Despite the declined of the growth rate of world population (growth rate decline 2% to 1.13% from 1960 to 2016), our beloved planet is still facing 
challenges in population related issues. This is why 11 July, has since 1989 been declared as World Population Day by the United Nations Development Program.
On 11 July every year internationally citizens of this Earth focus attention on the population explosion worldwide and the fallout from this growing problem. Is Mother Earth able to handle this boom of people and can she sustain herself with the overuse of her resources – be it space and other natural resources like water bodies, forests, flora and fauna, healthy non polluted environment?
World Population Day is an international day observed to create awareness worldwide drawing attention to the population explosion all over the world and the crises resulting from this growing problem. It is evident that the rising population has also led to issues like poverty, shortage of food and mounting pollution of the environment.
The World Population Day every year is more a campaign to increase the knowledge and skills of the people worldwide towards their reproductive health and family planning – and this is especially for girls and women. This year in 2016, the World Population Day is thematically devoting to: ‘Invest in Teenage Girls’. They are the major future of the world population who have to be educated, empowered, protected, be informed and made aware of their sexuality, reproductive rights, say “No” to child marriages and early pregnancies, and be responsible for their own well being.
World Population Day and what happens…
The day is observed in more than 200 countries to bring awareness to people about each one’s contribution and responsibility to population, especially where girls and women are concerned. Be it their sexuality, the role of women and girls, especially as they advance into adolescence to stand up against child marriages, early pregnancies and parenting, promoting family planning, highlighting the need for a small family and aiming for healthy lives.
On this day, several programs are initiated to educate people about family planning methods. Various organizations including the governments of the respective countries organize a variety of activities and events to draw attention of the citizens to work together on issues of growing population. Activities include seminar discussions, educational competitions, media coverage, educational information sessions, art/essay writing competitions, debates, poster distribution, songs, sports activity, speeches, slogans/messages writing, TV channels and news channels, and so on.
Year 2016 theme:
Each year, the date is observed based on a theme focusing on one issue relating to the global population.
The theme for 2016 is ‘Invest in Teenage girls’. It has already been established that investing in adolescent girls – educating them, informing them about their health being in their control … is a smart economic move for any nation. If we want to change the world, and especially the poorer and developing countries of the south, there is nothing better than to invest in adolescent/teenage girls who are the major player in reaping the demographic dividend of the country. There are close to 600 million girls growing up globally in developing countries. Well educated and empowered, they will have the tools to reinvest back into their family, community, country and ultimately to the world. The well-being of adolescent girls is key to eliminate poverty, achieve social justice, stabilize population, and prevent foreseeable humanitarian crisis.
PPD’s key advocacy issue for ‘Invest in Teenage Girls’
PPD represents 59% of the world Population hailing from the developing world where 600 million girls are growing up. A major problem, that PPD has been addressing since inception, is the hazardous health status of the adolescent girls. There is almost a high number of child marriages – posing a massive demographic threat in almost all of the PPD member countries. This finally leads to a high early pregnancies, increasing child mortality rates, unsafe health situation of the young child mother, and a not too healthy family.
PPD, as an international inter-governmental organization, is concerned about the decline in the health status of the teenage girls and is exploring means of contributing to positive changes by believing in the South-South Cooperation to address this issue of child marriage and adolescent pregnancy. The 2016 World Population Day theme of ‘Invest in Teenage Girl’ is thus significant for PPD member countries and will reassure the mandate of this intergovernmental entity to work together for the adolescent girls of Global South.