World Population Day seeks to focus attention on the urgency and importance of population issues. First observed in 1989, it was established by the then UN Development Programme Governing Council. It was an outgrowth of the interest generated by the Day of Five Billion, which was observed on July 11, 1987.
The world population increases annually by 100 million approximately every 14 months.
This year’s observance of World Population Day calls for global attention to the unfinished business of the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development.
As many as 25 years have passed since that landmark conference, where 179 governments recognized that reproductive health and gender equality were essential for achieving sustainable development.
In November, UNFPA, together with the governments of Kenya and Denmark would convene a high-level conference in Nairobi to accelerate efforts to achieve these unmet goals.
On World Population Day, advocates from around the world are calling on leaders, policymakers, grassroots organisers, institutions and others to help make reproductive health and rights a reality for all.
International days are occasions to educate the public on issues of concern, to mobilise political will and resources to address global problems and to celebrate and reinforce the achievements of humanity. The existence of international days predates the establishment of the UN, but it has embraced them as a powerful advocacy tool.
By Resolution 45/216 of December 1990, the UN General Assembly decided to continue observing World Population Day enhance awareness of population issues, including their relations to the environment and development.
The day was first marked on July 11, 1990, in more than 90 countries. Since then, a number of UNFPA country offices and other organisations and institutions commemorate World Population Day in partnership with governments and civil society.
The UN logo is often associated with marketing and promotional material for this event. It features a projection of a world map (minus Antarctica) centred on the North Pole, enclosed by olive branches. The olive branches symbolise peace, and the world map represents all the people of the world. It has been featured in colours such as blue against a yellow background.
Population Explosion: The real threat to Pakistan
Overpopulation is a global crisis and Pakistan is slated amongst the most overpopulated countries. It is the sixth most populous country in the world. The rate of population increase is 1.2 per cent a year, which means the population would double in 58 years.
The 2017 Census of Pakistan was a detailed enumeration of the Pakistani population, which began on March 15, 2017, and ended on May 25, 2017. The census was conducted by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics for the first time in the 21st century, after a gap of 19 years. Initial estimates would put the population at 20 crores (210-220 million). The provisional results were finally presented to the Council of Common Interests on August 25, 2017, and then approved and released to the public. The results showed the total population of Pakistan stood at 212,742,631. The 2018 general elections were held under new delimitation of constituencies as a result of 2017 Census of Pakistan.
Unchecked population growth in Pakistan is one of the serious challenges that the country faces today.
A rapidly growing population creates economic and social problems related to housing, education, health, transport, water and power.
The very high rate of population growth lowers the per capita income, which causes low savings and a low investment that results in a low rate of capital formation.
Arguably, this rapid rise in population poses as the biggest threat to the state’s plans to achieve self-sufficiency in different human development indicators.
Since Pakistan’s independence, the country’s smaller provinces have always protested against not receiving their due share in resources. They claim this has been due to the country’s politics being dominated by Punjab, Pakistan’s most populous province. The ruling elite in Pakistan has not made any determined policy efforts to expand the country’s domestic economy by effectively increasing agricultural and industrial output. It is one of the primary reasons that Pakistan remains unprepared for rising challenges.
Pakistan is an Islamic state and there is no rule for birth control. Many find it an insult against Islam and family planning programs in most regions are ignored. Sometimes, the staff of family planning programs is attacked.
The concept of a large family is very common in Pakistan and has become a part of its culture. Many Pakistanis consider large families a blessing and do not bother to think whether they are able to adequately feed and support their children. Tribal and conservative attitudes also contribute to this mentality.
Females are not viewed as equal to men and are prevented from working or studying outside of their homes in many families. If a woman gets ill, her husband or male relative must take a day off to escort her to the hospital.
The Pakistani education system is very poor, and the government seems unwilling or unable to make effective changes. Moreover, poverty, inflation, illiteracy, social unrest, and criminality are the cases in point that are created by overpopulation. Therefore, the government of Pakistan needs to devote not only adequate time and attention to these issues but to implement real change and reform to solve the overpopulation crisis.
The writer is a retired officer from the Sindh Govt Health Department and a columnist