New York – Respecting people's right to information about reproductive health is essential if the world is to reduce sexually transmitted diseases, avoid early or unwanted pregnancies and control population growth, World Health Organization Director-General Dr Gro Harlem Brundtland said here Thursday.

"Young people especially, as they embark upon their sexual and reproductive lives, must be able to protect themselves from disease, abuse and exploitation," Dr Brundtland told a follow-up session to the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) at the United Nations. "They have a right to information and to services."

Every year, there are 333 million new cases of curable sexually transmitted diseases (STD), and one in 20 adolescents contracts an STD. More than 5.2 million people are infected by the HIV virus each year, over half of them young people less than 24 years old. In addition, thousands of young people become pregnant unintentionally. "Many of them risk their lives and health through recourse to unsafe abortion; many more find their future hopes dashed as they are obliged to leave school," Dr Brundtland said.

Dr Brundtland said that the most effective way to prevent these problems is to address the needs of young people in a comprehensive way. "Young people need and want adult support and help in all aspects of growing up, whether in terms of their access to education and employment, or in terms of avoiding high risk behaviours such as smoking, alcohol and illicit drug use, and unsafe sex," she said.

"Giving young people information does not encourage promiscuity, rather it fosters mutual respect and shared responsibility," Dr Brundtland insisted.

"The majority of poor women in developing countries do not have the assistance of a skilled health care provider during labour and delivery," Dr Brundtland said. "This is the most important single intervention needed. This is not a luxury but a key indicator of development."