Bukola Afeni
The 2023 edition of The State of the World Population (SWOP) Report entitled “8 Billion Lives, Infinite Possibilities”
has been launched by UNFPA in Abuja.
The report was launched by officials of the United Nations, Civil Societies, NGOs, and representatives from the government.
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Resident Representative in Nigeria, Ulla Mueller, while making presentations on the SWOP report,
called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his incoming administration to set a date for the conduct of the census.
She added that an understanding of the demography will impact the economy positively.
The Resident Representative of UNFPA also reaffirmed the need for the country to have established family policies that would build strong, diverse, and resilient families.
” We need an unwavering commitment to human rights and the fertility aspirations of all people. Access to sexual and reproductive health and the rights of the people must be assured.
“There should be a relentless pursuit of gender equality, recognition that inclusive societies are resilient societies and inclusion of migrants”, she said.
The United Nations agency also called on policymakers and the media to abandon sensationalized narratives about population booms and busts.
Mueller further noted that the SWOP report was able to look at correlations between fertility policies and various development indexes.
” We found out that countries with a stated intention to lower fertility rates have lower scores on the Human Development Index. This makes sense because we know that part of the process of demographic transition involves countries moving from higher to lower fertility as they develop.
” It is not controlling, but giving choices.
Countries with all other fertility policies, lower, maintain, and none, have similarly high scores”, she said.
The Executive Director of Education as a Vaccine( EVA), Toyin Chukwudozie, urged
young people to make informed decisions regarding unprotected sex.
‘We have been working with young people and stakeholders to inform policy around reproductive health. We will keep sensitizing the populace so we can attain our goal and targets “.
The Executive Director tasks leaders at all levels to remove all barriers around access to reproductive health services, and ensure that population issues are properly addressed.
The Head of Mission Portugal, Paulo Santos said the reproductive rights of every individual should be ensured.
He added that the population in Portugal is increasing daily due to migration.
“The conversation is important for countries experiencing population growth. The SWOP report is very critical as it would enable us to know if we are making good progress “, he said.
