Parliamentarians and experts at a discussion stressed the need for appropriate immediate plans to turn the population into assets to face the challenges facing the world that witnessed 7 billion people yesterday.
“The parliamentarians should speak more about population and development issues, specially about youths in the parliament, so that the country gets scopes to plan and implement appropriate development programmes,” said Speaker of the parliament, advocate Abdul Hamid.
All should try means and ways to turn the population into resources, he told the discussion jointly organised by Bangladesh Parliament Secretariat and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) at the Members' Club at the parliament.
UNFPA Representative Arthur Erken said today's milestone of 7 billion people is a wake-up call. “It's a reminder that we must act now. We need to prepare a sound plan to transform our young people to human resources,” he said.
Erken said by empowering people to improve their own lives, “we can foster sustainable cities that serve as catalysts for progress, create productive labour forces that fuel economic growth…and build a generation that is healthy older people.”
“In a world of seven billion let us count on each other. We are 7 billion people with 7 billion possibilities,” he said at the discussion chaired by Mahfuzur Rahman, secretariat at the Bangladesh Parliament Secretariat.
UNFPA is conducting a worldwide campaign titled “7 billion actions” with seven key issues, including poverty, gender equality, youth, ageing, urbanisation, environment, and reproductive health and rights.
A colourful rally was brought out with the participation of MPs and civil society members from the parliament's South Plaza to the Members Club.