United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), in collaboration with the Arab League and the Ministry of Youth and Sports, celebrated World Population Day with a live concert at the Arab League garden.
The ceremony was attended by well-known and high-ranking figures including, the Minister of Youth and Sports Ashraf Sobhi, Elena Panova, Praveen Agrawal, the resident representative of the United Nations World Food Program in Egypt, the talented Egyptian actress Sherin Reda, who was the guest of honor.
The event aimed at marking and commemorating the anniversary of the ratification of the United Nations International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) that took place in Cairo in 1994.
According to UNFPA, Egypt’s population witnessed a dramatic increase during the last decade and is estimated at 94.8 million people compared to a total of 72 million people in 2006. This steady increase of 2.5 percent per year threatens to hinder development efforts, with major implications on security and quality of life, basic services, education, health, housing, and water.
“With 62 percent of its population below the age of 29, the country is reaching the peak of the “youth bulge”, the largest cohort of young people in its history. Investing in youth, especially in young women who face tremendous inequalities that result in disparities in education, protection, employment, and access to services, including reproductive health services is crucial,” UNFPA noted.
