By Makutu Manneh
The office of the Vice President on Wednesday 17th July, celebrated World Population Day and launch of the state of the world population report to raise awareness of global population issues.
World Population Day is an annual event, observed on 11th July every year, which aims to educate responsiveness on global population matters. The event took place at a local Hotel in Kololi , attended by the Vice President, Ministers, and Governors, UNFPA, Religious scholars and students.
Dr Isatou Touray, Vice President of the Gambia, said World Population Day 2019 is celebrated by engaging various stakeholders on a discussion about how far they have gone in the exploration of programs of action of the international conference on population in developing programs of their country. She added that with great determination, she believes that the initiative will ensure that the government intensifies efforts towards improving quality of its citizen’s life. “The Gambia still had a long way to go in achieving ICPA commitments,” she said.
Claudiana A. Cole Minister of Basic and Secondary Education said the problem regarding why countries are dwelling on population matters and challenges is because of the literacy rate that is not so high. She said if the literacy rate of a country is high, then people will have the understanding that it is important to take all necessary decisions that will enable the country to address all the population matters the country may have come across.
She said the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education is very much involved in the business of providing necessary education that is needed to be able to pass the human capital diffident which the country really needs. “Without education, all other efforts geared towards national development will be zero,” she said.
Fatou Kinteh Minister of Women, Children and Social Welfare, said they are to go to Nairobi in November, and that they are to agree on a commitment as a country and submit it before they depart, such as ending Gender based violence and harmful practices and also FGM. She said women and girls form the majority of all Nations, adding that if government works very hard in maintaining the rights and dignity of women and girls, it will be by extension maintaining the rights and dignity of the entity nation. “This is one area the country can make a big achievement,” she said.
Also attending the event was Dr. Sigga Fatima Jagne of the Commission on Social Affairs and Gender at ECOWAS.
