TODAY is World Population Day, and is being observed under the theme “Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights”.

To observe the day locally, there will be a youth exposition at Emancipation Park in Kingston. The exposition, which starts at 2:00 pm, will be addressed by acting chief medical officer, Dr Deanna Ashley.

The Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) is hosting the activity, which will see the well-known “Yow” team from the USAID Youth.now television programme leading a spirited panel discussion, which will be followed by an entertainment package, with groups such as ASHE, Cherry Natural, Natural Vibes, Children First, Ascot Primary School and the Trench Town Comprehensive School Steel Band.

Hetty Sarjeant, UNFPA representative, noted that “the significance of World Population Day has changed over the years, from a concern by world leaders and people in general about overpopulation and the shortage of environmental and socio-economic resources, to a quest for sustainable human development and enlarging people’s choices”.

At the same time, Dr Wesley Hughes, director-general of the PIOJ, said that “given the fact that almost half of Jamaica’s population is under the age of 25, the focus on adolescent sexual and reproductive health and rights is a timely one,” according to a press statement from the UNFPA. He added that “there is growing concern that the rise of HIV/AIDS, particularly among the 15-44 age group, is viewed as one of the greatest economic, health and demographic challenges facing humanity, despite efforts by governments, community-based organisations and other parties to curb the spread of the disease”.

The Kingston-based office of the UNFPA serves 21 countries in the Caribbean with a specific focus on six priority countries — Belize, Jamaica, Guyana, St Lucia, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago. These countries will be simultaneously observing World Population Day with in-country activities co-ordinated through the UN resident co-ordinator systems.