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STORY: UN / WORLD POPULATION
TRT: 01:19
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 05 APRIL 2017, NEW YORK CITY / FILE
FILE – RECENT, NEW YORK CITY
1. Tilt up, exterior United Nations headquarters
05 APRIL 2017, NEW YORK CITY
2. Wide shot, dais
3. SOUNDBITE (English) John Wilmoth, Director, Population Division, UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA):
“Historic changes in the age structure of world populations are taking place all across the globe with major implications for sustainable development. It’s well known that the global population has undergone profound changes over the past 200 years as levels of mortality and fertility decreased all around the world. This pair of changes known together as the demographic transition leads initially to rapid growth in the younger population, driven by an early reduction in child mortality, and then a subsequent decline in fertility triggers population aging, which is further accentuated by reductions in adult mortality and the resulting increase in the number of persons who survive to older ages.”
5. Med shot, journalist
6. SOUNDBITE (English) John Wilmoth, Director, Population Division, UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA):
“In aging societies social protection mechanisms, pension systems, and health care programmes are being adjusted and strengthened, women’s participation in the workforce is being supported more than ever before, and some countries are slowly pushing up the age of retirement. At the same time there is an increasing recognition that international migration can help to rejuvenate populations and slow the rate of population aging.”
5. Med shot, journalists
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Eliya Zulu, Executive Director, African Institute for Development Policy:
“The demographic dividend is not automatic. There has to be deliberate investments to be made, one, to make sure that that there is universal access to contraception and family planning to all women, and especially youth who need to use family planning. At the same time you ned to make sure that you keep girls in school, because, you know, the initiation of early child bearing, which is quite prevalent in many parts of Africa actually does contribute to the high birth rates that the continent has, but it also affects the extent which women actually receive education that will help them become productive when they become older. The third critical thing that needs to be happening in Africa is also to reduce birth rates.”
10. Zoom out, end of presser
The Head of the Population Division of the United Nations today (5 Apr) said that “historic changes in the age structure of world populations are taking place all across the globe with major implications for sustainable development.”
John Wilmoth, who is the Director of the Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), was reporting on the findings and recommendations of the 50th session of the UN Commission on Population and Development.
He said that “global population has undergone profound changes over the past 200 years as levels of mortality and fertility decreased all around the world” which in turn has led to “population aging, which is further accentuated by reductions in adult mortality and the resulting increase in the number of persons who survive to older ages.”
Wilmoth said that “in aging societies social protection mechanisms, pension systems, and health care programmes are being adjusted and strengthened, women’s participation in the workforce is being supported more than ever before, and some countries are slowly pushing up the age of retirement.”
At the same time, he noted, “there is an increasing recognition that international migration can help to rejuvenate populations and slow the rate of population aging.”
Eliya Zulu, Executive Director at the African Institute for Development Policy spoke about a demographic dividend to be harnessed by African countries, but noted that this demographic dividend” is not automatic.”
Zulu stressed “deliberate investments” need to be made in order to ensure universal access to contraception and family planning to all women, as well as to keep girls in school.
“The third critical thing that needs to be happening in Africa,” Zulu said, “is also to reduce birth rates.”
The United Nations advisory body on issues related to population and development kicked off its 50th annual session on Monday (3 Mar), with a focus on changing population age structures and sustainable development, and will run at UN Headquarters through 7 April.
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