A WORLD Population Day event was held yesterday at the Thin­gaha Hotel in Nay Pyi Taw, with Vice President U Myint Swe delivering the opening speech.

Attending the event were Union Ministers Lt-Gen Kyaw Swe, Lt-Gen Ye Aung, Dr. Pe Myint, Thura U Aung Ko, U Thein Swe and Dr. Myo Thein Gyi, Union Civil Service Board Chairman Dr. Win Thein, Deputy Ministers, foreign ambassadors and diplomats to Myanmar, de­partment heads, nurses and mid­wives, students, representatives from UN agencies, INGOs and NGOs, and other invited guests. World Population Day was established in 1989 by the Gov­erning Council of the UN De­velopment Programme to mark the global population reaching 5 billion inhabitants on 11 July 1987, said the Vice President. World Population Day events soon took place annually around the world beginning in 1990 to raise awareness of overpopula­tion. The theme for this year is “Family Planning is a Human Right.” Myanmar, a UN member country, celebrates this signifi­cant event every year. Family planning reinforc­es people’s rights to determine the number and spacing of their children and plan the period for contraception. Effective family planning can reduce maternal mortality rates by 40 per cent and under-five mortality rates by 21 per cent. According to the 2014 My­anmar Population and Housing Census, Myanmar has the high­est maternal mortality rate in Southeast Asia with 282 moth­ers dying for every 100,000-child born. The census also shows 2,700 mothers on average die in pregnancy or during labour every year, with 12 per cent of deaths due to abortion or mis­carriages, becoming the third highest cause of death. Young women between the ages of 15 and 19 are the most susceptible to abortions and miscarriages. The Vice President said it is important to provide mother and child protection and awareness raising workshops to reduce these mortality rates. He added that family planning is also di­rectly related to this and should be developed and accessible by everyone. The UN reports the global population has reached 7.6 bil­lion and will increase by 1 billion in 2030 and 4 billion in 2100. Developing countries have the highest birthrates and this is related to poverty. There are many modern approaches to re­ducing population growth and family planning is one of the most effective ones if done cor­rectly, said the Vice President. The 2015 Demographic and Health Survey shows that 52 per cent of married women use family planning methods and from among that number 51 per cent use modern family planning methods, while 1 per cent use traditional methods. However, the survey also indicates 16 per cent of women of childbearing age do not have access to mod­ern family planning methods, 5 per cent of married women want a certain interval between their pregnancies, and 11 per cent wish to use pregnancy preven­tion methods. The Vice President said family planning can go a long way in supporting socio-eco­nomic development, reducing mortality rates of mothers and children, allow more women to enter the workforce and thus reduce poverty, ensure chil­dren receive adequate nutri­tion, ensure enough learning institutions are available for all children to receive educa­tion, and reduce spending on mother and child protection services. The Ministry of Health and Sports is collaborating with the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and mother and child protection organizations to promote family planning operations, distribute contraceptives and birth control pills, and provide educational workshops, said the Vice Pres­ident.

Next, Union Minister for Labour, Immigration and Pop­ulation U Thein Swe explained facts related to the theme “Fam­ily Planning is a Human Right”. This was followed by an explana­tion on World Population Day by UNFPA Acting Representative to Myanmar Ms. Kaori Ishikawa. Afterwards, a video on fam­ily planning and a short anima­tion on this year’s World Popu­lation theme were played to the audience. After the ceremony, at­tendees viewed the World Pop­ulation Day exhibits on display.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTDFcJV7nBY