World Population Day: nearly 7 billion people on Earth - but little global media coverage

Shwedagon Pagoda in Rangoon. Burma’s population stands at about 55 million, slightly less than 1 per cent of the world’s population. Photo: Mizzima

Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – Empowering youth was the main message at a meeting held to mark a World Population Day ceremony in Burma’s capital attended by UN and government officials.

As the world’s population looks set to reach 7 billion in October, the United Nations Population Fund or UNFPA sees a “demographic window of opportunity” to educate and provide better health care to Burma’s young people.

This was the message conveyed by Mohamed Abdel-Ahad, the UNFPA representative for Myanmar, at a commemorative ceremony jointly organized by UNFPA and the Ministry of Immigration and Population (MOIP) in Naypyitaw on Monday, according to a press release from the UN office. Several ministers and government officials, diplomats, representatives of UN agencies, NGOs and winners of various contests held on the day participated. 

For full article: http://www.mizzima.com/news/world/5582-world-population-day-nearly-7-billion-people-on-earth.html

UNFPA plans to launch the 2011 State of World Population Report in late October to highlight the challenges and opportunities of the “World at 7 Billion.”