World Population Day 2023: Date, theme, history, significance and more
World Population Day 2023: Every year on July 11th, World Population Day is marked to raise awareness about global population issues. The United Nations Development Programme's Governing Council established the event in 1989.
The goal of World Population Day is to raise public awareness about diverse population concerns such as the importance of family planning, gender equality, poverty, maternal health, and human rights.
The theme of World Population Day 2023 is "Unleashing the Power of Gender Equality: Lifting the Voices of Women and Girls to Unlock the Infinite Possibilities of Our World."
This theme emphasises the importance of gender equality in promoting sustainable development and encouraging women and girls to reach their full potential. It underlines the importance of addressing gender-based discrimination, increasing access to education and healthcare, and protecting women's reproductive rights.
The day encourages discussions about reproductive health, family planning, gender equality, and sustainable development. It underlines the significance of responsible population control as well as universal access to healthcare and education.
World Population Day also underlines the importance of combating poverty, ensuring food security, and ensuring environmental sustainability. This day serves as a reminder of humanity's collective responsibility to secure a balanced and prosperous future via education, advocacy, and policy measures.
The history of World Population Day can be traced back to July 11, 1987, when the global population surpassed the five billion mark. This event served as a catalyst for people to recognise the importance of addressing population-related issues like poverty, health, education, and sustainability.
Since then, World Population Day has been commemorated yearly, with the goal of encouraging debates and actions targeted at finding solutions to population-related problems. The day promotes the importance of reproductive health services, particularly family planning, and the need to ensure that all individuals have access to these services.
1. "Almost half of the population of the world lives in rural regions and mostly in a state of poverty. Such inequalities in human development have been one of the primary reasons for unrest and, in some parts of the world, even violence" -A P J Abdul Kalam
2. "Yet food is something that is taken for granted by most world leaders despite the fact that more than half of the population of the world is hungry." -Norman Borlaug
3. “The problem of the growing food shortage cannot be solved without, in many cases, a simultaneous effort to moderate population growth.” - U Thant, former UN Secretary-General
4. “By improving health, empowering women, population growth comes down." - Bill Gates
5. “Population growth is not respecting water-management district boundaries." - Colleen Castille
- PTC NEWS
