World Population Day 2016. Investing in teenage girls
The United Nations' (UN) World Population Day is celebrated annually across the world on July 11, to reaffirm the human right to plan for a family. It encourages activities, events and information to help make this right a reality across the world.
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World Population Day aims to increase people’s awareness of various population issues such as the importance of family planning, including gender equality, poverty, maternal health and human rights. The day is celebrated worldwide by business groups, community organisations and individuals in many ways. Activities held to mark the day include, seminar discussions, educational information sessions and essay competitions.
Background
World Population Day was instituted by the Governing Council of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in 1989, and ever since, the day has been celebrated every year.
The date of observance of World Population Day was inspired by the date of Five Billion Day as the world’s population reached five billion people on Five Billion Day, July 11, 1987.
This concern of rapid growth of population resulted in the establishment of World Population Day and since then, with the encouragement of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), governments, non-governmental organisations, institutions and individuals have been organising various educational activities to celebrate the annual event.
The UN authorised the event as a vehicle to build an awareness of population issues and the impact they have on development and the environment.
27th anniversary
This year 2016, marks the 27th anniversary of the World Population Day, with a thematic focus on teenage girls. The theme of World Population Day 2016 is “Investing in teenage girls.”
A yearly focus on a particular population issue is crucial so that the international community can take stock, identify achievements and address challenges to the implementation of the commitments made in Cairo in 1994 and more recently as part of the Sustainable Development Goals.
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Every year, the celebrations of World Population Day are based on the particular theme decided by the United Nations. The day is celebrated worldwide by business groups, community organisations and individuals in various ways. Different events such as seminar discussions, educational information sessions etc are conducted to mark the celebration.
The world’s population numbered 7.3 billion in 2015, and it is projected to reach 8.5 billion by 2030, with most of the increase occurring in Africa and Asia.
Ghana's land mass is almost the same as the United Kingdom's, and according to the global demographic estimates and projections by the UN, the country’s population in 2015 was estimated to be 27 million, up from the official 2010 census figure of 24.2 million, representing 0.36 per cent of the world’s population.
Sexual, reproductive health education
Sexual and reproductive health education can improve the health and well-being of young people in the developing world in many ways, such as providing the information and education to delay age of pregnancy, which can keep girls in school and reduce the high risk of maternal death among girls who give birth before 18, as pregnancy and childbirth are identified as the leading causes of death for a number of young women.
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is committed to meeting the reproductive health needs of the youth in the developing world and through the implementation of the youth policy that guides the USAID’s programming and work with non-governmental organisations and civil society, the agency strives to integrate youth reproductive and sexual health needs into all of its programmes and to empower young people to envision their own futures
Thematic focus
This year, with a thematic focus on teenage girls, the international community should recognise, for example, that although adolescent fertility has been declining globally, it remains high in many countries. Although further declines in the level of adolescent fertility are projected, future trends will depend heavily on the investments made in education, especially for girls, and on the availability of information and services in the area of sexual and reproductive health.