POLOKWANE – World Population Day is meant to draw attention to the challenges we face with a human population that is constantly growing. Rapid population growth in the poorest countries leads to rapid consumption of natural resources, which makes it difficult for countries to feed themselves and recover from the effects of climate change.

2017’s theme is Family planning and it coincides with the Family Planning Summit, the second meeting of the FP2020–Family Planning 2020–initiative, which aims to expand access to voluntary family planning to 120 million additional women by 2020.

According to the United Nations, around the world, some 225 million women who want to avoid pregnancy are not using safe and effective family planning methods, for reasons ranging from lack of access to information or services to lack of support from their partners or communities. Most of these women with an unmet demand for contraceptives live in 69 of the poorest countries on earth.

Access to safe, voluntary family planning is a human right. It is also central to gender equality and women’s empowerment, and is a key factor in reducing poverty. Investments in making family planning available also yields economic and other gains that can propel development forward.

raeesak@nmgroup.co.za