11 Jul 2011

UN / WORLD POPULATION REPORT

To mark World Population Day this year, UNFPA launched the “7 Billion Actions” campaign to promote dialogue on the challenges, opportunities and actions that will be needed to ensure a better future for humanity. UNFPA / FILE

Posted at: July 11, 2011 2:22 pm

Duration: 03:23

Available in: SD

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STORY: UN / WORLD POPULATION REPORT
TRT: 3:23
SOURCE: UNFPA / IRIN / UNTV / UNHCR
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: RECENT / FILE

FILE

FILE - IRIN - AUGUST 2007, KARACHI, PAKISTAN

1. Various shots, crowded city scenes

FILE – UNTV - FEBRUARY – MARCH 2008, TOKYO, JAPAN

2. Various shots, crowd scenes

RECENT – UNFPA, NEW YORK CITY

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Babatunde Osotimehin, Executive Director, United Nations Population Fund: 
"The issue of population is one which affects every country in the world. The countries in the North that is countries in the Northern hemisphere, developed countries that actually have issues about their shrinking population, they are putting programmes and policies in place encouraging people to have more children. On the converse, there are countries in the developing world that probably have a little more than they need in terms of population given the current capacity of their economy."

FILE – UNTV - FEBRUARY – MARCH 2008, TOKYO, JAPAN

4. Various shots, older people

RECENT – UNFPA, NEW YORK CITY

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Babatunde Osotimehin, Executive Director, United Nations Population Fund:
"Today with seven billion people in the world, about 1.8 billion of them are young people. These young people are in every country. Some of them feel disconnected in the society in which they live. Some of them feel disaffected in terms of what is going on. So we need to address the centrality of these young people in developing a plan going forward."

FILE – UNICEF - 20 NOVEMBER 2010, KAILAHUN PROVINCE, SIERRA LEONE

6. Various shots, youth at school
RECENT – UNFPA, NEW YORK CITY

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Babatunde Osotimehin, Executive Director, United Nations Population Fund:
"We must ensure they have appropriate education, appropriate skills development and when I talk education I also mean sexuality education so they can make their necessary reproductive health choices. We must protect their rights so that so when they make those choices, they won't be coerced to do what they don't want to do. I think it's only by having that you can have young people transmit from being young to adults and adults that will look after this planet which belongs to all of us. So that demographic transitions that governments are looking for will happen, the productivity that governments are looking for. And the issues of migration, which sometimes can be a political issue, might be reduced. And you will have a more stable world going forward."

FILE – UNHCR - 24 AUGUST 2009 - ATTERIDGEVILLE, SOUTH AFRICA

8. Various shots, people on the street

STORYLINE:

To mark World Population Day this year, the United Nations (UN) Population Fund (UNFPA) launched the "7 Billion Actions" campaign to promote dialogue on the challenges, opportunities and actions that will be needed to ensure a better future for humanity.

In an interview, head of UNFPA Babatunde Osotimehin said "the issue of population is one which affects every country in the world."

He talked about the "shrinking population in the northern hemisphere and the booming population in developing countries saying these countries "probably have a little more than they need in terms of population given the current capacity of their economy."

According to UNFPA, the global population has doubled since 1968 and grown by almost 40 per cent since reaching five billion in 1987, when the first World Population Day was observed.

Population growth is projected to continue at least until the middle of this century despite dramatic declines in the average number of children per woman.

Osotimehin said out of the seven billion people in the world "about 1.8 billion of them are young people" adding that "we need to address the centrality of these young people in developing a plan going forward."

Adolescents and youth aged 10 to 24 constitute more than a quarter of the world's population and almost 90 per cent live in developing countries.

Osotimehin said that investing in young people can ultimately enable the much needed demographic transitions and productivity that governments are looking for.

He added that "issues of migration, which sometimes can be a political issue, might be reduced. And you will have a more stable world going forward."

UNFPA reported that the vast majority of the population growth, 97 of every 100 people, is occurring in less developed countries, some of which already struggle to meet their citizens' needs.

The gap between rich and poor is growing, as urbanization and migration continue, while climate change is an increasing concern with a rising number of people becoming vulnerable to food insecurity, water shortages and weather-related disasters, according to the UNFPA. On the other hand, many rich and middle-income countries are concerned about low fertility and ageing.