His Excellency, the Prime Minister, Mr. Naji Al-Otri,
Ladies and Gentleman
Assalamu Alaikum Warahmatu Allah Wabrakkatuh,
It is my honor to join you today, on behalf of the Arab States Regional Office Director, Mr. Hafedh Chekir.
It is wonderful to be in this beautiful country and city of Damascus for launching the State of Syria Population Report. As it is known throughout its history, Syria's prominence has been attributable to the generosity and hospitality of its people and its position at the crossroads of three continents and different cultures and it is considered to be one of the fifteen states that comprise the so called “Cradle of Humanity”.
I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to His Excellency, Mr. Prime Minister, for all his unwavering support to the population issues, including securing the launch of this important Report.
It is to be noted with high appreciation the commitment and efforts of the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic towards bringing about a close correlation between population dynamics and socio-economic development aimed at achieving the development objectives and improving the quality of life of people, which is reflected in the integration of the population, RH, gender and youth issues in the 10th 5 Year National Development Plan, other policy frameworks and budgetary allocation for RH.
I would like underline the strategic partnership between the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic and the United Nations Population Fund in the context of the National Development Plan’s priorities and objectives, ICPD PoA and MDGs. We have our key goals in place and if we focus on working together to fully implement and monitor them, with a unity of purpose, we stand a great and decent chance of success.
His Excellency Mr. Prime Minister,
Ladies and Gentlemen
I believe that today’s event will serve as an additional impetus to further our already very fruitful cooperation.
The State of Syria Population Report, which is the first of its kind in the country, aims at establishing analytical and reliable knowledge base on population in Syria al all levels. This knowledge base is expected to serve in support of enhancing understanding of the dynamic interrelationships between population and development in the context of the projected demographic changes over the next 20 years and the need for ensuring the necessary development policies, strategies and plans.
It is also worth mentioning that the State of Syria Population Report is based on the comprehensive knowledge base in terms of data and analyses, which have been secured through many research studies and population surveys. Thus, the Report is the outcome of the collective national efforts exerted in the field of population and development.
The Report demonstrates a change from the pre-ICPD paradigm to the post-ICPD development perspective paradigm as it focuses on reproductive health, gender and youth issues in the context of sustainable development, poverty alleviation, equity, community participation, people’s involvement and freedom of choice. Young people aged 10-24 represent 33 per cent of the total population and are the most susceptible group to reproductive health challenges.
It takes notes of the national population research pioneers that highlighted the issue during the first National Population Conference (2001) in order to conclude that the concept of the demographic window of opportunity in Syria is the one of the most important development priorities, which requires population policy support and implementation, socio-economic and legislative initiatives with gender issues mainstreamed.
It also discusses birth and death rates, infant and maternal mortalities, internal migration, urbanization and labor force, the age structure, education, health, employment and poverty, and calls for adoption of population policies and strategies in a culturally sensitive manner and in accordance with gender equity and equality principles. Moreover, it underlines that the current population growth rate is still high compared to the average annual rate of growth for the globe’s population and the Arab region.
As you know the issues of population dynamics, environment and health are interconnected & require a comprehensive response, including the achievement of the MDGs. Addressing population size, distribution & growth is very important for mitigating humanity's impact on the environment, including erosion, degraded soils, polluted air & contaminated water.
His Excellency Mr. Prime Minister,
Ladies and Gentlemen
It is worth noting that the launch of the State of Syria Population Report coincides with the 15th anniversary of the International consensus around population and development reached in 1994.
At the ICPD at 15 we have learned that population and reproductive health and rights, and the empowerment of women are essential to the achievement of MDGs, particularly those related to poverty eradication, promoting gender equality, improving maternal health, combating HIV/AIDS and ensuring environmental sustainability.
In conclusion, once again, I would like to extend my sincere appreciation to His Excellency, Mr. Prime Minister, for his unwavering and tangible support to the State of Syria Population Report, which demonstrates high political commitment to population issues and priorities.
I would like to express my sincere appreciation to all the national counterparts, particularly the Syrian Commission for Family Affairs for their tireless efforts in making this Report a reality.