Egypt's National Dialogue Urges for Framework to Control Population Growth

H-Tayea

During the second session of the Population Issue Committee at Egypt’s National Dialogue Thursday, participants emphasized the necessity of developing a roadmap to eliminate the population crisis and activate the National Population Strategy (2015-2030).

This came during the session titled Diagnosing the Population Situation in Egypt and Improving Population Characteristics which was held as part of the social axis during the second week of the National Dialogue that kicked off in Cairo last week.

"We do not need new strategies but must activate and finance the National Population and Development Strategy (2015-2030). This strategy works on five axes: family planning services, youth and teenagers, education, empowering women, and media and social communication,” Talat Abdel-Gawad, a member of the Board of Trustees of the dialogue said.

The National Population Strategy aims to improve the quality of life for citizens by improving family planning and reproductive health services and giving special attention to family planning programs.

Abdel-Gawad emphasized that the population issue threatens national security, stating that it is necessary to establish three laws to prevent school evasion, child marriage, and child labour.

Egypt’s population stood at 104.6 million, according to the latest figures released by the Central Agency for Public Mobilisation and Statistics (CAPMAS). The population is expected to reach 160 million by 2050, according to a report by the Cabinet Information, Decision, and Support Centre (IDSC).

Abdel-Gawad noted how overpopulation affects the share of water a person receives, bearing in mind that water in Egypt is already scarce and will become even more so by 2050.

“Every 11 citizens live on one acre of land. We import 95 percent of our oil, 45 percent of our wheat, and 55 percent of our beans. Our hospitals and schools are overcrowded, and the quality of education is so poor,” Abdel-Gawad explained.

For her part, MP Abla Al-Alfie said there was a need for new and innovative solutions to the population issue given its essential role in achieving economic growth.”

Al-Alfie, a member of the Health Committee in the Parliament, added that the citizens, rather than the state, should demand a solution for the population issue.