World Population Day is an annual event, observed on July 11 every year, which seeks to raise awareness of global population issues. The event was established by the Governing Council of the United Nations Development Programme in 1989.
THE July 11th 2017 World Population Day focused on the unsustainable impacts of continued global population growth. It is assumed that this is putting increased pressure on government resources, the environment and those struggling to escape poverty.
Amid that, hope still remains for the future as action to bring down and eventually reverse population growth can be taken.
But how can this action be taken unless you and I know what exactly to do? Surprisingly, only a few number of world population was even aware that the WPD was commemorated, let alone, knowing there is a call on us all for action.
According to the United Nations, throughout the world, urban populations are growing in size at a considerably faster rate than rural populations. As a result, by the end of this century, and for the first time in history, the majority of the word's population will be living in
urban areas. The UN also described urbanization as an element of the process of
modernization.
However, while in certain countries, this process is efficiently managed and maximum use is made of the advantages this management presents, in others, urbanization takes place in an
uncontrolled manner and is accompanied by overcrowding in certain districts, an increase in slums, deterioration of the environment, urban unemployment and many other social and economic problems.
Painfully, this is just an embryonic impression of the humongous situation in view. While that remains an indisputable fact, there are actions you and I should take as beckoned on by the UN.
Expected Action:
In the estimation of the United Nations, global population will swell to 9 billion by the year 2050. These growths, the UN affirms, will mostly occur in urban areas and emerging economies such as Asia, Latin America and sub-Saharan Africa, while cities such as Lagos State of Nigeria, Delhi in India and Sao Paolo in Brazil will become the largest in the world, while rural areas will lose inhabitants.
So, I bring this home. If Lagos, my city of birth, residence and career is going to be so overblown in a matter of years; then, it is quite salient that I take action along with many others.
Based on current facts:
* One billion people around the world do not get enough to eat
* A nearly equal amount about 1.4 billion are overweight and likely to suffer from various health problems such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease
* More than 200 million women across the globe have unmet needs for contraception, keeping them from planning and how many children they want to have and when
* Women farmers lack access to land, credit and education and they find it harder for them to provide for their families
* U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that if women had the same access to these services as men, global malnutrition could be reduced by 12 to 17 percent...
I can go on but these suffice. As we all come to the realization of the impending population crises, let us take the following actions but not limited to these... In fact, you can share more as you think of actions that can be taken.
Action Points:
* Share sex education and birth control knowledge with the younger generation
* Support Family Planning and Child Spacing Programmes
* As a grandparent, don’t pressure your children to give more grandchildren they can afford to cope with
* Encourage your couples to consider the number of children they would have
* Sensitize people in your immediate environment
*Talk about all of this out in the open and talk as much as possible.
By the way, my name is
Joke Kujenya
a.k.a. JK
Investigative Journalist, Social Media Enthusiast, Mentor, Trainer & Blogger
journalistjoke@gmail.com
