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World Population Day 2025: Know Date, Theme, History And Significance
World Population Day 2025: Know Date, Theme, History And Significance

NDTV

time4 days ago

  • General
  • NDTV

World Population Day 2025: Know Date, Theme, History And Significance

Each year, World Population Day is observed on July 11 to raise awareness about global population issues and their impact on society. Established by the United Nations in 1989, the day highlights the importance of addressing population-related concerns such as reproductive health, family planning, gender equality, and sustainable development. Through this observance, the global organisation seeks to promote understanding, collaboration and innovative solutions to ensure a sustainable future for all countries. This day serves as a platform for governments, organisations and individuals to engage in discussions and take action. World Population Day 2025: History World Population Day was established by the UN and first observed in 1989. The idea was inspired by the world population reaching five billion on July 11, 1987, prompting Dr KC Zachariah, a senior demographer at the World Bank, to suggest marking the occasion as World Population Day. Since then, World Population Day has played a crucial role in raising awareness, advocating for reproductive rights, and encouraging policies and programs that support sustainable development and the well-being of all individuals. World Population Day 2025: Significance The significance of World Population Day lies in its ability to foster discussions and raise awareness about the impact of population dynamics on socio-economic development, environmental sustainability, and individual well-being. It serves as a reminder that our growing population presents both challenges and opportunities that require our attention and proactive measures. World Population Day 2025: Theme The theme for World Population Day 2025 is "Empowering young people to create the families they want in a fair and hopeful world". This theme reaffirms the promise of the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development: that every person has the right to make informed choices about their lives and futures, according to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

Every individual: Aseefa for renewed commitment to health, dignity and empowerment
Every individual: Aseefa for renewed commitment to health, dignity and empowerment

Business Recorder

time5 days ago

  • Health
  • Business Recorder

Every individual: Aseefa for renewed commitment to health, dignity and empowerment

ISLAMABAD/ KARACHI: On the occasion of World Population Day 2025, the First Lady of Pakistan Aseefa Bhutto Zardari calls for a renewed national commitment to the health, dignity, and empowerment of every individual; especially women, children, and youth across the country. 'On this day, we are reminded not only of numbers, but of the lives and stories behind them—of the mothers, children, and families who form the heart of our nation,' said the First Lady. 'Our focus must remain on ensuring that every mother is healthy, every child is safe, and every family is given the opportunity to thrive.' Pakistan continues to face critical challenges in maternal health, child welfare, and youth empowerment. In her message, the First Lady emphasized the urgent need for investment in family planning, education, social protection, and reproductive health services, the cornerstones of a strong and inclusive society. 'This is not merely a matter of development, it is a matter of dignity, equity, and justice. By prioritizing the well-being of our people, we secure the future of our nation,' she stated. The theme for this year's World Population Day, empowering young people to shape the families they want in a fair and hopeful world, resonates deeply with Pakistan, where a majority of the population is under the age of 30. The First Lady underscored the importance of creating opportunities for young people to lead fulfilling lives, free from discrimination, and equipped with the tools to make informed choices. 'Our youth are not only our future, they are our present. We must ensure they have access to quality education, comprehensive healthcare, economic opportunities, and a voice in decisions that affect them,' said HE Aseefa Bhutto Zardari. 'Empowering them is essential to building a just, peaceful, and sustainable Pakistan.' On this World Population Day, the First Lady reaffirmed her commitment to advancing the rights and well-being of all Pakistanis and called on stakeholders across government, civil society, and the private sector to work in unity toward a future where every life is valued and every generation is empowered, reminding them of the words of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto at the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo, 'I dream of a Pakistan, of an Asia, of a world where every pregnancy is planned and every child conceived is nurtured, loved, educated, and supported.' Copyright Business Recorder, 2025

Aiding India's progress with choice, control and capital
Aiding India's progress with choice, control and capital

The Hindu

time5 days ago

  • Politics
  • The Hindu

Aiding India's progress with choice, control and capital

With the world's population having crossed the eight billion mark, looking at the macros is all but natural. However, there has to be an equal focus on the micro-vulnerable groups, key populations and individuals on the fringes. We must endeavour to ensure that the promise of the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICDP) is kept, and that every person gets the right to make informed choices about their sexual and reproductive health, free from coercion, discrimination and violence. This year, the United Nations has announced its theme for World Population Day as 'Empowering young people to create the families they want in a fair and hopeful world'. It highlights the ICDP's special focus on youth, by affirming their right to accurate information, education and services in order to make informed decisions about their sexual and reproductive health. It also reflects a simple but pressing need: of bringing youth to the centre when envisioning the future, ensuring their freedom of choice and opportunities. Home to the largest youth population UNICEF reports there being 371 million youth in the age group of 15 to 29 years in India, making it the world's largest youth population. This is a number that stretches existing resources and systems. But with the right investments in education, skills and also access to health, nutrition, and family planning services, it can become a powerful driver of national progress. Unleashing this youth potential in India could boost its GDP by up to $1 trillion by 2030, unlocking a demographic divide as projected by the World Bank and NITI Aayog, while significantly reducing unemployment and improving social outcomes. India has made significant strides with initiatives such as 'Beti Bachao Beti Padhao' and the National Adolescent Health Programme, reducing child marriage and adolescent fertility rates. Yet, there is still room to do more as a nation in order to address persistent challenges such as limited reproductive autonomy, socio-cultural barriers and gender inequality. These continue to restrict many young people (especially young women) from realising their true potential. For instance, the prevalence of child marriages in India has reduced by half since 2006, but is still reported at 23.3% (National Family Health Survey-5, 2019-21). Further, teenage childbearing among women in the age group of 15 to 19 years was pegged at 7% nationally. But in some States, the rate was reported to be more than double, highlighting stark regional disparities (National Family Health Survey-5). In addition, the recently published State of World Population Report 2025 by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) underscores the lack of reproductive autonomy and the crisis of fertility aspirations, particularly among women. More than a third of Indian adults (36%) face unintended pregnancies, while another 30% reported unmet reproductive goals, i.e., an inability to exercise their choice about the number of children they have. Almost 23% of Indian adults faced both. Issue of child marriage The need is for a comprehensive, multi-pronged strategy which includes education, contraception access, nutrition, mental health support and community empowerment to tackle the root causes rather than addressing symptoms. UNICEF reports that each additional year of secondary education can reduce the likelihood of child marriage by up to 6%. Project Udaan (implemented by IPE Global in Rajasthan between 2017 and 2022), used this as its basis; it became an example of how a streamlined, 360° approach can drive meaningful change for young people. The initiative addressed the challenge of early marriages and teenage pregnancies by keeping girls in secondary school through the strategic use of government scholarship schemes, improving their awareness of sexual and reproductive health, and improving access to modern contraceptives for young women, which helped bolster the voice and reproductive agency of girls and women. The initiative led to almost 30,000 child marriages being prevented and nearly 15,000 teenage pregnancies being averted, while also ensuring an education and a bright future for these girls. Similarly, the Advika programme, launched by the Government of Odisha in partnership with UNICEF-UNFPA in 2019-20, has made strides in preventing child marriage through strategies which include strengthening state systems, fostering awareness about child protection issues, and empowering adolescents through education, skill development and leadership training. Its youth-focused approach has enabled about 11,000 villages to be declared child marriage-free; in 2022, nearly 950 child marriages were stopped. Addressing child marriage and early pregnancy is essential, but true empowerment means going further — equipping adolescents, especially girls, with the skills, the education and the opportunities they need to lead independent and meaningful lives, while also fostering enabling environments that support their agency, voice and participation in decisions that affect them. This includes the timing of their marriage, reproductive freedom (whether or not to have children, the age at which they have the first child, the number of children they wish to have), or how they choose to live meaningful lives on their own terms. At the heart of this empowerment lies economic independence. When economically empowered, women gain the resources, the confidence and the voice to shape their futures and contribute meaningfully to society. To address the issues surrounding women's economic empowerment and the low female labour force participation, Project Manzil is being implemented by IPE Global in collaboration with the Government of Rajasthan in six selected districts (2019-25). The programme which utilises a human-centred design approach, understands the aspirations of young women, then aligns skill training with these aspirations, and enables them to have unhindered access to dignified employment opportunities at gender-friendly workplaces. As with all effective programmes, this has been complemented with addressing harmful social norms through consistent behaviour change communication strategies. The project has made families prosperous and has also transformed communities. For instance, it helped 28,000 young women (ages 18 to 21 years) to complete skill training at government skill training centres — 16,000 were employed, making them the first generation of women from their communities to enter skilled professions. Empowered by financial stability, these young women exude better negotiation power to delay or get married. Accelerating progress The State of World Population 2025 report aptly focuses on rights-based, multi-sector investments and underscores that progress hinges on expanding universal access to contraception, safe abortion, maternal health and infertility care, and also in removing structural barriers such as education, housing, childcare and workplace flexibility. It also emphasises that investing in girls' education, life-skills development, conditional cash transfers, community mobilisation and health services delivers measurable gains. Programmes such as Udaan, Advika and Manzil showcase how these investments can be brought to life and improve the future of youth everywhere. The UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, has rightly called for this World Population Day to celebrate the potential and the promise the largest-ever generation of youth holds. It is important to remember that they are entitled to shape their futures by making informed choices about their health, families, careers and lives. India stands at a defining moment on its development journey, and its success will depend on how well it can understand the aspirations of its youth, amplifying the voices of young women, and helping unlock opportunities for them. Shrishti Pandey is Manager, Social and Economic Empowerment, IPE Global (international development consulting firm). Ashish Mukherjee is Vice-President, Social and Economic Empowerment, IPE Global. Raghwesh Ranjan is Senior Director, Social and Economic Empowerment, IPE Global

Malaysia wins bid as host country for AFPPD secretariat
Malaysia wins bid as host country for AFPPD secretariat

The Star

time28-04-2025

  • Politics
  • The Star

Malaysia wins bid as host country for AFPPD secretariat

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia has been successfully elected as the host country for the secretariat of the Asian Forum on Parliamentarians on Population and Development (AFPPD), marking a significant milestone in the nation's leadership role in advancing population and development issues across the region. The decision was made at the 15th General Assembly of the AFPPD, held in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday (April 27) where Malaysia's bid, led by Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi, Chair of AFPPD Malaysia and the Works Minister, received overwhelming support from all member states. "This win reflects Malaysia's strong commitment to promoting sustainable development, gender equality, health rights and the welfare of people across Asia and the Pacific,' said AFPPD in a statement on Monday (April 28). Nanta, in his posting on Facebook, expressed Malaysia's honour at the trust placed in the country by its regional counterparts. "Hosting the AFPPD secretariat is a recognition of Malaysia's proactive role in championing critical issues such as youth empowerment, gender equality, ageing populations and reproductive health. "We are committed to ensuring that the secretariat will serve as a dynamic and inclusive platform to foster dialogue, collaboration and impactful action across our region,' he said. According to the statement, the AFPPD secretariat will be relocated from Japan to Kuala Lumpur where it will support parliamentarians in addressing population and development challenges over the next five years. It will coordinate programmes, research and capacity-building to equip lawmakers with knowledge and policy tools. Malaysia, which has also been granted the privilege of leading the AFPPD's secretariat, has unanimously nominated Ipoh Timor MP Howard Lee to take up the leadership role. In addition to the secretary general from Malaysia, the leadership includes a chairperson from Japan and five vice chairpersons from New Zealand, Cambodia, China, India and Kyrgyzstan. Meanwhile, Parit Sulong MP Datuk Seri Dr Noraini Ahmad has been selected as the chairperson of the Standing Committee for Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment for a term of four years. This milestone highlights Malaysia's growing role in international parliamentary diplomacy and its commitment to a more equitable, inclusive and resilient Asia-Pacific. Malaysia looks forward to collaborating with all AFPPD member states to advance the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) Programme of Action and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The AFPPD, established in 1981, is a broad network of 30 national committees consisting of parliamentarians, focused on promoting parliamentary involvement in addressing population issues in the Asia and Pacific regions. - Bernama

From Gen Zia to Gen Z — a timeline of VAW
From Gen Zia to Gen Z — a timeline of VAW

Express Tribune

time22-04-2025

  • Politics
  • Express Tribune

From Gen Zia to Gen Z — a timeline of VAW

Listen to article Violence Against Women (VAW), once treated as a forbidden text, is now a yardstick for measuring national progress. Gone are the days when declaring yourself a feminist was not only fraught but instantly branded you mad, immoral, and a threat to society's balance. Today, feminism has become almost a fashion statement, and while it remains "controversial", new age social media is abuzz with conversations about the Matilda effect, entrenched misogyny, and the patriarchal consensus. Despite this evolution, we women are still living in a world where we are not safe anywhere, not in bedrooms, boardrooms and barracks. Women in Pakistan are also unprotected everywhere, from homes to hospitals, grounds to graves, and roads to reels. From Hudood to hashtags, there are countless faces of VAW, each continuing to evolve and multiply. While defending the dignity of survivors, the processes of reporting incidents, filing FIRs, accessing medico-legal support, obtaining legal aid, or finding safe shelter remain overwhelming and often inaccessible. Today, I share a snapshot of the timeline of VAW in Pakistan, highlighting its global intersections. My earliest memory dates back to the dark days of Gen Zia's regime, when I first heard about the Hudood Ordinance and the courageous protests led by women like the late Shehla Zia, Asma Jahangir ,Nigar Ahmed, Najma Sadeque and others, alongside the legendary Habib Jalib, against it. As a medical student, I read with interest those chapters of medical jurisprudence often considered unimportant for examinations, and it was there that I was first introduced to the term incest, a form of VAW that our society sadly continues to overlook despite its prevalence. A part of my cognisance of gender and identity politics also came from Urdu literature, especially the stories penned by Ismat Chughtai and Wajida Tabassum. Many landmark conferences, particularly the International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo in 1994 and the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995, laid the foundation for future feminist movements. I n the mid-nineties, as a clinician, I began to recognise signs of domestic violence in patient histories, stories of 'accidental' burns, stove bursts, unexplained fractures, and more. That was the time when I diagnosed dowry violence buried under domestic violence, and the denial of access to contraception and safe(r) abortion. During Benazir Bhutto's tenures, seasoned activist Shahnaz Bukhari served as Special Advisor to PM Bhutto, actively raising awareness about domestic violence, with a particular focus on establishing burn centres in hospitals. As a survivor of GBV, I transitioned from clinical medicine to public health at a younger age and analysed complex layers of violence: both visible like acid attacks and physical assaults and invisible. The latter embraces a range of verbal abuse, mental health degradation, culturally sanctioned harmful practices, and the commodification of women through bridal fashion shows, corporate media narratives and beyond. During the late 1990s and early 2000s, much of the international donor attention in Pakistan (and other South Asian countries) was focused on issues like "honour killings" and sexual harassment at workplaces. By the turn of the millennium the denial of the prevalence of VAW beyond NGO reports was slowly, but steadily, being broken. Feminisation of poverty was then an established fact and the need for financial freedom for women was being discussed. The influx of private media during Musharraf's regime also aided in breaking the barriers to discuss many "taboo" words and concepts related to the GBV glossary. My own seminal series Gender Watch on PTV, which owed its clearance during Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's time through the then Information Minister Syed Mushahid Hussain, had an extended phase post-12 October 1999. At that time, the expansion of urban, upper-class feminist activist circles in Pakistan began reaching the urban middle class and some rural areas, largely due to the NGO-isation of social development. Kimberlé Crenshaw's concept of intersectional feminism, coined in 1989, has advanced from an academic theory to a widely recognised framework. Women's roles and suppression are being scrutinised in diverse areas like media, sports, STEM/STEAM. Tarana Burke's Me Too movement, launched in 2006, went global in 2017 after Milano's viral '#MeToo' tweet in the wake of the Weinstein scandal sparking a reckoning that resonated even within Pakistani workplaces. Over the past 25 years, there has been a growing focus on VAW in cyber space and those with disabilities. Moreover, humanitarian crises such as the 2005 earthquake, the 2009 IDP crisis, and the devastating floods of 2010 and 2011 brought greater responsiveness to VAW issues in emergency settings. In the first two decades of the 21st century, Pakistan's vibrant civil society, determined to demand liberty for women, also began to perceive a shrinking space for critical dialogues. This coincided with changing donor priorities, increased political angling, and persistent geopolitical shifts. And while attention peaks during high-profile cases or tragic viral moments, true justice remains a distant dream. The making of Pakistan in 1947 and its breaking in 1971 were characterised by apathetic politics where ordinary people were treated as collateral damage. Many forms of exploitation and savagery against women across faiths and ethnicities took place. The reminder of Manto's Khol Do still shudders me. The male propensity for rape and cruelty against women, even in the midst of tragedies like blood-soaked migrations, still baffles me deeply. This is not simply a personal reflection, but a national timeline of resilience and resistance, chronicling VAW from the inception of our homeland to the Gen Z TikTok era. When will VAW end? No end date exists for VAW but at today's pace, the WEF guesses gender parity will not arrive until 2154, and the UN warns of a 300 year wait for full legal equality. Pakistan has a range of pro-women laws, but due to inequality before law, their implementation remains inconsistent and often ineffective. Hence, stronger and more specific laws targeting various forms of VAW and enabling greater agency for women are necessary. While hundred per cent prevention is unlikely, economically empowered women are better equipped to combat VAW and improve their own lives. Women's safety is a right, not a privilege. The urgency lies not just in seeing the systematic and structural violence, but in arresting its brazen normalisation and deliberate institutional protection.

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