World Population Day 2019: Current Theme, History And Significance

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World Population Day is celebrated on 11 July with the mission of spreading awareness about the growing population and its adverse effects on the environment. It also emphasises the significance of reproductive health and how it affects the overall population growth. World Population Day was established by the United Nations Development Programme in 1989.

According to the UN (United Nations) Secretary General Antonio Guterres, "On World Population Day we recognise that this mission is closely interrelated with demographic trends including population growth, ageing, migration and urbanisation".

World Population Day 2019 Theme

Every year UN council decides the theme of World Population Day, however, this year no theme has been specified. Rather, they have decided to focus on the unfinished business of the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development.

Another high-level conference will be held in Nairobi in November, where the UNFPA (United Nations Populations Fund) and the governments of Kenya and Denmark will work together and decide their plan of action to achieve those unmet goals.

History Of World Population Day

The United Nations Development Programme derived the inspiration for this day on 11 July 1987, when the world's population reached 5 billion. The idea was first suggested by Dr K.C. Zachariah, the UN expert on demography. It has been observed every year ever since, for nearly three decades now. The initial aim was to make people aware of how issues like family planning, gender equality, maternal health and human rights can impact the growing population.

Significance Of The Day

The world population increases by 100 million approximately every 14 months, and it finally reached 7.7 billion this year. It is expected to touch the mark of 8.6 billion by 2030 and 9.8 billion in the year 2050. This will cause quick exhaustion of natural resources. This day is aimed at educating the general public on various aspects of population control.

People are encouraged to follow the family planning guidelines set by the WHO (World Health Organisation) and different government and non-government entities.

Apart from the threatening reality, World Population Day is also used as an opportunity to celebrate brotherhood and make people realise their responsibilities as a world citizen.

The day is celebrated differently in different countries. Most of the UNFPA offices mark the day with posters and awareness programmes. They also arrange seminars, discussions, poems, essay contests and poster making competitions.

Some Quotes To Inspire You On World Population Day

As we prep up to mark the day worldwide, let us have a look at some inspiring quotes that will motivate you to work towards building a more sustainable world.

"Almost half of the population of the world lives in rural regions and mostly in a state of poverty. Such inequalities in human development have been one of the primary reasons for unrest and, in some parts of the world, even violence".
- A. P. J. Abdul Kalam

"Every State has the primary duty to protect its own population from grave and sustained violations of human rights, as well as from the consequences of humanitarian crises, whether natural or man-made".
- Pope Benedict XVI

"Close to a billion people - one-eighth of the world's population - still live in hunger. Each year 2 million children die through malnutrition. This is happening at a time when doctors in Britain are warning of the spread of obesity. We are eating too much while others starve".
- Jonathan Sacks

"Population, when unchecked, increases in a geometrical ratio".
- Thomas Malthus

"The combination of population growth and the growth in consumption is a danger that we are not prepared for and something we will need global co-operation on".
- Maurice Strong

"A finite world can support only a finite population; therefore, population growth must eventually equal zero".
- Garrett Hardin

Rapid population growth and technological innovation, combined with our lack of understanding about how the natural systems of which we are a part work, have created a mess".
- David Suzuki