The World Population Day is observed across the world on July 11 to attention on the urgency and importance of population issue.
2016 Theme: “Investing in teenage girls”. It focuses on the empowerment of teenage girls.
The theme highlights the importance of empowering teenage girls by providing them access to basic information about their health, human rights and reproductive rights so they become agents of positive change in their communities.
Many teenage girls around the globe face challenges to get married early and then motherhood under the pressure of their communities or parents. These girls lack access to basic information leaving them vulnerable to illness, injury and exploitation.
Background
- The day was established by the Governing Council of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in 1989.
- It was inspired by the public interest in Five Billion Day on July 11, 1987. On this date world’s approximate population had reached five billion people.
- Observance of the day aims at increase people’s awareness on various population issues such as the importance of family planning, maternal health, gender equality, poverty and human rights.
- The world population (as of 1st January 2014) is estimated to be 7,137,661,030.