The State of Qatar opened the 50th session of the UN Commission on Population and Development under the theme "Changing Population Age Structures and Sustainable Development" at the UN headquarters in New York.
Opening the session, HE Qatar's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ambassador Sheikha Alya Ahmed Saif Al-Thani, who chairs of the United Nations on Population and Development, stressed the importance of the current session of the Population and Development Commission in providing an excellent opportunity for Member States and stakeholders to exchange views and reach agreement on population issues that are fundamental to the identification and implementation of the post-2017 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
HE Sheikha Alya Al-Thani noted that issue of changing population age structures occur worldwide, and these changes present a challenge and opportunities for governments and the international community. The Commission on Population and Development, in its current session, is undertaking the task of reviewing these changes and presenting a global perspective on policies related to population and development.
She stressed the importance of focusing on the changing population age structures issue, explaining that the rapid growth of the population, together with the large and growing numbers of young people in some parts of the world, represent a very different situation compared to other parts of the world which witness slow growth of population and growing proportion of older people.
Regardless of the demographic context, countries are facing a similar challenge in formulating policies aimed at eradicating extreme poverty, ending hunger, ensuring a healthy life, providing quality education for all and achieving gender equality, she added
HE Ambassador Sheikha Alya noted that the diversity of demographic trends leads to different policies adopted by governments, stressing the need to recognize different contexts and traditions when studying the global characteristics of population change.
For his part, HE Qatar's Minister of Development Planning and Statistics Dr. Saleh bin Mohammed Al Nabet, who took part in the session, underlined Qatar's belief in the importance of the population as the heart of sustainable development and one of its key enabling elements.
HE the Minister stressed the need to address the dynamics of the population in ways that respect and protect human rights. He highlighted Qatar National Vision 2030 which affirms that comprehensive development is the primary goal of achieving progress and prosperity for citizens, and focuses on the importance of engaging all Qatar's population in the development process in order to enable them building a prosperous society.
Meanwhile, in line with the policies adopted by the Qatari Government in the field of human development, the State of Qatar has witnessed development and growth at various levels, HE the Minister added, noting that Qatar has achieved the first ranking in the Arab world and ranked the 33rd globally according to the Human Development Report 2016, issued recently by the United Nations Development Program.
HE the Minister underlined that the State of Qatar has implemented most of the recommendations of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), held in Cairo in 1994, stressing that one of the most important principles of the ICPD Program is the sovereign right of states to implement recommendations in line with national laws and full respect for various religious and ethical values and cultural diversities of peoples.
He called for not neglecting the main component of the population sector in the Arab world, namely the youth, which are the basic force for development and the effective elements to stimulate change in societies. He said that the issue of empowering young people and engaging them in the development and the implementation of development programs, launching and investing their abilities and achieving their aspirations is vital and must be included in development plans and policies.
He stressed that the success in advancing the 2030 Sustainable Development Plan and its 17 goals that promise a decent life for all the peoples of the world requires sustained efforts, integrating population issues into national development plans, and developing population policies based on high quality data and statistics with all stakeholders.
HE the Minister praised Qatar's pioneering experience in human development, which made the human being the main goal in its national plans and programs and achieved remarkable results at the regional and international levels, stressing the continued work with partners in the international community and contributing to all efforts that raise the role and value of human in all fields, and meeting common challenges to achieve the prosperity and progress.
Chef de Cabinet to UN Secretary General Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti, UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs Wu Hongbo, and Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund Dr. Babatunde Oshutimahn took part in the opening session of the 50th session of the UN Commission on Population and Development. 

Source: QNA