Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana (Source: UNFPA)Below is the fulltext of the article.
Asia and thePacific is an economic powerhouse, fuelled by its vibrant and diversepopulation. Comprising 60% of the world’s population, this region is burstingwith both a wealth of experience and untapped potential. Exciting advancementshave been made here, in education; health care, including sexual andreproductive health; jobs, and sustainable development. Yet there is a catch:this progress has not been evenly distributed. In fact, inequity pervades theregion, especially within individual countries.
Women still losetheir lives during childbirth at alarming rates, and in many countries we haveseen limited progress in reducing maternal mortality in the past decade. Inseveral countries, less than 30% of women of reproductive age usecontraception. Unemployment rates among young women remain high, reaching up to25% in some places. Women are still struggling for a seat at the politicaltable, with less than a quarter of national parliamentary seats being occupiedby women in 35 countries across the region. Progress towards gender equalityand women’s empowerment has been sluggish, creating a roadblock to sustainabledevelopment.
The region isparticularly susceptible to the effects of climate change and environmentaldegradation, with disasters claiming 2 million lives since 1970. Financiallosses from these calamities add up to 924 billion USD every year, eating upnearly 3% of the region’s GDP. Humanity’s environmental footprint has expandeddramatically. The region’s greenhouse gas emissions have risen by 54% since1990, largely due to the energy and agricultural sectors.
Executive Director of the UN Population Fund Natalia Kanem (Source: UNFPA)Over 60% of thepopulation in the Asia Pacific region has access to the internet, and this hasturbocharged development across many sectors. Nevertheless, these technologicaladvances bring new challenges, from the digital divide between the haves andthe have-nots, to privacy violations and a disturbing rise intechnology-facilitated gender-based violence.
While it isimportant that we celebrate the region’s many achievements, we mustsimultaneously confront its population and development challenges. We have aunique opportunity to do so as we mark 60 years since the first Asian andPacific Population Conference and 30 years since the International Conferenceon Population and Development – two important milestones on the path towardssustainable progress.
At the midpoint ofthe 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, as countries seek to accelerateaction towards our global goals, we urgently need comprehensive,forward-thinking, intergenerational approaches to harness the opportunities ofpopulation dynamics for sustainable development. To be effective, suchapproaches must be based on individual human rights and rooted in evidence anddata.
Innovativesolutions, financing and political commitment through inclusive partnershipsare our path forward. Let us ensure young and older persons have a voice indecision-making and in designing solutions. Let us tap into the goldmine ofshared knowledge and proven methods we have built over the past few decades.Investing in people, through improved health, education and training, whileproviding social protection for all to retain development gains, lays thefoundation for inclusive, just and sustainable societies. It is also our routeto achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
The Seventh Asianand Pacific Population Conference taking place this week is the perfectlaunchpad for collective action. Governments, civil society, young people andothers can come together and make a real difference, building on theircollective investments and successes to date. Together, we can protect peopleand the planet and ensure prosperity for all, now and in the future.
Let us refocus ouractions to ensure human rights and choices for everyone, driving us closer topeace and a sustainable future for this generation and those that follow./.
VNA
