCENT WILL BE LESS THAN 15 YEARS OLD. SUCH SOBERING POPULATION NUMBERS ARE THE CAUSE FOR GREAT CONCERN AND LEAVE NO DOUBT THAT SOMETHING WILL HAVE TO GIVE IN THE YEARS TO COME. -------------- -------------- FAST GROWING POPULATION AND DWINDLING RESOURCE BASE SPELLS TROUBLE FOR NIGER'S DEVELOPMENT PROSPECTS -------------- -------------- ¶5. THESE RUDE FACTS HAVE ALL CONTRIBUTED FOR YEARS TO A CONSISTENT DOWNWARD TREND IN PER CAPITA FOOD PRODUCTION AND THE REDUCTION OF COPING MECHANISM OPTIONS DURING TIMES OF STRESS, E.G., DURING PERIODS OF RECURRENT DROUGHT. IN SUM, IF A DROUGHT STRIKES MANY MORE PEOPLE THAN BEFORE ARE UNABLE TO COPE AND, EVEN WITHOUT DROUGHT, IT IS RARE FOR ANY FAMILY TO PRODUCE ENOUGH FOOD TO CARRY IT THROUGH TO THE NEXT ANNUAL HARVEST. IN A GOOD RAINFALL YEAR, EVEN THE BETTER OFF FAMILIES PRODUCE ONLY ENOUGH FOOD FOR THREE TO FIVE MONTHS AND THIS FALLS FAR SHORT OF THE 10 TO 12 MONTHS NEEDED. GONE ARE THE DAYS OF FULL HOUSEHOLD GRANARIES THAT MADE FAMILIES IN NIGER SECURE AND HAPPY. ¶6. THE MOST VULNERABLE --- CHILDREN, THE ELDERLY, PREGNANT AND LACTATING MOTHERS --- ARE THE WORST HIT. LITTLE WONDER THAT NIGER'S CHILDREN SUFFER GREATLY FROM WHAT HAS INCREASINGLY BECOME A PERMANENT MALNUTRITION CRISIS, WITH GLOBAL ACUTE MALNUTRITION RATES ROUTINELY REPORTED FOR MANY YEARS AT EMERGENCY LEVELS. REVERSING THIS CRISIS AND THE WORSENING STRUCTURAL FOOD DEFICIT TREND THAT CONFRONT NIGER WILL TAKE MUCH COMMITMENT AND THE JUDICIOUS USE OF ASSISTANCE RESOURCES FOR MANY YEARS TO COME BY THE GON AND DONORS. A BETTER WAY FORWARD MUST BE FOUND IF GREATER SUFFERING IS TO BE AVOIDED. -------------- -------------- WORRISOME STATISTICS AND THE WORST YET TO COME -------------- -------------- ¶7. THE DECLARATION IS FULL OF USEFUL, BUT TROUBLING STATISTICS SUCH AS THE FOLLOWING: NIAMEY 00000920 002 OF 003 - 62% OF WOMEN AGED 15 TO 19 ARE MARRIED - THE MEDIAN AGE OF MARRIAGE IS 15 (THE GON WOULD LIKE TO SEE THIS GO UP TO 19 BY 2015) - THE MODERN CONTRACEPTIVE RATE IS 8% (GON AIMS TO INCREASE THIS TO 18% BY 2015) - ONLY 18% OF BIRTHS ARE IN A HEALTH FACILITY - 50% OF THE POPULATION LIVES MORE THAN 5 KMS FROM A HEALTH FACILITY - 57% OF THE POPULATION DOES NOT HAVE ACCESS TO POTABLE WATER - 48% OF CHILDREN BETWEEN THE AGES OF 7 AND 12 ARE NOT IN SCHOOL - 244 OUT OF EVERY 1,000 CHILDREN BORN DIE BEFORE THEIR 1ST BIRTHDAY (THAT MEANS ABOUT 1 OUT OF EVERY 4 CHILDREN BORN DIES - THE GON WANTS TO REDUCE THIS RATE TO 153 PER 1,000 BY 2015) ¶8. BESIDES THE VARIOUS GON OBJECTIVES NOTED ABOVE, THE GON AIMS TO REDUCE THE OVERALL ANNUAL POPULATION GROWTH RATE FROM 3.3% TO 2.5% BY 2015, AND DOING THIS WILL REQUIRE ACHIEVING ITS OTHER OBJECTIVE OF REDUCING THE FERTILITY RATE FROM 7.2 TO 5.6. AT THE SAME TIME, THE GON IS AIMING TO HAVE ALL CHILDREN OF SCHOOL AGE IN PRIMARY SCHOOL BY 2015, AS WELL AS ALL CHILDREN UNDER-FIVE FULLY VACCINATED. THE DECLARATION ALSO SUPPORTS EXCLUSIVE BREAST FEEDING FOR THE FIRST SIX MONTHS. THESE ARE INDEED HUGE AMBITIONS AND THE CLOCK IS TICKING. -------------- -------------- NOT ENOUGH GOOD LAND AND A FEW VIABLE ALTERNATIVES -------------- -------------- ¶9. THE PAPER ASSERTS THAT THE AVERAGE CARRYING CAPACITY OF THE LAND IN NIGER IS 15 PEOPLE PER SQUARE KILOMETER; THIS COMPARES WITH AN ACTUAL AVERAGE IN MANY AREAS OF NIGER OF 50 PEOPLE PER SQUARE KILOMETER. IT IS WORTH NOTING THERE ARE MORE DENSELY POPULATED AREAS IN NIGER (E.G., THE AREAS SOUTH OF ZINDER) WHERE THE POPULATION DENSITY IS NEAR OR OVER 100 PEOPLE PER SQUARE KILOMETER. ¶10. THE PAPER NOTES THE HEAVY IMPACT OF THIS HIGHER POPULATION DENSITY ON LAND USE. SHRINKING FAMILY FARM SIZES, OVER-CULTIVATED SOILS, WITH FEW ARE NO SOIL-FERTILITY RAISING INPUTS, ARE ATTRIBUTED TO THE FAST-GROWING POPULATION. THESE KEY FACTORS ALL CONTRIBUTE TO A TREND OF DOWNWARD FOOD PRODUCTION PER CAPITA. THE PAPER STATES THAT TRADITIONAL AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION TECHNIQUES HAVE REACHED THEIR LIMITS AND CAN NO LONGER ASSURE THE FOOD SECURITY OF NIGER'S POPULATION. THIS RAISES QUESTIONS ABOUT WHAT NIGER'S VIABLE DEVELOPMENT OPTIONS ARE. -------------- -------------- VICIOUS CYCLE OF ANEMIC MOTHERS AND LOW BIRTH WEIGHTS -------------- -------------- ¶11. ALTHOUGH IT IS NOT MENTIONED IN THIS DRAFT DECLARATION, IT MAKES SENSE TO ADD TO THE INFORMATION ALREADY CITED THE FACT THAT A HIGH PERCENTAGE OF BABIES ARE BORN WITH A LOW BIRTH WEIGHT (LESS THAN 2.5 KGS. THIS FACT CONTRIBUTES HEAVILY TO THE HIGH LEVEL OF INFANT MORTALITY WITNESSED IN NIGER AND, FOR THOSE INFANTS WHO SURVIVE, TO A HIGH LEVEL OF WASTING AND STUNTING (40% OF NIGER'S CHILDREN ARE STUNTED.) THIS LOW BIRTH WEIGHT FACTOR IS OF KEY IMPORTANCE WHEN EVALUATING NIGER'S LONG-STANDING CHRONIC CHILD MALNUTRITION CRISIS. ¶12. LOW BIRTH WEIGHTS ARE DUE TO UNDER-NOURISHED, ANEMIC MOTHERS, AND TO THE MARRIAGE OF WOMEN AT A YOUNG AGE. ANOTHER TERRIBLE CONSEQUENCE OF A PREPONDERANCE OF TEEN-AGE MARRIAGES IS A RECORD HIGH NUMBER OF MOTHERS SUFFERING FROM OBSTETRIC FISTULA DURING THE BIRTH OF THEIR CHILD. ANOTHER TELLING SIGN OF THE OVERALL ALARMING SCENARIO FOR NIGER IS ITS POSSESSION OF THE WORLD'S HIGHEST MATERNAL MORTALITY RATE. COMPARING NIGER'S HUMAN DEVELOPMENT STATISTICS WITH OTHER DEVELOPING COUNTRIES, INCLUDING OTHER AFRICAN ONES, NIGER LOOKS LIKE ONE OF THE WORST PLACES IN THE WORLD TO BE A CHILD OR A WOMAN. -------------- -------------- ACTION LONG OVERDUE BUT ISLAMISTS RESISTING CHANGE -------------- -------------- ¶13. COMMENT. THERE IS MORE IN THE POPULATION DOCUMENT, BUT THE ABOVE SHOULD SUFFICE AS A REMINDER OF THE SEVERITY OF NIGER'S DEVELOPMENT PREDICAMENT AND OF ALL THE THINGS THE GON WILL NEED TO DO FROM NOW UNTIL 2015 TO SLOW DOWN NIGER'S FAST POPULATION GROWTH. MUCH OF WHAT IS INCLUDED IN THE GON POPULATION DOCUMENT HAS BEEN SAID MANY TIMES IN THE PAST BUT, MAYBE THIS TIME THE INCREASED GRAVITY OF THE SITUATION WILL MAKE THINGS HAPPEN. HOPEFULLY, NIGER WILL UNDERTAKE MEASURES THAT MOST AFRICAN COUNTRIES, INCLUDING PREDOMINATELY MUSLIM ONES, HAVE ALREADY BEGUN NIAMEY 00000920 003 OF 003 TO APPLY FOR SOME TIME. HOWEVER, GIVEN THE STRONG OPPOSITION OF CONSERVATIVE ISLAMIC GROUPS THAT KEPT THE GON FROM ADOPTING THE FAMILY CODE (CODE DE FAMILLE) FOR OVER 20 YEARS AND, MORE RECENTLY, FROM ADOPTING THE AFRICAN UNION'S PROTOCOL ON WOMEN'S RIGHTS (REFTEL),IT IS REMARKABLE THAT THIS DECLARATION MAKES REFERENCE TO ACTING ON THE VERY SAME THINGS THE CODE AND PROTOCOL ESPOUSE (E.G., RAISE THE LEGAL MARRIAGE AGE FOR WOMEN TO 19). ¶14. IF THIS DRAFT DECLARATION OBTAINS FINAL APPROVAL ROUND, WE EXPECT STRONG RESISTENCE FROM SOME ISLAMIC FUNDAMENTALIST GROUPS (NOTE: NIGER IS A SECULAR STATE AND 95 PERCENT OF ITS POPULATION IS MUSLIM.) KEY GENDER EQUITY ISSUES AND WOMEN'S RIGHTS WILL BE THE CENTER OF THE DEBATE. IT WILL BE HARD FOR NIGER TO ADVANCE AS LONG AS THE GENERAL STATUS OF WOMEN REMAINS SO LOW, AND THE WOMEN'S LITERACY RATE OF ONLY EIGHT PERCENT DQS NOT SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVE. ¶15. THE GON POVERTY REDUCTION STRATEGY, WHICH PLACES EMPHASIS ON IMPROVING SCHOLARITY, LITERACY, HEALTH CARE ACCESSIBILITY, FOOD SECURITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, IS A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. HOWEVER, THE GON'S ABILITY TO ADDRESS THE COUNTRY'S HIGH POPULATION GROWTH WILL AFFECT ITS CAPACITY TO IMPLEMENT SUCCESSFULLY THE STRATEGY IT HOPES WILL REDUCE POVERTY IN NIGER AND HELP THE GON MEET THE UNITED NATIONS 2015 MILLENIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS. END COMMENT. ALLEN