“The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is the world’s blueprint for a better future for all on a healthy planet. On World Population Day, we recognize that this mission is closely interrelated with demographic trends including population growth, ageing, migration and urbanization.”
UN Secretary-General António Guterres
World population day is one of the most important awareness day celebrated annually on every 11th of July. The aim of celebrating the world population day is to spread awareness about the issues of the global population and the importance of reproductive health.
This awareness day was established by the governing council of the United Nations Development Program in 1989. This event was inspired by the public interest when the world’s population reaches by 5 billion and hence became a serious concern about the exploding population. Therefore,this day has to be initiated to overcome the issues of our growing population and to raise this awareness in public.
Theme of World Population Day 2020
According to UNFPA, this year world population day 2020 theme will focus on- Putting the breaks on COVID-19: how to safeguard the health and rights of women and girls now.
This year the UNFPA’s goal on World Population Day 2020 is to raise awareness of women’s and girls’ needs for sexual and reproductive health and vulnerabilities during the pandemic. Also, to highlight how we can safeguard stronger progress and hold Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) on the local agenda and how the momentum for achievement of the SDGs we mobilized in Nairobi by 2030 is to be sustained.
The COVID-19 crisis has impacted individuals, cultures and economies all over the world. However, not all are equally affected. For example , women who make up the largest share of health care staff in the front line are disproportionately exposed to coronavirus. Supply chains across the globe are being disrupted, affecting contraceptive supply and also causing the increasing risk of unintended pregnancy. Sexual and reproductive health services are being sidelined as countries are on lock-down and health systems are struggling to cope, and gender-based violence is on the rise.
