On July 11, 1987, the day of Five billion people, the United Nations general assembly recommended that Jully 11 forever be observed as World Population Day.
Ever since this day in history, the group has been focusing it's attention on the importance of population and reproductive health. They raise difficult controversial topics such the context of overall development and the need to address these issues.
This year the group is getting back to its roots with the theme of Universal Access to Reproductive Health Services for World Population Day 2012.
"This year's theme was chosen to re-energize commitments towards universal access to reproductive health and recognize the efforts of those who provide reproductive health information, services and supplies," explained Christian Delson, media specialist for United Nations Population Fund. "The target 5b of the Millennium Development Goals is to achieve universal access to reproductive health by 2015."
Reproductive health problems remain the leading cause of indisposed health and continue to kill women of childbearing age worldwide. According to, the United Nations Population Funds website close to 800 women die every day in the process of giving birth. About 1.8 billion youth are entering their reproductive years, in many instances without the knowledge, education, skills and services they need to protect themselves.
On World Population Day many activities and protests will call attention to the imperative part that reproductive health plays in the creation and development of a peaceful and fair world.
The United Nations Populations Fund invited everyone to get involved and help "generate greater commitment to the idea that everyone has a right to reproductive health." The community can get involved by simply educating themselves on the unknown, and finding ways to help people in less fortunate countries gain the care they deserve and need.
Saskatchewan is home to only one million people, and yet our basic health care needs are covered. The whole country of Canada only had 6.6 deaths during childbirth per 100,000.
Almost half of all mothers in developing countries deliver their babies without the presence of any medically trained professional, for example in sub-Saharan Africa, where they have 640 deaths per 100,000 childbirths, because 70 per cent of women have no contact with health care staff after childbirth. With an estimated 19 million unsafe abortions taking place every year in third world countries, leading to an average of 47,000 deaths as the direct result of unsafe abortions, with several other untreated complications.
