Bello: World population growing rapidly

“The fact that the world’s population is reaching 7 billion is much related with other factors, because here in Albania we are used to hear from the media and society about the world crisis, especially in the recent years. It is related with the fact that the population is growing especially in those countries where there is no economic growth and where the financial crisis is felt deeper”, Mrs. Bello said during an interview for Top Channel’s morning show “Wake Up”.

She adds that if continuing, these phenomena will increase the emigration levels, because people will seek for a country that offers more education, better health conditions and social opportunities. “This situation might create social conflicts and even tensions or conflicts among the countries”, Bello underlined.

By noting that the world population is growing rapidly, Bello reminds that only 12 or 13 years ago was celebrated in Bosnia the birth of the 6 billionth baby, while today is the day when the 7 billionth resident of Earth has come to life.

Bello also mentioned the fact that less developed countries like Albania have little information about family planning.

“More than 95% of the Albanian population is aware about the modern contraception methods, but only 10.6% actually uses them”, Bello says.

The UNFPA representative in Tirana says that Albania has achieved progress in the average life expectancy of its population.

“One Albanian male who comes to life today, is expected to live up to 71 years in average, while females at 78. In this aspect it is not UNFPA the one to bring the changes. Certainly, our work is for enabling everyone to live well and longer, but I can say that the second important phenomenon in our country is the fall of fertility numbers, besides the society aging. Today, one woman brings to life 1.6 children in average. The fertility level in 2002 was 2.1, and we have a fall of 0.5% in a very short period”, Bello says.

By mentioning the campaign of the 7 billionth Earth resident, Bello underlines that the real value of this campaign is not related with the number issue, but the policies for making everyone and each government to take measures for facing the population growth.

“No one is against the population growth, if we’re prepared on the social, economic or health aspects. Whoever comes into this world must be welcomed and must find the place that they dream, and there’s nothing bad in this. Our problem is that the social policies are not one step ahead of the population growth. We, as a state, don’t have a policy regarding the population growth. The world is facing today what is called ‘a demographic bonus’, which means that the biggest part of the population is between the age 15 to 65 years old, a population that is able to work. But after 2015, the number of this population will fall”, Bello says, explaining that today there are 100 people who work for keeping 16 pensioners in Albania, and in 2050 there will be 100 people who will work for keeping 56 pensioners.

The United Nations provide only fact identification, or do they offer suggestions?

“The United Nations has two roles. We work for the population progress, an through this we make different nations aware that when their population will reach a certain moment, we could advocate with them for not facing these moments simply as a phenomenon, but as a phenomenon that must be addressed to one day. This is not simply a technical consulting, but also a financial consulting. The UN is one of the donators”, Bello declared.

The statement from the UNFPA Office in Albania:

Invest in the 7 Billion as Human Capital

By Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin

On 31 October, the world’s population is projected to reach 7 billion.

The 7 billionth person will be born into a world that is very different from when the United Nations was founded in 1945, when our numbers were only about a third of what they are today.

We are living 30 per cent longer. More of our children survive. We are now more urban. We are more interconnected and interdependent than ever.

The 7 billionth person will also be born into a world of contradictions. While most people are having smaller families, our numbers grow globally. While some poor countries’ populations are growing more quickly than their economies, the populations of some rich countries are shrinking, threatening to undermine economic growth. There are more young people in the world, but there are also more elderly.

The challenges ahead are formidable, with new pressures on land, energy, food and infrastructure and on the governments that must provide services, such as education and health, and with the global economic crisis shaking the foundations of individuals, families and communities.

We can—and must—confront these challenges. But we must act now. What we do today can have a profound impact on the lives of people everywhere tomorrow and for generations to come.

We have to protect our environment, provide clean water and energy and enough food, and address the threat of climate change.

We have to rectify inequalities between women and men, girls and boys. We must change attitudes so that violence or discrimination against women and girls becomes unacceptable everywhere. We must ensure girls have the same educational opportunities as boys. We must continue work against skewed sex ratios.

We also need to make motherhood safe. That means caring for pregnant women, preventing deaths in childbirth, and providing nutrition to mothers and babies.

Millions of mothers must still give birth without help from a skilled birth attendant.  And millions more have little or no say in basic decisions about how many children they have or when to have them. An estimated 215 million women in the developing world lack access to modern family planning.

About a quarter of the world’s people are between the ages of 10 and 24. We used to say our youth will be the leaders of the future—but, as we have seen in many parts of the world, we now know that they are already leaders of today.

Young people have the potential to transform economies, politics, and whole societies. They have the potential to drive development through their creativity, ideas, enthusiasm, and innovative spirit. However, in order for this potential to be realized, governments, UNFPA and the wider United Nations should take steps to ensure our youth populations are healthy and have access to education, including sexuality education, so they may understand how to protect themselves from HIV and have the knowledge to make informed decisions. Girls who stay in school are less likely to have unintended pregnancies, are healthier, and more economically productive in adulthood.

We must ensure that our youth have jobs and opportunities for sustainable livelihoods. Today, only about half of the world’s youth participate in the labour force, and almost everywhere, young women have fewer job opportunities than men do. Investments in young people’s education, health and employment can enable countries to build a strong economic base and reduce poverty, a key aim of the Millennium Development Goals.

Lifting people out of poverty, maintaining a healthy planet, promoting economic growth and development, and tearing down barriers to equality are one and the same fight. Development can only be sustainable when it is equitable and serves all people

By investing in people now—empowering them to make choices that are good for themselves and the global commons–our world of 7 billion can have thriving sustainable cities, productive labour forces that can fuel economic growth and youth populations that can fully contribute to their communities and nations.

Our world of 7 billion presents unprecedented challenges and opportunities. We must meet the challenges and seize the opportunities now to chart a sustainable, equitable, healthy and socially just path to the future.

Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin is an Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Director of UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund.

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