The workshop on the situation of Syrian population for 2008 discussed Monday the economic report, connecting it to the policy report that suggests a number of programs to solve the population problem.

The workshop was undertaken by the Syrian People's Assembly in cooperation with the Syrian Commission for Family Affairs (SCFA) and UN Population Fund.

Speaker of the People's Assembly Mahmoud al-Abrash said that the reasons behind the developmental problem do not lie in the national product, but are closely related to the issue of population and the huge population growth.

He pointed out to the necessity of changing the population culture in Syria through coordination with all the parties concerned.

Chairman of SCFA Sira Astor said that Syria is still among the highest population growth rates in the region and the world, indicating that the population problem is one of the major factors that further intensify the economic problem in Syria. He also stated that the workshop aims at reaching a national public opinion on issues of population.

UN Resident Coordinator in Damascus Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed stressed the significance of the first national report on the situation of population in Syria in enhancing awareness of the relationship between issues of population and achieving sustainable social and economic development.

Focus was also made on highlighting the relation between issues of poverty, fertility and gender and the necessary investment of these factors to achieve balance between growth in population and the economic growth, as well as building a reliable analytical information base for population in Syria.

SCFA launched the first national report on the situation of population in Syria for 2008 at the first National Population Forum last April in cooperation with UN Population Fund.