UNFPA participated in the 2014 Population Studies Mini-Conference themed: Demography and Health Research at Wits on 21 November at the University of Witwatersrand.
UNFPA Country Representative Dr. Esther Muia, the guest speaker, reflected on population dynamics and development in Africa focusing on the global scenario as well as highlighting the factors that contribute to population dynamics, such as population growth and migration. "Sexual and reproductive health and rights have a special place in population growth since 1948" she stated.
UNFPA's purpose is to empower individuals and couples to decide freely and responsibly the number and spacing of their children; improving access to information and means needed to exercise voluntary choice. Reducing the number of unintended pregnancies has a number of positive effects including the decrease of maternal mortality; increasing opportunities for employment opportunities for women and girls as well as their participation in society.
During the conference, masters and PhD students were given an opportunity to present the preliminary findings of their research, welcoming comments from experts in the audience.
UNFPA commits to strengthen relationship with Wits University Demography and Population Studies in the future with the aim of improving data availability and analysis around population dynamics, sexual and reproductive health in order to accelerate progress on the ICPD Agenda.
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