PURPOSE: By the resolution 45/216 since 1989, The World Population Day is observed every year on 11 July, The Day seeks to focus attention on the urgency and importance of population issues, including their relations to the environment and development. A population and housing census is among the most complex and massive peacetime exercises a nation can undertake. It requires careful planning, resourcing and implementation – from mapping an entire country, mobilizing and training large numbers of enumerators, and conducting major public awareness campaigns, to canvassing all households, carefully monitoring census activities, and analysing, disseminating and using the resulting data. The United Nations Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs conducts demographic research, supports intergovernmental processes at the United Nations in the area of population data, population development, and assists countries in developing their capacity to produce and analyse population data and information.
FORUM: “Unleashing the power of gender equality: Uplifting the voices of women and girls to unlock our world’s infinite possibilities.” World Population Day 2023. Women and girls make up 49.7% of the global population, yet women and girls are often ignored in discussions on demographics, with their rights violated in population policies. This pervasive injustice keeps women and girls out of school, the workforce and leadership positions; limits their agency and ability to make decisions about their health and sexual and reproductive lives; and heightens their vulnerability to violence, harmful practices and preventable maternal death, with a woman dying every two minutes due to pregnancy or childbirth. We must advance gender equality to create a more just, resilient and sustainable world. The creativity, ingenuity, resources and power of women and girls are fundamental to addressing demographic and other challenges that threaten our future, including climate change and conflict. When women and girls are empowered by societies to exert autonomy over their lives and bodies, they and their families thrive. Follow the conversations with the hashtags: #womenandgirls, #WorldPopulationDay; #11July; #HarnessingOpportunities, #Infinitepossibilities.
EVENTS: On July 11th; to mark the World Population Day 2023, the UNFPA and the Specialized agencies will highlight the need support women and girls around the world, and to advance gender equality to help realize the dreams of all 8 billion of us on our planet. This World Population Day is a reminder that we can achieve the prosperous, peaceful and sustainable future envisioned by the ICPD and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development if we harness the power of every human being on the planet. When we unlock the full potential of women and girls – encouraging and nurturing their desires for their lives, their families and their careers – we galvanize half the leadership, ideas, innovation, and creativity to better society.
PUBLICATIONS: Read the World Population Propects and the 2023 State of World Population report.
STATEMENTS: Read the statements from the United Nations Secretary-General on World Population Day 2023; July 11th and the Statement from the UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem on World Population Day 2023; July 11th.
