World Population Day
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A solemn ceremony was held at the Cinema Club, located in the National Park in Baku, which was attended by UN Resident Coordinator in Azerbaijan Marco Borsotti, Minister of Labor and Social Protection of the Population Ali Nagiyev, representatives of the diplomatic corps accredited in Azerbaijan, and other officials.
World Population Day has been celebrated on the initiative of the United Nations Development Programme Board of Governors since 1989. This year’s theme is “Equality Strengthens”, which implies an increased focus on equal opportunities for men and women in four main areas. These are education, economics, reproductive health and law.
The UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan also focused on this issue in his message on World Population Day. However, an important role is given to the care of young people – those who are under 25 years old, who today make up half of all the inhabitants of the planet. And 1 billion are between the ages of 10 and 19, the largest generation of youth in human history.
As you know, the world population is constantly increasing. If in 2001 its number amounted to 6.1 billion people, then in 2050, according to UN estimates, it will reach about 9.3 billion people.
As Fuad Muradov, Chairman of the National Council of Youth Organizations of Azerbaijan, which took over the events dedicated to the World Population Day, noted in an interview with Azerbaijan News, Azerbaijan is a country with a stable population growth.
Only in the first half of this year it amounted to 0.5%, or 41 thousand people, thus, as of July 1, 2005, the population of Azerbaijan amounted to 8 million 388 thousand people.
- In connection with the constant growth of the population, Muradov stressed, the issues of providing the population with the opportunity to access basic education and medical care, solving issues related to poverty and unemployment are being actualized. As we mark World Population Day, we want to remind society of these challenges and call for solutions.
And more. Today, every sixth inhabitant of the planet is a teenager. In developing countries, young people under the age of 20 make up more than 40% of the population. The decisions that young people make will shape our world and future generations.
On the eve of World Population Day, the United Nations called on world leaders to listen to what young people say about their problems and hopes and to ensure that laws, policies and programmes that support young people’s participation and protect their rights are effectively implemented.
