Innovative Ways of Commemorating World Population Day Around the World

For two million Sri Lankans, the message of UNFPA’s World Population Day arrived right in the palm of their hands. A partnership with Dialog GSM, a telecommunications company, allowed UNFPA to send a text message to people throughout the island nation. On 10 and 11 July, all Dialog mobile users received messages such as: “Today is World Population Day! Click to find out what you can do to make a difference!” and “When you empower a woman you empower a family! Invest in the health and education of girls!!"

This successful and low-cost outreach was just one of the innovative ways countries observed World Population Day around the globe on the twentieth anniversary. More than 30 countries held seminars, workshops, webcasts and events to highlight population issues in their respective countries. Though the languages and cultural approaches were different, the message was the same -- investing in women and girls’ education is a smart choice. In a time of financial turmoil, UNFPA highlighted the importance of women as agents of change in the economy and development.

In Brazil, women who had been marginalized and came from the poorest regions of the country, spoke their minds. UNFPA in Brazil created a 15-minute video that captured the women’s views on poverty, education, discrimination, gender-based violence and the financial crisis. The video was created during a public conversation between local officials, UNFPA representatives and citizens that echoed the same concerns in Salvador.

Nepalis laced up their sneakers to participate in a walk-a-thon sponsored by UNFPA and Nepal SBI Bank Ltd. Participants walked from the Department of Roads to the Jawalakhel Zoo in Kathmandu with prizes to the first three winners. The event was followed by an exhibition that included participation from other agencies and organiazations. The Nepal Red Cross Society also set up a blood donation bank.

The UNFPA office in Kosovo partnered with local officials to hold a series of roundtable discussions to mark the theme of the Day. Artpolis, an NGO, presented a part of a play called Kitchen of Victims. The UNFPA-funded theatre piece brought to light the painful everyday lives of women coping with gender-based violence. The office also organized a special event with Serbian, Roma and Gorani women, representing minorities in Kosovo, and political activists to discuss their plight and explore means of alleviating their strife.

Many UNFPA offices produced factsheets and provided statistics tailored to their country. Media, both traditional and new, carried the message on their pages and across the airwaves. Countries such as the United States and New Zealand, where UNFPA does not run programmes, also showed active interest by hosting speakers and publicizing the World Population Day’s message.