UNFPA celebrates a Day of 8 billion people
DILI, november 15, 2022 (TATOLI)- The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) celebrates a day of 8 billion people, a day the world’s population reaches 8 billion people.
“On this 8 billion day, we are reminded that we live in a world with unlimited opportunities for all of us, despite the many challenges the world faces,” said UNFPA Representative, Pressia Arifin Cabo at AIitarak Laran, this tuesday.
According to Pressia Arifin Cabo, this is a milestone for mankind and a great opportunity to build demographic resilience for sustainable development.
“Marking Day 8 Billion and the launch of the initial results of the census, let’s work together to improve the lives of the Timorese people,” she said.
Minister of Finance, Rui Gomes said the world celebrated 7 billion days more than a decade. Most of the population growth came from Asia, including Timor-Leste, although the contribution was not significant.
Therefore, the question arises of how can create a world where all 8 billion people can grow rapidly, because the world population continues to increase, increasing life expectancy, better health, nutrition, personal hygiene, and medicine.
“And more specifically, how can we create a Timor-Leste for 1.3 million people to thrive amid the challenges of poverty, unemployment, climate change, declining financial resources, and uncertainty due to geopolitical tensions,” he said.
For Timor-Leste, the release of the preliminary results of the census, which shows a population of 1.34 million people, offers an opportunity to invest in data for budgeting, policy formulation, and overall development planning for the next 10 years -until the next census is conducted.
So far, the population growth has slowed: it took 12 years for the global population to rise from 7 billion to 8 billion, according to UN data.
It is known that half of the population still lives in just 7 countries: China, India, and the United State. Indonesia, Pakistan, Nigeria, and Brazil, India’s population could surpass China’s any day.
Journalist: José Belarmino De Sá
Editor: Nelia B.
