High growth rate takes Yemen to catastrophe [Archives:2007/1113/Local News]
Ismail Al-Ghabri
SANA'A, Dec. 15 ) In the Fourth National Conference for Population Policy, held under the theme, “Toward further implementation of a population policy,” participants stressed the necessity of providing family planning and reproductive health services in all health care centers.
Some of the papers reviewed warned against the risk of increased population growth, indicating that UN estimates show that if population growth in Yemen continues to increase at the present rate, the population will increase from its current 22.4 million to 29.9 million in 2015, then to 43 million in 2025, 62 million in 2035 and 90 million in 2045, finally reaching 108.6 million in 2050. However, the reports mentioned that if Yemen achieves the national population policy goals, estimated population growth will decline by 7 million in 2025, 16 million in 2035, and 49 million in 2050, accomplishing a balance between population growth and available resources and allowing Yemen to achieve its millennium objectives.
Studies also indicated that the annual 3 percent population growth rate is one of the key challenges facing development efforts. They also showed that Yemen is categorized as one of the least developed countries in human resource, ranked 174 out of 184 countries. According to the studies, poverty levels have progressively increased, from 19 percent in 1992 to 34 percent in 1999, and lastly 34.4 percent in 2005.
They also advised utilizing resolutions of free of charge health care units in addition to family planning consultations, encouraging women to breastfeed babies naturally, and increasing efforts to increase society awareness about prenatal care.
The recommendations also emphasized the importance of enacting secure motherhood-related laws, defining the minimum marriage age at 18, incriminating female circumcision, setting up government policies to encourage physicians to work in rural and remote areas, as well as encouraging the private sector to offer reproductive health services in remote areas.
The participants further recommended expanding obstetrics, particularly in the remote areas, interconnecting it with health care units, so the units will be able to offer family planning services. They also stressed the importance of increasing emergency services for delivery, offering reproductive health services among youths and teenagers via youth-friendly clinics, consultation services and pre-marriage tests.
They went further and discussed the importance of increasing public awareness via different media outlets in order to educate the public about the importance of delivering reproductive health and family planning services, and of engaging males in health education and awareness programs. This is in addition to providing media resources in the health units, assisting services to offer consultation for ladies.
The source also advised decision makers to be aware of the population status quo, calling for utilizing the successful countries' experience in slowing population growth and increasing economic growth rates to keep up with population growth. Authorities were asked to work on reducing illiteracy, especially among females, and enforcing attendance in government schools.
The source urged the Ministry of Finance to earmark an annual budget to implement awareness activities, aiming at increasing reproductive health and family planning demands to ensure the continuation of programs in the long term.
Over 250 persons, including specialists, scholars, representatives of appropriate parties, civil society organizations, and regional and international organizations attended the conference.
The conference also aimed at analyzing and assessing the population status quo and its impact on development efforts over the last years. It also discussed the available mechanisms to combat population challenges, filling the gap between the policies, strategies and population plans and applications.
It also discussed the obstacles that stand as a stumbling block to practical changes of the National Strategy for Population, ensuring coverage of reproductive health-related services. They further reviewed the balance between economy growth, population growth, and civil society, and discussed partnership with donors and the international community to combat the population growth crisis, which is rapidly increasing in Yemen.
Representatives of donor organizations delivered speeches at the conclusion of the conference, when WHO representative Ghalam Bal Ribani, UN representative Velavia Pansieri, and UNFP representative Hans Obdeijn affirmed to support Yemen in population issues.
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