By Dr Navneet Ranjan : As we are celebrating World Population Day on the theme, “Small Family: Overall Development” across the country. We should understand the importance of the population in the context of the population explosion afflicting the world today, especially in the third world countries.World Population Day was established by the Governing Council of the United Nations Development Programme in 1989. It was an outgrowth of the interest generated by the Day of Five Billion, which was observed on 11 July 1987. The UNFPA says – This year, as the world population is expected to surpass 7 billion, UNFPA and partners are launching a campaign called 7 Billion Actions. It aims to engage people, spur commitment and spark actions related to the opportunities and challenges presented by a world of 7 billion people.
In many ways a world of 7 billion is an achievement: Globally, people are living longer and healthier lives and couples are choosing to have fewer children. However, because so many couples are in, or will soon be entering, their reproductive years, and the world population is projected to increase for decades to come. Meeting the needs of current and future generations presents daunting challenges.
Whether we can live together equitably on a healthy planet will depend on the choices and decisions we make now. In a world of 7 billion people, and counting, we need to count each other.