Nepal: ICPD spurs changes in policies.

The adoption of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) Program of Action by Nepal has spurred a number of changes to improve the population situation in that country, according to the country report presented at the High-Level Meeting. One of the most important of these was the establishment of the Ministry for Population and Environment in 1995. As a result, a number of policies and programs concerning the population and health sector have been formulated and implemented. These are considered important because social and economic development is at a low level in Nepal. According to the 1991 census, the literacy rate for both sexes was 40% (males 55% and females 25%). The status of women in Nepal is very low and their role is confined to household chores. Some of the indicators of the status of women are the maternal mortality rate (MMR), life expectancy at birth, and age at marriage. MMR is estimated at 539/100,000 live births and life expectancy was an average of 53.5 years.