DOHA: Marking the 50th anniversary of the 1968 International Conference on Human Rights the annual World Population Day 2018 will be celebrated under the theme “Family Planning is a Human Right.”

The conferences outcome document, known as the Teheran Proclamation, stated unequivocally: “Parents have a basic human right to determine freely and responsibly the number and spacing of their children.”

Annually celebrated on July 11, World Population Day seeks to focus attention on the urgency and importance of population issues, was established by the then-Governing Council of the United Nations Development Program in 1989, an outgrowth of the interest generated by the Day of Five Billion, which was observed on July 11, 1987.

The first World Population Day was in 1990 in more than 90 countries and has since been celebrated annually by a number of offices affiliated by United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and some entities, in cooperation with governments and civil society organizations.

The State of Qatar will celebrate this year in line with the first anniversary of launching Qatar Population Policy 2017-2022, which was set by the Permanent Population Committee (PPC) in cooperation with ministries and governmental and non-governmental bodies concerned with population issues.

Qatar National Library will be holding an open seminar celebrating the World Population Day with the participation of PPC and Ministry of Development Planning and Statistics.

PPC seeks to achieve a balance between population growth an the requirements for sustainable developments, which improves the quality of life for residents of the State of Qatar.

This is implemented by setting population policies, following up on its execution and keep up with the rapid developments in the demographic situation in the country. It also contributes to improving their intellectual and practical capacities and to providing and diversifying appropriate practical options, hence providing participation opportunities for all to join the work system and contributing to achieving the goals of Qatar National Vision 2030.

According to the Ministry of Development Planning and Statistics, the total population count until end of June 2018 was 2.580.734 which is a statistic updated monthly. Populations differ between countries around the world due to natural and human factors affecting their distribution.

UNFPA Executive Director, Natalia Kanem, said we have three strategic results that we will work with our partners to achieve: end unmet need for family planning; end preventable maternal deaths; and end gender-based violence and harmful practices, including child marriage and female genital mutilation.