UNFPA: World Population Day, 11 July, 2010

green | July 10th, 2010 - 7:20 PM

World Population Day was established by the Governing Council of the United Nations Development Programme in 1989 as a way to focus attention on the urgency and importance of population issues. It was an outgrowth of the interest generated by the Day of Five Billion, which was observed on 11 July 1987.

Each year UNFPA selects a different theme to rally around. World Population Day 2010, Everyone Counts, will underscore the importance of data for development. It will foster an understanding of why reliable, disaggregated data is so crucial to progress and encourage people to participate in the census and other data collection efforts.

Counting everyone is an integral part of ensuring that we take everyone into account. Good demographic data is critical for planning schools, health systems and public transportation, for designing policies based on future population projections, for monitoring the effectiveness of service delivery and much more.

People around the world observe World Population Day in different ways. Many UNFPA Country Offices and other institutions mark the day with celebrations, poster or essay contests, sports events concerts or other activities to bring attention to population issues.

Reliable data makes a difference, and the key is to collect, analyze and disseminate data in a way that drives good decision making. The numbers that emerge from data collection can illuminate important trends. What striking situation does research reveal in your country? What do the numbers tell you about progress toward meeting the MDGs? Are certain groups getting left behind?

for more information check out: World Population Day 2010: Everyone Counts

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