DSW Ethiopia Observes World Population Day
‘World Population Day’ was celebrated here in Ethiopia under the theme of “Investing in Teenage Girls.” This year’s World Population Day was observed in Ethiopia for the 23rd time since 1993. This year, the Amhara regional capital, Bahir Dar, hosted an event to honour world population day both at national and regional levels. A series of two separate events took place on July 11 and 12.
Prominent among the chief coordinators of the event were the National Plan Commission, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Amhara Regional State. Senior government officials and representatives of non-governmental organisations like DSW were among the regular lists of attendants to celebrate this year’s world population day. The discussion held during the first day of the event gave strong emphasis on the need to link the population issues with all development efforts. One speaker after another at the event enthusiastically acknowledged the fact that the issue of population one which pivotally focused on young people particularly on those girls in their teens is a prerequisite for any future development undertaking. Sexual and reproductive health and life skills needs, girls’ education, women’s land ownership, livelihood opportunities and employment for women took the lion’s share of focuses in the discussion.
DSW prominent at World Population Day Ethiopia celebrations
An event such as this has always been considered by DSW as the very special one. For the issue of population is one of DSW’s key thematic areas which DSW has a strong commitment to make a difference. Sitting at the front row in the campaign of honouring the world population day, DSW was honoured to be invited by the regional government to partake during the events. Represented by the key staff members of DSW at its field office based in Bahir Dar city, DSW remains visible and was able to display and disseminate its own best practice documents and other relevant materials focused on population issues to initiate discussion.
As part of the world population day agenda, the population council during the event’s second day session has revised some of its structures, including about the commitments of its memberships. The restructuring set up designed by the population council intended to cascade at the grassroots local government administrative units. To this effect, all line offices need to include the council’s priorities such as population issues in their plans. That all member and non-member NGOs working on population issues are also expected to technically and financially support the population council in the effort to attain those plans.