Growing world population needs investment in women and youth, says UN

10 May 2011

Source: UNFPA

ISTANBUL - Investments in young people, women's empowerment and reproductive health, including family planning, are critical to boosting least developed countries' productive capacity and speeding their escape from poverty, according to a new report by the United Nations Population Fund.

Rapidly growing youth populations

The report Population Dynamics and Poverty in the LDCs: Challenges and Opportunities for Development and Poverty Reduction says that the world's 48 least developed countries (LDCs) have a large and rapidly growing youth population, with some 60 per cent of their population under the age of 25.

These young people, it adds, can drive economic growth and poverty reduction if they enjoy health, education and employment. Further, investments in young girls, often overlooked, could provide a significant development dividend, says the report.

"Women’s empowerment starts with reproductive health"

"Empowering women and girls starts with improved access to reproductive health care and family planning," said Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin, UNFPA's Executive Director.

"Too many teenage girls become mothers, too many die giving birth, too many drop out of school, too many are abused and discriminated against in their daily lives."

"When girls are educated, healthy and can avoid child marriage, unintended pregnancy and HIV, they can contribute fully to their societies' battles against poverty," said Dr. Osotimehin.

"In a world of 7 billion, every person, especially women and girls, should enjoy human rights and human dignity, and have the opportunity to make the most of their potential."

"Investing in reproductive health services would empower women to decide the spacing and number of their children and increase their opportunities for employment, thereby helping their national economies." said Dr. Osotimehin.

"The investments would also reduce maternal death and lead to smaller families with more resources to pour into the health and education of each child. This virtuous cycle helps families, communities and nations escape poverty."

Population growth presents development challenges

According to the latest UN population projections, the world population is projected to reach 7 billion on 31 October, of which 855 million will be living in the least developed countries, many of which continue to face large challenges in achieving internationally agreed development goals, including the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

The LDCs are lagging in reducing infant, child and maternal death and HIV prevalence. This is strongly related to lack of reproductive health care, including family planning, according to the report.

Due to high fertility, the population of the LDCs is expected to double to 1.7 billion between now and 2050. Rapid population expansion in the LDCs makes it harder for countries to increase or maintain per-capita spending on essential services, such as health and education, according to the new report.

UN Conference on LDCs

The report was launched at the United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries that is taking place in Istanbul this week.

Every ten years since 1981, world leaders have gathered to discuss measures that would respond to the special needs of the poorest countries. This week, more than 50 heads of state and government are attending the meeting in Istanbul with representatives of civil society, private sector, non-governmental organizations and others from around the world to assess the results of the action plan adopted at the last LDC conference (Brussels, 2001), and agree on new measures and strategies to boost these countries' development during the next decade.

"This is probably the last conference we will hold before our world reaches its significant milestone that is the birth of the 7 billionth baby later this year," said UNFPA Executive Director Babatunde Osotimehin, speaking at the conference.

Read the report

Population Dynamics and Poverty in the LDCs: Challenges and Opportunities for Development and Poverty Reduction is available to download from the UNFPA website.