BANGKOK—The Asia-Pacific region marked World Population Day (11 July) with a flurry of “selfie” campaigns and creative contests organized by country offices of UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, punctuated by advocacy activities calling for substantive youth participation in policy development.
UNFPA’s 2014 theme, “Invest in Youth”, is particularly relevant to Asia and the Pacific given the high percentage of people under age 25 in most countries in the region. Currently, less than 5 per cent of unmarried youth in China are well-informed about reproductive health, a recent UNFPA-supported study found, while one in six Indian teenage girls become mothers, according to UNFPA Representative in India Frederika Meijer. These statistics highlight the need for further investment in resources as well as opportunities for young people in the region.
The #WPD2014 selfie campaign
Young people, celebrities and activists from all over Asia and the Pacific posted selfies on social media platforms with the #WPD2014 hashtag to celebrate World Population Day and show their support for a youth-centred UN development agenda. In the Philippines, beauty queen Bea Rose Santiago and rugby player Harry Morris were among dozens who shared their hopes for the nation’s youth through a UNFPA Philippines collaboration with the Project Headshot Clinic. Selfie campaigns were also mounted in the Pacific Islands, Indonesia, Nepal, Viet Nam, Myanmar, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Maldives, Pakistan and Papua New Guinea.
At Wat Sommanas School in Bangkok, Thai pre-teens announced their life goals to classmates, explained how they would achieve them, and took photos with their written-down goals to serve as a reminder. “I want to be an architect so that my houses can help protect the poor from natural disaster,” declared Piphobpat Detchrak, a grade six boy who shared the stage with an aspiring break-dancer.
Development-themed creative contests
A series of creative contests linked to youth development themes – such as safe motherhood and family planning – were launched in Bangladesh, Lao PDR and Indonesia. The art competition in Bangladesh drew 600 participants who produced a multitude of watercolour paintings. Indonesia highlighted two ongoing creative challenges, the 65 Million Voices jingle contest and the One Minute to Change short film contest.
Young people and policy-making
In Myanmar, 15 youth representatives provided input on the national challenges that young people face for a concept paper presented to key stakeholders by the Myanmar Department of Social Welfare. Development opportunities they identified include investing in peer educators to build capacity in health programmes, establishing youth community centres and creating more job opportunities.
At the Investing in Young People Conference in New Delhi, UNFPA India and the Indian Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner commemorated World Population Day with the launch of youthinfoindia.org, an online tool that instantly converts a wide variety of socio-economic indicators into easily digestible graphics. “The launch of YouthInfo India is a timely initiative,” remarked Shri Anil Goswani, the Indian Union Home Secretary. “This large human capital is the most important capital of any society.”
