World Population Day is observed on July 11 over the world including Pakistan to reaffirm the human right to plan a family. It encourages activities to create awareness about the importance of family planning throughout the world. This day also tries to spread knowledge about other important issues including gender equality, poverty, maternal health and human rights.
Business groups, community organisations, and individuals in many ways celebrate the day world-wide. This year's theme is to educate girls to a wide range of development issues, including poverty, human rights and gender equality. Providing the girl-child access to quality education is the key to eliminate discrimination and reduce population. Substantial evidence shows that educated girls are less likely to marry early in life, to have an unwanted pregnancy and to engage in high-risk behaviour such as drug abuse and unsafe sex.
World Population Day was instituted in 1989 and the United Nations authorised the event as a vehicle to build awareness about population issues and the impact they have on family, community and the environment. Since then, with the United Nations Population Fund's (UNFPA) encouragement, governments, non-governmental organisations, institutions and individuals organise various educational activities, seminars and discussions to celebrate the annual event.
UNFPA has invested in various programmes to give financial support to ensure the education of the girl-child. UNFPA participates with other UN agencies in the 10-year UN Girls' Education Initiatives, which aims to eliminate gender discrimination and gender disparity in the education system by emphasising the importance of basic education.
This is a part of the global effort to reduce poverty and is closely linked to the global "Education for All movement". In co-ordination with Unesco (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) and other UN agencies, it remains to be a major component of education programmes in some 90 countries world-wide.
Comments
Comments are closed.