At the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly, this high-level side event aims to transition global discourse from demographic anxiety to demographic resilience.
The event is co-hosted by the Government of Uzbekistan and UNFPA.
The world is undergoing profound demographic changes. Shifting population sizes, locations and age structures directly impact economic growth, social protection, healthcare, labour markets and resources. Reliable demographic data enable governments to forecast and react to these changes, ensuring that infrastructure, public services and fiscal budgets meet people’s evolving needs.
UNFPA supports countries in building the capacity to anticipate and adapt to population changes without compromising people’s rights, by ensuring that public infrastructure and services are designed around the lives of individuals.
Rights and choices must remain at the centre of all population policies. Escalating anxieties over population decline and ageing must not lead to coercive, target-driven population policies that threaten individual reproductive rights. Demographic resilience respects bodily autonomy and enables women and men to realize their reproductive aspirations.
Dismantling gender inequalities is an economic and reproductive necessity. Closing gender pay gaps, expanding family-friendly workplace policies and making childcare accessible are essential priorities. Inclusive societies and economies are the foundation of demographic resilience.
This side event will elevate demographic resilience as a global development priority, promote an exchange of policy solutions across diverse demographic changes and strengthen financing collaboration and partnerships between UN Member States, international financial institutions and the UN system.
You can learn more about the 81st session of the General Assembly here and watch events on UN WebTV.
