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QNA
New York
Qatar opened the 50th session of the UN Commission on Population and Development under the theme 'Changing Population Age Structures and Sustainable Development' at the UN headquarters in New York on Wednesday.
Opening the session, Qatar's Permanent Representative to the United Nations HE Ambassador Sheikha Alya Ahmed Saif al Thani, who chairs the United Nations on Population and Development, stressed the importance of the current session of the Population and Development Commission in providing an excellent opportunity for Member States and stakeholders to exchange views and reach agreement on population issues that are fundamental to the identification and implementation of the post-2017 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Sheikha Alya noted that changing population age structures occur worldwide and these changes present challenges and opportunities for governments and the international community.
She added that the Commission on Population and Development, in its current session, is taking steps to review the changes and present a global perspective on policies related to population and development.
She stressed the importance of focusing on the changing population age structures issue, explaining that the rapid population growth and the growing numbers of young people in some parts of the world represent a very different situation compared to other parts of the world which witness slow population growth and growing proportion of older people.
Regardless of the demographic context, countries are facing a similar challenge in formulating policies to eradicate extreme poverty, ending hunger, ensuring a healthy life, providing quality education for all and achieving gender equality, she added.
Ambassador Sheikha Alya said the diversity of demographic trends leads to different policies adopted by governments, stressing the need to recognise different contexts and traditions when studying the global characteristics of population change.
On his part, Qatar's Minister of Development Planning and Statistics HE Dr Saleh bin Mohammad al Nabit, who took part in the session, underlined Qatar's belief in the importance of the population as the heart of sustainable development and one of its key enabling elements.
The minister stressed the need to address the dynamics of the population in ways that respect and protect human rights.
He highlighted Qatar National Vision 2030, which affirms that comprehensive development is the primary goal of achieving progress and prosperity for citizens, and focuses on the importance of engaging all Qatar's population in the development process in order to enable them build a prosperous society.
"In line with the policies adopted by the Qatari government in the field of human development, Qatar has witnessed development and growth at various levels," the minister said, adding that Qatar has achieved the first ranking in the Arab world and 33rd globally according to the Human Development Report 2016, issued recently by the United Nations Development Program.
The minister said Qatar has implemented most of the recommendations of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) held in Cairo in 1994, stressing that one of the most important principles of the ICPD programme is the sovereign right of states to implement recommendations in line with national laws and full respect for various religious and ethical values as well as cultural diversities of peoples.
He warned against neglecting the main component of the population in the Arab world - the youth - who are the basic force for development and effective elements to stimulate change in societies.
He said empowering young people and engaging them in the development and the implementation of development programmes, launching and investing in their abilities and achieving their aspirations are vital and must be included in development plans and policies.
Dr Nabit stressed that the success in advancing the 2030 Sustainable Development Plan and its 17 goals that promise a decent life for all the peoples of the world requires sustained efforts, integrating population issues into national development plans and developing population policies based on high-quality data and statistics with all stakeholders.
The minister praised Qatar's pioneering experience in human development, which made the human being the main goal in its national plans and programmes and achieved remarkable results at the regional and international levels.
Chef de Cabinet to UN Secretary-General Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti, UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs Wu Hongbo and Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund Dr Babatunde Osotimehin attended the session.
