COPENHAGEN – UNFPA’s flagship report State of World Population was launched in the presence of ministers and parliamentarians in several European capitals, including in Denmark, which also saw the participation of UNFPA Patron H.R.H. The Crown Princess of Denmark.
The theme of this year’s report “People and possibilities in a world of 7 billion” focused on challenges and possibilities as the world population reached 7 billion on October 31.
In four Nordic countries – Norway, Finland, Sweden and Denmark – the report launch coincided with the opening of the UNFPA-National Geographic photo exhibition “Welcome World Citizen Number 7 Billion,” in which impressive images by National Geographic’s photographers together with texts and graphic material by UNFPA explored population dynamics.
The Crown Princess Mary, who is patron of UNFPA, opened the exhibition in the grand Town Hall of Copenhagen, in the presence of over 200 young students.
“You are part of the biggest generation of youth the world has ever seen,” said the Crown Princess Mary. “In a very big crowd of 7 billion you may think that your choices do not matter, but it is the combined choices of you all that make up the future of our world.”
The photo exhibition was also opened outside the main railway station of Helsinki, the Finnish capital, by the Foreign Minister Mr. Erkki Tuomioja on UN Day, two days prior to the report launch. In Norway, it was opened on the Town Hall square in Oslo and in Sweden at the popular photo museum, Fotografiska, in Stockholm. The exhibition and launch events were organized with the support from Ministries of Foreign Affairs and national UN Associations.
In Denmark, Sweden, Norway and a number of other European countries, the report was launched by UNFPA together with a range of dignitaries including ministers of development, high-level government representatives, parliamentarians, national family planning associations and NGOs.
The report was also launched at the European Parliament in Strasbourg and at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.
UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin participated in the global launch of the report that took place in London, while Deputy Executive Directors Mari Simonen and Purmina Mane joined the launches in the Netherlands and in Sweden respectively.
