UN calls for a better life for world of 7 billion

UN calls for a better life for world of 7 billion

The United Nations has called on the entire nations of the world to make the planet a better place for people to live in instead of worrying about sheer numbers when the world's population hits seven billion next week.

The UN Population Fund Executive Director, Babatunde Osotimehin, said this at a media conference to launch a report on "The State of World Population 2011" released on Wednesday.

The report pointed out that the people's impact on the environment and economic growth was both about consumption and population.

It stated that while growing populations could be a drain on the world's resources, the UN's Population Fund, a contributing factor was over consumption by the existing population.

Making right investments in people

"With planning and the right investments in people now, to empower them to make choices that are not only good for themselves ... our world of seven  billion can have thriving sustainable cities, productive labour forces that fuel economies, and youth populations that contribute to the well-being of their societies," Osotimehin said in the report.

It was vital to engage with the world's youth and to harness their entrepreneurial skills to boost economies and prevent potential alienation, the report said.

Those under the age of 25 make up 43 per cent of the population, and as much as 60 per cent in some countries, and this group must be educated and trained if countries are to have a dynamic work force, it said.

Failure to do so would see a loss of ideas, innovation as well as tax income.

The report quoted the International Labour Organisation as saying that “a major contributor to the recent Arab uprisings was a youth unemployment rate of nearly 25 percent.”

Reports already suggest a 40 percent global shortfall in water supply by 2030, while developing countries are buying up land in Africa to offset any future shortages at home.

REUTERS/Williams