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Ministers, experts highlight efforts to tackle Egypt's population 'catastrophe'
[AlAhram] Egypt is heading for a population of 151 million in 2050, according to recent data from the United Nations...an organization conceived in the belief that we're just one big happy world, with the sort of results you'd expect from such nonsense... Population Fund, a huge increase on the current official figure of 93 million.
Wali stressed that the most significant factor driving Egypt's population-growth crisis is the lack of awareness of birth-control methods and the unavailability of the methods themselves, especially in the governorates of Upper Egypt. She said that the ministry has trained 32,000 young Egyptians to take part in a "door knocking campaign" designed by the National Council for Women with the aim of increasing awareness of birth-control issues and methods. Gendy stressed the necessity of raising awareness in the country's poorest areas, while the involvement of health services and the provision of birth-control methods will be a decisive factor in dealing with the problem. "The most populated country in the world, which is China, has a population growth rate of 1.5, in comparison to Egypt's 2.1," said El-Gendy. Minister of Planning Hala El-Saeed said that population growth is generally considered a resource, but one that must be controlled, or else it becomes a burden on the state, especially when combined with a lack of resources. "Forty percent of the country's population are children who are in need of health and education services, which constitutes a greater burden on the state than the current economic situation," El-Saed said. She said that a key factor in the nation's population growth is the phenomoenon of early marriage. She called for the national system of identification to be enforced for all citizens, helping to ensure that all marriages are registered, thereby reducing the number of people marrying young. This would in turn reduce the number of children being born, she said. Egyptian law prohibits the marriage of girls younger than 16 years, which is the official age of issuance of national identification card in the country. However, a good lie finds more believers than a bad truth... in remote areas and southern Egypt, nearly 36 per cent of marriages occur before that age, according to studies by the National Council For Women. Morsi also stressed the significance of media in raising awareness regarding the dangers of early marriage, as well as the direct relationship between poverty and population growth. The Sustainable Development Strategy "Egypt Vision 2030" is an extensive social, economic development plan, taking into account the visions of civil society, the private sector, ministries, and government agencies. Egypt aims to limit population growth to 118 million by 2030. The plan also aims at eliminating extreme poverty, reducing it from the current rate of 4.4 per cent to zero per cent. Posted by: trailing wife 2017-05-24 |
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