Marking World Population Day on July 11, UNFPA set "25 years of the ICPD: accelerating the promise" as the theme for this year.

Over the past years, the DPRK has made signal achievements in the work to implement the ICPD programme of action.

Under the wise guidance of the Workers' Party of Korea which spares nothing for the people's health and wellbeing, such modern health service establishments were built as the Breast Tumour Institute of the Pyongyang Maternity Hospital, the Okryu Children's Hospital, the Ryugyong General Ophthalmic Hospital and the Ryugyong Dental Hospital and a nationwide telemedicine system established in the country, thus making all the people enjoy benefits from the socialist healthcare system to the full.

The Ministry of Public Health, in cooperation with UNFPA, worked out such diverse standards as the policy and technical guidelines for family planning service and the guidelines for maternal and neonatal care.

It also organized workshops and technical seminars for doctors and maternity nurses to raise their practical qualifications and contribute to the growth of population in the country in a qualitative way.

In the course, maternal mortality ratio, infant mortality rate and low birth weight rate were reduced by half as compared with those in 1997. And the contraceptive prevalence rate and the skilled birth attendance rate are 69 percent and 99 percent each.

An official concerned stressed that the DPRK would as ever implement the ICPD programme of action to the letter by strengthening the cooperation with international bodies.

Meanwhile, various events including a seminar took place in the DPRK to mark World Population Day.