Malaysia emphasizes couples' right to decide family size

PIP: Malaysia recently reiterated its commitment to protect the right of couples to choose the number and spacing of their children and to have the information and means to do so. This policy is in accord with Malaysia's belief that the individual is at the center of all socioeconomic and environmental programs. Thus, Malaysia acknowledges the importance of promoting better understanding of the relationship between population and sustainable development. This focus will enable Malaysia to emphasize areas such as maternal mortality, family planning, and breast feeding and to establish special programs for marginalized, disadvantaged, and vulnerable groups of people. Malaysia also acknowledges the importance of establishing a pool of trained researchers in population and development issues.