The State of World Population (SWOP) 2014 Report titled “The Power of 1.8 Billion: Adolescents, Youth and the Transformation of the Future” was launched in Ashgabat on 16 December at the Yyldyz Hotel.
The Report was presented at the ceremony, which was attended by the Turkmen national partners, representatives of the UN agencies and international organizations, the diplomatic corps, university professors and students, as well as the civil society and national mass media. The report was also launched globally in more than 100 countries.
The Report makes the case that countries with large youth populations could see their economies soar, provided they invest heavily in young people’s education and health and protect their rights.
The potential economic gains would be realized through a “demographic dividend,” which can occur when a country’s working age population is larger than the population that is dependent and younger.
But to maximize the dividend, countries must ensure their young working-age populations are equipped to seize opportunities for jobs and other income-earning possibilities.
“Today’s record 1.8 billion young people present an enormous opportunity to transform the future,” says UNFPA Executive Director, Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin. “Young people are the innovators, creators, builders and leaders of the future. But they can transform the future only if they have skills, health, decision-making opportunities, and real choices in life,” he adds.
With the right policies and investments in human capital, countries can empower young people to drive economic and social development and boost per-capita incomes, the new UNFPA report states.
During the SWOP Report Launch in Ashgabat, Ms. Gurbangul Bayramova, Deputy Chair of Mejlis of Turkmenistan, reiterated the importance and relevance of the topic. In her opening statement, she reaffirmed the commitment of the Government of Turkmenistan in investing in socio-economic well-being of the young people and noted the importance of the inter-governmental cooperation in the country.
In his welcoming statement, UNFPA Country Director Mr. Karl Kulessa gave the global and regional outlook at the issue highlighted in the report. Mr. Kulessa stated that the report estimates that 2/3 of premature deaths among adults and 1/3 of the burden of disease are associated with conditions or behavior that began during youth. This may include smoking, insufficient physical exercise, unprotected sex and exposure to violence. “Even if we really believe that investment in young people is not a priority,” said Mr. Kulessa, “we will have to admit that not investing in youth will catch up with us in adulthood.”
UNFPA Country Director stated that UNFPA calls on governments in the region to provide universal access to primary education and increased secondary and post-secondary schooling for both boys and girls. He asserted that universal access to preventive public health services for young people should include expanded access to health education, including on prevention of unwanted pregnancy, HIV prevention, testing, counseling, treatment and care.
“There is no evidence whatsoever to suggest that such health education leads to greater promiscuity among young people,” said Mr. Kulessa. “There is strong evidence to show that access to good information and to contraception significantly reduces teenage pregnancies and with it unsafe abortions.”
The report presents the East Asian experience of making the right investments in young people, enabling them to participate in decisions that affect their lives and adopting policies to bolster economic growth, the region as a whole could realize a demographic dividend amounting to as much as $500 billion a year, for 30 years.
Mr. Kulessa concluded with the political and programme recommendations the Report issues for the governments. One of such recommendations among others specifically for Eastern Europe and Central Asia region included adoption of an integrated set of policies and programs that address young people holistically, including their education, skills and health, and which meaningfully involve young people in policy development.
Following Mr. Kulessa’s statement, Head of the Committee on science, education, culture and youth policy of Mejlis of Turkmenistan Mr. Mammetmyrat Geldinyyazov presented the highlights of the work carried out by the Government of Turkmenistan. While Mr. Kulessa stressed the importance of creating youth-friendly services in all countries, Mr. Geldinyyazov responded that the Government of Turkmenistan has adopted the revised Youth Policy Law in 2013, which envisages the creation of such services and further increase in access of youth people to quality information on adolescent reproductive health.
The Launch of the SWOP 2014 Report could not be held without the youth voices. The winners of the Public Speaking Competition, which was organized earlier this year by UNFPA and International University of Humanities and Development of Turkmenistan, voiced their concerns and aspirations to the high level decision-makers, representatives of the international organizations and mass media at the event. Four winners spoke about the importance of investing in adolescent girls and their reproductive health, linkages between investing in young people and economic growth, quality education and access to information, as well as the important issue of inclusive education for all.
The Report Launch concluded with the Award Ceremony of the UNFPA Media Competition 2014. Here, UNFPA recognized the winners of the Media Competition under the theme “Investing in Youth – Key to Sustainable Development”, which was announced in the beginning of the year.
Journalists of the national media submitted more than 50 materials covering the issues of importance of investing in young generation, including healthcare, education and employment opportunities. Five media materials published in the national and local media were awarded during the SWOP Report Launch in Ashgabat for quality and in-depth coverage.
“Media plays a key role in promoting the issues of youth, specifically the importance of adolescent reproductive health, among the general population,” said Ms. Bayramgul Garabayeva, UNFPA Assistant Representative in Turkmenistan during the Award Ceremony. “The UNFPA Media Competition allows us to raise the awareness of the public at large on importance of investing in young people. It is also noteworthy that the annual UNFPA Media Competition, which is now a tradition, has already created a professional network of journalists interested in covering the issue of youth education and health, including reproductive health.”
For the full SWOP 2014 Report and other resources, please visit: www.unfpa.org/swp
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UNFPA: Delivering the world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe, and every young person’s potential is fulfilled.
For additional information, please contact:
Ene Tuyliyeva, Advocacy Communication Associate
Tel: 425250
Web: www.unfpa.org.tm
