Islamabad

“Pakistan is facing the twin threat of high population growth rate and climate change both of which are arguably linked with each other in a number of ways, as population increases also increases needs.

You must have all witnessed the effects of rising sea levels, flash floods in 2010 & 2011, earthquake in heavily populated areas, internal and external migration, food shortages, environmental degradation and increase level of green house gas emissions to mention a few of the hazards,” Dr Mumtaz Esker Director General (Population Programme Wing of P&D Division and Chief Executive (National Trust for Population Welfare NATPOW), said at the dialogue between youth and parliamentarians organized by Planning and Development Division in collaboration with Rahnuma Family Planning Association of Pakistan and UNFPA, says a press release.

The Total Fertility Rate has declined slowly from 5.7 births per women in the 1990s to 4.1 million births per women in 2005 and 3.6 in 2010. As a year in which a country reaches replacement level fertility has a major impact on its ultimate size, Pakistan is still far away from this goal. The population growth rate has come down from over 3.0 per cent in the previous decades to its current level of 2.05%, but the alarming fact is that population of Pakistan will double in the next 34 years.

After Pakistan came into being in the 50s it had a population of 41.18 million people and was the 13th most populous country in the world. In 2005 it has becomes world 6th most populous country and now with an estimated population of 177 million it has a very young population who is of reproductive age group. It is projected that it will become the world 4th most populous country in 2050, with a population of 335.02 Million. It is one of the few countries in world, which has an unfavourable sex ratio due to access in mortality of young girls and women in childbearing age. An estimated 30,000 maternal deaths occur annually

and MMR is estimated as 276 per 100,000 live births.

Pakistan fertility and mortality rate remains highest in South Asia and most of its human development indices are among the worst in the region. In the last few years security has become another core issue hampering the entire development process.

The unmanageable population growth asserts pervasive pressure on the country’s economy. Added on to it is insufficient investment in healthcare especially reproductive health and female education especially girl child education which, adds further to the dilemma. Improves status of women is the key to decreasing population growth rate and female literacy is often correlated with low birth rates. Due to the scarcity of resources and emerging trends in the climate change, the development process could further be slowed and therefore needs to be addressed in context of sustainable development.

Generating resources through working age population would minimize the effects of large population. Sadly the people at most risk specially the young live in country that have contributed to least carbon dioxide and other gases responsible for warming of planet. Those countries most affected are also least prepared to meet challenges. Women are the most effected since they are responsible for family cohesion and are unable to leave for paid employment and hence vulnerable to economic and social risk endangering the lives and livelihoods.

Women’s leadership is critical to meet collages and can become powerful agents of change especially in RH/FP which will affect the future course of population and related climate change.

18th amendment has provided an opportunity through process of devolution that the service delivery on RH/FP will now be handled at community level and doorsteps of the people. The devolution process has also placed addition responsibilities on parliamentarian and policy makers to attend to the Youths distinct needs, aspirations in life as well as their socio biological complexities. They need to interact with youth to create dynamic pressures for national development that addresses their specific needs.

Begum Suriya Amiruddin, senior parliamentarian during her speech said that education level in this country are continuously going down and it is time we should forcefully advocate for inclusion of reproductive health education in our curriculum. Other members of National Assembly including Dr Donya Aziz, Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, Palwashah Behram strongly supported her views in their speeches.

Provincial Assembly members KurramGulfan from Punjab, ShaziaTehmas Khan from KPK, Nusrat Seher Abbasi from Sindh and Raheela Hamid Durrani from Balochistan shared their views on the subject. They engaged in two hours long dialogue with youth invited from all over Pakistan. Over a 100 young boys and girls posed a number of challenging questions to the parliamentarians.

Mahtab Rashdi, President Rahnuma FPAP in her concluding remarks emphasized the need to focus on youth as the country today has a population in which over 64% is below the age of 29.

