Teenage girls was the focus of the World Population Day celebration that gathered more than 400 people at the BERKARAR Trade Entertainment Center.

Ashgabat, Turkmenistan – Teenage girls was the focus of the World Population Day celebration that gathered more than 400 people at the BERKARAR Trade Entertainment Center.  UNFPA, United Nations Population Fund organized the public event together with the economic society “Berkarar Hyzmat.” 

Each year, World Population Day focuses attention on the urgency and importance of population and reproductive health issues.  This year, the theme of the World Population Day is “Investing in teenage girls”.

The event at BERKARAR featured a one-act play of the 15-year old girl and her own 30-year old self from the future, as the importance of smart investments in teenage girls within the framework of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda was portrayed through musical and art performances.  

The programme also included concert, quiz sessions, flashmob and lots of prizes. 

The event served as a platform for young girls – an artist, a dancer, a gymnast and singers – to showcase their talents and share their dreams and aspirations.  The highlight of the show was a symbolic young tree that represented the vulnerable young girl who needs the care and investments of her family, community and the government to realize her potential.  The guests from the Parilament, ministries and government agencies, as well as public and private organizations and the media were invited to water the young tree. 

A group of small businesses have joined the cause of investing in teenage girls and supported the organization of the public outreach event, namely Berkarar Trade Entertainment Center, TPS company, Berkarar Cinema, Seyran Sport, TM Mobile, Turkmen Gollery, Globus and Beauty Shop Korea.

The new 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is an unprecedented opportunity for teenage girls to claim their rights, realize their aspirations and transform our world.

When countries invest in the health and education of their youth, especially teenage girls, and create opportunities for them to realize their full potential, they are also better positioned to realize a demographic dividend, which can propel economic growth and social progress. 

“A teenage girl whose rights are respected and who is able to realize her full potential is a girl who is more likely to contribute to the economic and social progress of her community and nation,” said Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin, UN Under-Secretary-General and UNFPA Executive Director, in his message for World Population Day 2016.

UNFPA supports countries’ efforts to empower teenage girls by protecting human rights and universal access to information and services, including sexual and reproductive health care.

In 2015, UNFPA programmes helped 11.2 million girls between the ages of 10 and 19 gain access to sexual and reproductive health services and information. As of last year, 73 countries had developed or implemented comprehensive sexuality education programmes, which are accessible to teenage girls and boys in and out of school. Also, as of 2015, UNFPA had helped 89 countries develop or implement laws and policies to enable teenage girls to get sexual and reproductive health services, regardless of marital status.

“The new development agenda calls on us to leave no one behind,” said Dr. Osotimehin. “The success of the new sustainable development agenda depends on how well we support and invest in teenage girls.”