The
Gambia Government through the National Population Commission Secretariat,
Ministry of Health and Social Welfare through Reproductive and Child Health
Unit, Health Promotion Directorate, NYC, GFPA and United Nations Population
Fund (UNFPA) will today converge at Sanyang Village to celebrate World
Population Day 2017.
This
was made known yesterday during a press briefing held at the Population
secretariat to inform the public of the day and its significance.
The
theme of this year’s celebration is Family Planning: “Empowering People,
Developing Nations.”
Saikou
J.K Trawally, Director of Population Affairs said the world marked World
Population on 11 July every year and it was based on a recommendation advanced
by the then UNDPA governing council that recommended that the world should pay
attention to Population issues and its linkages with socio-economic development
issues.
He
said it was in early 1990 when the world started celebrating world Population
Day on 11 July, adding that the objective of the day was to create awareness on
population and development issues as they are related.
He
said Population is cross cutting and it touches on all facets of day-to-day
activities,
He
emphasized that the World Population Day 2017 centers on Family Planning, its
relationship with the empowerment of people and the development of nations.
He
said people should not see Family Planning as just mere pills taken, adding
that Family Planning is one key factor that could help in reducing poverty and
empowering women.
He
added that at the youth centers they are advocating for adolescent youth to
access information services so that they could make informed choices.
For
his part, Momodou Mboge, UNFPA Assistant Representative, said investing in
Family Planning was investing in the rights of women and couples worldwide.
These investments also yield economic and
other gains that could propel social and economic development, he said, adding
that the success would lead to the success of the 2030 agenda for sustainable
development and in the accompanying 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
He
said this year’s World Population Day 2017 coincided with the London Family
Planning Summit, the second global meeting of the consortium of donors relating
to Family Planning.
He
explained that this was what they called Family Planning 2020 which aims to
expand access to voluntary family planning additionally to over 120 million
women by 2020.
According
Mr. Mboge, adolescent girls who delay pregnancy tend to complete more years of
schooling and women with more years of schooling tend to have fewer children.
He
said investment in Family Planning could contribute to a demographic dividend
which raises a country’s economic earnings, accelerates growth and development.
