KARACHI: The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Pakistan launched its global flagship report, the 2023 State of World Population (SWOP) in Karachi.
The report, titled ‘8 Billion Lives, Infinite Possibilities: The Case for Rights and Choices’, presenting the latest trends about population growth or decline, fertility rates, reproductive health, family planning, and migration around the globe was earlier launched globally.
The launch in Sindh was held at SZABIST with Dr. Azra Fazal Pechuho, Sindh Minister for Population and Health as the Chief Guest. The event was also attended by senior officials of the government of Sindh, consuls generals of different countries, the president for SZABIST Shahnaz Wazir Ali, heads of national and international organisations, development experts, researchers, SZABIST faculties and students.
The SWOP urges controlling bodies to address demographic concerns and family planning must not be used as a means for achieving fertility targets but as a tool for empowering individuals particularly the women to enable them to choose if, when, and how many children they want to have.
With an average annual growth rate of 2.41 percent in Sindh, the total current population is 56.3 million (2022), estimated to grow to 95.7 million by 2050, the report estimated, adding that Pakistan will be among the eight countries to account for half of the projected global population growth by 2050, along with the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Nigeria, the Philippines and the USA.
Pakistan’s population is currently estimated at 240.5 million and is projected to reach 403 million by 2050, it further added.
Sindh Minister of Health and Population Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho shared her reflections on the report, mentioning that the gender element was crucial for balanced population development and progress for a nation together with education for women and employment.
She also called for more investments in reproductive health and family planning as it was an integral aspect of sustainable development for healthier and more productive populations, and more sustainable economic growth.
Speakers at the occasion stated that population growth could be tackled more effectively by engaging all cross-cutting sectors directly, focusing on addressing inequalities in education, income, employment, regional connectivity, gender, and digitalisation.
Echoing the key messages from the SWOP, UNFPA Representative in Pakistan, Dr. Luay Shabaneh, said there is population anxiety in the country and a genuine linkage between population dynamics, poverty, nutrition, and other socioeconomic dimensions recommending that these should be made clear in the public policies and programmes in the country.
UNFPA is committed to working with the government of Pakistan and other partners to address the challenges and opportunities presented by the country’s growing population, he said and urged the government to ensure that families receive proper services, information, and understanding to implement their own reproductive decisions and people need to talk about population issues in today’s world.”
The SWOP report strongly recommends that governments institute policies with gender equality and rights at their heart, such as parental leave programs, child tax credits, policies that promote gender equality in the workplace, and universal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights.
Population experts in Sindh province contend that given the province’s two percent annual population growth rate, 25 million jobs will be required by 2040, which would be a difficult task given the local and global economic conditions.
Sindh alone would need 25,000 more primary schools by 2040. Currently, more than half of the girls, 51 percent (age 5-16), are out of school in the province, together with 39 percent of boys. Sindh will also require 5 million more houses by 2040 to accommodate the growing population.
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