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…UN highlights World Population Day By Shyon HoppieUnited Nation’s (UN) General Secretary,Jonas Brodin Jersey, Ban Ki-moon, has said that the world is seeing a record number of people displaced by crises. Their numbers amount to some 60 million,Paul Stastny Jersey, according to the latest UN figures.Guyana’s emigration rate is among the highest in the world – more than 55 per cent of its citizens reside.Although remittances are a vital source of income for most citizens, the pervasive emigration of skilled workers deprives Guyana of professionals in healthcare and other key sectors.More than 80 per cent of Guyanese nationals with tertiary level educations have emigrated.Brain drain and the concentration of limited medical resources in Georgetown hamper Guyana’s ability to meet the health needs of its predominantly rural population.Guyana has one of the highest HIV prevalence rates in the region and continues to rely on international support for its HIV treatment and prevention programs.World Population Day is observed every year on July 11, which seeks to raise awareness of global population issues. This year it will be observed under the theme, “Vulnerable Populations in Emergencies.”This was established by the Governing Council of the United Nations Development Programme in 1989. It was inspired by the public interest in Five Billion Day on July 11, 1987 roughly the date on which the world’s population reached five billion people.The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) works in emergency settings around the globe to respond to the rights and needs of women and girls, helping them maintain their dignity, securing their safety,Aaron Ekblad Team North America Jersey, and restoring their access to sexual and reproductive health care.Population today edged to seven billion people in 2011 (up from 2.5 billion in 1950), with Guyana adding less than one million to this census with a population of 735,554, according to the last census.A world of seven billion is both a challenge and an opportunity with implications on sustainability, urbanization, access to health services and youth empowerment.“With nearly 60 million individuals having fled conflict or disaster,Tony Twist Jersey, women and adolescent girls are particularly vulnerable. Violent extremists and armed groups are committing terrible abuses that result in trauma,Mark Scheifele Team North America Jersey, unintended pregnancy and infection with HIV and other diseases,” said UN General Secretary, Ban Ki-moon.He also stated that with nearly 60 million individuals having fled conflict or disaster, women and adolescent girls are particularly vulnerable.Shame and accountability rest squarely on the shoulders of the perpetrators who wage cowardly battles across the bodies of innocents,Al Macinnis Jersey, Ban Ki-moon said.He also urge countries to commit to bold results that will make 2015 a time of global action,Mike Gartner Jersey, putting people first so that they help build resilience, peace and sustainable prosperity for generations to come.Guyana’s last Population and Housing Census was done in 2012 as part of the United Nations 2010 Global Round of Population and Housing Censuses.This census is conducted every ten years; Enumerators (census-takers) visit every household in every part of the country to administer questionnaires that collect social and economic information and data on the population.The Population Division collaborates closely with the agencies,Shayne Corson Jersey, funds, programmes and bodies of the United Nations system in the implementation of the work programme on population.To better respond to local needs, UNFPA increasingly devotes resources to country-led efforts,Darcy Kuemper Jersey, placing emphasis on country-focused and country-led implementation to achieve improved results, at the same time addressing mutual accountability and strengthening harmonization and alignment. |
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