Congo Town — Vice President, Jeremiah Kpan Koung has launched the 2024 State of the World Population Report, highlighting the critical role of population dynamics in development and the promotion of policies that ensure human rights, social justice, and sustainable development.
In his remarks, Vice President Koung said that the report contains valuable information and analyses on global, regional, and national population dynamics, encouraging citizens to take an interest in reading the report, entitled "Interwoven Lives, Threads of Hope: Ending Inequalities in Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights."
The Vice President emphasized that for Liberia to make significant progress, policy-makers must continue to utilize evidence-based research and available data to inform policy decisions and implement programs that improve the livelihoods of its people.
Said VP Koung, "We must also continue to analyze and use the census data to understand population trends and dynamics in Liberia and track our development progress."
This year World Population Day is observed under the Theme: "Embracing the Power of Inclusive Data Towards a Resilient and Equitable Future for All."
It plays a crucial role in shaping various aspects of society. Increased population growth can drive economic development by expanding the labour force and consumer markets, fostering innovation, and creating diverse cultural exchanges. This, however, led to significant progress in women's access to reproductive care, reductions in maternal deaths, and improvements in gender equality.
Addressing further, the Vice President emphasized that the government's ARREST Agenda will utilize evidence-based research data to address the socio-economic challenges faced by Liberians.
He stressed that the executive will coordinate with the legislature to ensure that the laws and policies passed reflect national priorities and are inclusive of all people, particularly the elderly and those with disabilities.
"As we implement this ARREST agenda, we are committed to ensuring that the rights of women and girls, our young people are mainstreamed across all sectors, providing a foundation for the future. We will also work with the legislature to ensure that the laws and policies we pass reflect our national priorities, and are inclusive of all people, particularly the elderly and people with disabilities," he said.
Deputy Minister of Budget and Development Planning, Tanneh Brunson, indicated that the development plan would be built on six solid pillars: agriculture, roads, rule of law, education, sanitation and health, and tourism.
She emphasized that these pillars would improve macroeconomic success and facilitate the needed transformation of the economy, driving the bold effort to ARREST poverty.
Madam Brunson said Liberia needs urgent actions to accelerate progress in many human development indicators, especially the number of women losing their lives due to preventable birth-related causes, one of the highest in the world.
She said, " The rate of infant mortality is too high. These are not statistics, they represent the lived struggles of many families across our country. It is these kinds of human development challenges that urge us to interrogate the theory of change that will underpin both the priorities and the methods for achieving them."
Also speaking, UNFPA Resident Representative, Ms. Bidisha Pillai highlighted the importance of population data gathering and analysis, emphasizing that new population numbers disaggregated by factors such as age, ethnicity, and gender reflect societal diversity.
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She noted that the ability to exercise rights and choices is crucial, stressing that new technologies are enabling more granular and timely measurement of people's experiences than ever before despite the most marginalized communities are still being underrepresented in detail, and the consequences have deeply affected their lives and well-being
"Women from racial and ethnic minority groups are nearly invisible, subtracting maternal deaths. This is one reason why health and social services are overlooked and have a far greater share of these women die. White population is very friendly for a moment. So going uncounted, and why and what sort of individuals, societies and our global efforts to leave no one behind, she said.
Adding, "It is also a moment for us to commit to doing more to ensure that our data captures the full range of human diversity so that everyone can exercise their human rights and reach their full potential."
