PIP: The central question which should be raised about a World Population Plan of Action is one of effective implementation. There are 4 immediate obstacles to a successful World Population Conference: 1) There is a traditional animosity between developed and developing countries; 2) Developing nations are rightly suspicious of a Plan which sets targets; 3) The effect a World Population Plan of Action will have upon the developing countries is still in doubt; and 4) Not every nation agrees on the need to adopt a population limitation program. The United States will play a crucial role at the World Population Conference in Bucharest. Although the U.S. has repeatedly demonstrated its support for world population stabilization, it also contributes greatly to the global population problem of overconsumption. While some officials frequently point to the ostensible success of programs in Taiwan and Korea, family planning programs have barely affected the birth rates of countries such as India and Bangladesh. 1 of the first tasks to be mounted at the Bucharest meeting will be the definition of population variables and a definition of population policies designed to cope with those interdependent variables. The real crux of the discussion for Bucharest will be the fashioning of rational policies which encompass the many other interrelated developmental variables which influence the demographic fabric of a given society. Americans are going to have to make some sacrifices in the way in which they live their lives and use resources. They are going to have to make a very long-term commitment to the poorer peoples of the world.