UN / 7 BILLION LAUNCH

With the world's population projected to top 7 billion next month, the United Nations today launched a global initiative - 7 Billion Actions - bringing together governments, businesses, the media and individuals to confront the challenges and seize the opportunities offered by the milestone. UNTV / FILE

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:02:35
• Production Date: 14 September 2011
• Asset Language: Original
• Subject Topical: POPULATION; POPULATION DYNAMICS
• MAMS Id: U110914b

Description

STORY: UN / 7 BILLION LAUNCH
TRT: 2.35
SOURCE: UNTV / IRIN / UNICEF / UNHCR
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 14 SEPTEMBER 2011, NEW YORK

Shotlist

RECENT 2011, UNITED NATIONS HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK CITY

1. Wide shot, exterior United Nations headquarters

14 SEPTEMBER 2011, NEW YORK

2. Various shots, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Babatunde Osotimehin, Head of the United Nations population Fund enter conference room and walk towards podium
3. Wide shot, audience
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General, United Nations:
“That seven billionth citizen will be born into a world of contradictions. We have plenty of food yet millions are starving. We see luxurious lifestyles yet millions are impoverished. We have great opportunities for progress but also great obstacles. The moment of seven billion is not about one individual or even one generation. It is a challenge, an opportunity and a call to action for all of us. To confront grinding poverty and inequality. To address challenges facing women and girls and the world’s youth. To take on discrimination, human rights abuses and violence. These are all the challenges that we can and must overcome.”
5. Cutaway, audience
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Babatunde Osotimehin, Executive Director, United Nations population Fund (UNFPA):
“To say that we have 1.8 billion people who are young in the world, 90 percent of them are in the developing world. So the development agenda has to deal with this 90 percent who live in the developing world. When you look at the demographics in any developing world, 60 to 70 percent of them are young people. And so as we look at all of the development agenda going forward, Rio + 20 and beyond we have to engage with young people.”
7. Cutaway, audience
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Babatunde Osotimehin, Executive Director, United Nations population Fund (UNFPA):
“If all the 7 billion people in the world were to stand for a group photograph we would just fit into the city of Los Angeles. So it’s not about space, it’s about equity.”
9. Med shot, audience

FILE / IRIN / AUGUST 2007, KARACHI, PAKISTAN

10. Various shots, crowded city scenes

FILE / UNTV / FEBRUARY-MARCH 2008, TOKYO, JAPAN

11. Various shots, crowd scenes

FILE / UNICEF / 20 NOVEMBER 2010, KAILAHUN PROVINCE, SIERRA LEONE

12. Various shots, youth at school

FILE / UNHCR / 24 AUGUST 2009, ATTERIDGEVILLE, SOUTH AFRICA

13. Various shots, people on the street

Storyline

With the world’s population projected to top 7 billion next month, the United Nations (UN) today (14 September) launched a global initiative, 7 Billion Actions, bringing together governments, businesses, the media and individuals to confront the challenges and seize the opportunities offered by the milestone.

“The seven billionth citizen will be born into a world of contradictions. We have plenty of food yet millions are still starving. We see luxurious lifestyles yet millions are impoverished. We have great opportunities for progress but also great obstacles,” said Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

Among challenges beyond grinding poverty and inequality, he cited discrimination, human rights abuses, lack of democracy, violence against women, maternal mortality, climate change and the degradation of the environment.

“These are all the challenges that we can and must overcome,” Ban added.

The UN Population Fund (UNFPA), the agency responsible for 7 Billion Actions, noted the implications of the new milestone for sustainability, urbanization and migration in a world where conflicts and weather disasters are driving people from their homes and climate change is exacerbating food and water shortages.

UNFPA’s Executive Director Babatunde Osotimehin, who was also attending the special event, noted that investing in young people can ultimately enable the much needed demographic transitions and productivity that governments are looking for. He pointed out that 1.8 billion people in the world were young and 90 percent of them lived in the developing world.

“So the development agenda has to deal with this 90 percent who live in the developing world. When you look at the demographics in any developing world, 60 to 70 percent of them are young people. And so as we look at all of the development agenda going forward, Rio + 20 and beyond we have to engage with young people.” Osotimehin said.

According to the latest UN figures, the world’s population is projected to reach 7 billion on 31 October, surge past 9 billion before 2050 and then reach 10.1 billion by the end of the century if current fertility rates continue at expected levels.