Message of Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif Prime Minister of Pakistan On World Population Day
World Population Day, being observed across the world today, draws our attention to the vast disparity between the requirements of increasing population and availability of resources as well as the need for affirmative policy actions to empower our communities and the people.
Population remains at the heart of effective national planning. For developing countries in particular, managing population growth is key to socio-economic development. No country, howsoever resourceful, can deal with population explosion. Thus drawing a balance between population and resources is fundamental to the fulfilment of the needs of teeming millions.
This year’s theme “Unleashing the power of gender equality” is a powerful reminder of the imperative to empower our women, girls and men and end discrimination. Their mainstreaming in the national life will automatically help in achieving the development goals and increasing human productivity.
Gender equality is not just a human rights issue but also an economic requirement. The idea of balanced development is grounded in the empowerment of communities, who are enabled in not only fulfilling their aspirations of a meaningful life but also becoming a shareholder in the process of development of their societies.
Thanks to the multifarious factors such as climate change, geostrategic upheavals and dysfunction of markets, the countries are finding it hard to stay on course for achieving Millennium Development Goals. Add to this mix the issue of gender inequality and discrimination and humanity gets farther from SDGs.
As we observe World Population Day today, I would urge all stakeholders to invest in empowering communities by building their capacity through the provision of better health and educational facilities and an enabling environment to unlock their potential.
For me, the concept of development is not abstract but is rooted in the welfare of the people. Hence all the more reason to invest in effective communication between the policy makers and the people at large for better outcomes. We need to demonstrate greater political will to deal with the challenge.
Editor: Raja Kamran