The International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), the world’s largest non-governmental organization working in sexual and reproductive health, is calling to renew the focus on young people’s reproductive health as the world’s population reaches seven billion on 31 October.

According to the IPPF, it is absolutely vital for sustainable development to ensure that the 1.8 billion young people on this earth have proper access to reproductive health information and services.

The projected 7 billion population by the end of October 2011 has been estimated by the United Nations (UN). The UN says that unless we rapidly control the world’s population growth, the pressure on resources, including our environments, forests, habitats, water, etc. will become unsustainable.

IPPF Director-General Tewodros Melesse explains:

“As 1.8 billion young people around the world approach sexual maturity the world is stumbling towards a contraceptive crisis: currently 16 million adolescent girls become mothers every year and almost 40 per cent of the 6,800 new HIV infections each day are among young people. Worldwide, 215 million women have an unmet need for family planning – a number that is sure to rise unless unprecedented action is taken. Yet, it would cost only $2bn to give them access to the family planning they lack.

This level of unmet need will expand as the world’s largest generation ever of young people enters their reproductive lives – increasing demand for contraception by 40 per cent by 2050. This represents a crisis for health, human rights, and development.

This is a wasted opportunity to boost development and stabilize population growth through something women want and need – the ability to decide when and if to become pregnant. If all women had the ability to choose when and if to become pregnant, survey data shows, average global childbearing would immediately fall below the ‘replacement fertility’ value of slightly more than two children per woman.

All too often promises are made and not delivered. We need to hold governments and international agencies accountable for the commitments they have made – financial, political and legal.”

Written by Petra Rattue International Planned Parenthood Federation