Conference on population and development planning

 President Ram Baran Yadav has emphasised that development efforts should be in line with the distribution and demands of the population .

Addressing the inauguration function of National Population Conference in the Capital on Thursday, the President spoke of the challenges raised by shifting demographic structure, and urged the concerned sides to bring policies to address the issue.  

Prof Bal Kumar KC, founder of the Central Department of Population Studies TU (CDPS/TU), said although remittance contributes about 25 percent of GDP in the country, the migration of women and children both within and outside the country for various purposes has added challenges to Nepali policy makers. He also shed a light on the population issues in the 21st century.

Ram Sharan Pathak, the chairman of the organising committee, said the conference has brought together policy makers, academicians, researchers, implementers, development practitioners and other stakeholders to form a collaborative network, share research findings and to explore, discuss and advocate emerging issues on population and development.

Praveen Mishra, secretary of the Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP), presided over the inaugural session of the conference, where he shared that one percent investment in women gives 11 percent returns as output.    

A total of 108 papers have been selected for the conference for presentation on 15 themes on population and development, including fertility, migration, population ageing and gender.  

The three-day conferene is jointly organised by the MoHP, CDPS/TU, Population Association of Nepal, Centre for Research on Environment Health and Population Activities, Family Planning Association Nepal and United Nations Population Fund (UNFP).

“I heard a wonderful statement recently: data are key not only to show results but also to inspire them. My hope is that this conference and the data it is generating will be a true inspiration for policy makers and planners,” said Giulia Vallese, UNFPA Representative.

The first ever national population conference comes at a crucial time as Nepal is facing migration, family planning stagnation and gender based violence to name a few, she said.