World Population

·         On July 10, 2008 UN called for more investment in family planning to reduce poverty, slow population growth and ease pressure on the environment.

·         Iin a report marking World Population Day, the UN estimates that the number of people on the planet will grow from 6.7bn to 9.2bn by the year 2050.

Mission IAS’2009

·         UN puts that such growth is unsustainable, as climate change degrades arable land and reduces water supplies.

·         The hard truth is, the world does not even want so many new people.

·         More than 200 million women, many in the developing world, do not have access to contraceptives.

·         Hundreds of thousands of women die in childbirth each year or from botched illegal abortions and women are crucial to the world's food production - in Africa and Asia they grow over 80% of crops.

·         Providing family planning to all those who want it will cost $1.2bn a year, but the UN says at the moment less than half that is being spent.