Middle Eastern countries try to strike a balance; some poor and overpopulated, others rich but lacking manpower.

Middle Eastern countries try to strike a balance

Some poor and overpopulated, others rich but lacking manpower

ROUSHDI El Heneidi thinks that, as far as population goes, there are three kinds of countries in the Middle East:

Those with an excessive rate of population growth, very clear population policies, equally clear demographic targets and government intervention like Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia;

Those, such as Syria, Jordan, Yemen and Sudan, "where numbers are not a problem but the quality of the population needs to be improved'. They are making efforts to reduce infant and maternal mortality and encourage population "quality of life' education;

And a third group that includes the vastly rich and underpopulated Gulf States, "with their ambitious economic plans and lack of a sufficient indigenous population to implement them'. The Fund helps them with population censuses, civil registration, training of health personnel and social workers, and studies on skilled labour migration planning.

Fertility in the region's Arab countries is probably the highest in the world. Women typically give birth to six or seven children. The world average is four. Less than 8 per cent of the labour force of the region are women. The Fund only works in three of the eight Arab countries that encourage population growth--Iraq, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates. However, almost all the Arab countries have voluntarily contributed at one point or the other to UNFPA.

Phenomenal urbanization

Urban congestion throughout the region is acute. Cairo, a city that should properly accommodate perhaps 1 million people, may reach the 20 million mark by the year 2000. The Gulf city states are becoming urbanized at phenomenal rates and some will double their population in less than 10 years.

Region-wide, Mr. El Heneidi, an Egyptian economist who directs all UNFPA programmes there, thinks that "countries are now more mature about population questions and population issues are considered in development plans'.

Motorcycles for itinerant nurses

The Fund assists 15 Middle Eastern countries and Turkey. Morocco has bought motorcycles for itinerant nurses and has financed 22 mobile units which serve remote areas as clinics during the day and education centres in the evening. Sudan has started a consciousness-raising and income generation project for rural women.