A day after South Africans were counted in the Census 2011, representatives from about 25 developing countries will converge in South Africa this week to discuss population dynamics (PPD), climate change and sustainable development.
They will meet under the umbrella of the Partners in Population Development (PPD), an intergovernmental organisation of 25 developing countries from Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East.
The PPD in collaboration with the South African government, and led by Minister of Social Development Bathabile Dlamini, will host the International Conference on “Population Dynamics, Climate Change and Sustainable Development”.
The conference will be attended by government Ministers, Parliamentarians, policy-makers, heads of leading organisations as well as representatives from civil society.
Ms Dlamini, who is the host, will open the four-day conference tomorrow at the Burgers Park Hotel in Pretoria. She is also a Board Member of PPD.
The outcomes of the conference will help governments formulate policies that take into account demographic trends and dynamics that include the rates of population growth, fertility and mortality, as well as the age and spatial distribution of the population, including migration and urbanisation and their linkages to climate change.
The influence of climate change on population is broad and includes prompting migration, destroying livelihoods, disrupting economies, undermining development and exacerbating inequalities between sexes.
The latest United Nations projection shows that world population could theoretically reach as high as 10,8 billion or remain as slow as 7,8 billion in 2050. The 3 billion difference between these two limits is meaningful for the future of humankind since population size makes any environmental challenge more difficult to address. The world population is expected to reach 7 billion this year. The outcome of the conference will result in the adoption of a declaration by 25 Ministers of Developing Countries, which will also urge them to take steps in their respective countries to promote family planning and maternal health.
The three-day conference will start tomorrow as follows:
Date: Tuesday, 1 November 2011
Venue: Burgers Park Hotel, Pretoria
Time: 9am
Members of the media are invited to attend the opening of the conference. We will issue an advisory tomorrow (1 November) about a media briefing that will be held before the end of the conference.
NB: Members of the media must bring their IDs or Passports for accreditation at the venue by 8h30 in the morning. Accreditation is compulsory.
RSVP: Justice Ditshego 079 497 7426 or Thapelo Sakoana 082 420 7736
Enquiries:
Lumka Oliphant
Cell: 083 484 8067
