News from Population Matters.
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Joan Kembabazi: girls’ education is key
At the beginning of June, Sweden hosted the Stockholm+50 conference, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment. Joan Kembabazi, one of our Choice Ambassadors, attended in her capacity as a girls’ and women’s rights activist. In this guest blog, she writes about the conference and the message she brought to…
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Tackling population growth in Nigeria: Interview with Chidera Benoit
Nigeria has the largest population in Africa and is one of the fastest growing countries in the world, expected to become the third most populous by mid-century. This rapid growth, driven by a high fertility rate, is placing unprecedented strain on the natural environment as well as on already fragile social services and infrastructure. We…
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Conservation through education and family planning: Reporting from Colombia
Between July 2021 and February 2022, Empower to Plan supported Women for Conservation in the provision of environmental education workshops and family planning clinics in biodiversity hotspots of Colombia. Our Empower to Plan Project Coordinator, Catriona Spaven-Donn, visited Women for Conservation over International Women’s Day in March. In this field report, she reflects on how…
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One river, many tributaries: Talking population in Kenya
This month, Population Matters Director Robin Maynard attended the Population Conversation Symposium in Kilifi, Kenya. This key event, organised by local public health consultancy WellSense and supported by PM, brought together diverse stakeholders to discuss the wide-ranging impacts of rapid population growth and to identify the actions needed to mainstream the crucial ‘population conversation’. Starting…
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One-in-three countries not making progress on women’s rights
A new report has found that while most countries are making some progress towards gender equality, this is happening much too slowly to meet the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. In addition, a third of countries analysed have made no progress since 2015, or have moved in the wrong direction. The global picture…
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Empower women, save the planet
Today is International Women’s Day with the theme “Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow”. The event aims to showcase how critical advancing women’s rights is to solving our environmental crises – something we do every day at Population Matters! Communications Manager Olivia Nater summarises the evidence. Women are the victims and the solution Due…
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Biodiversity at a crossroads: why population matters
2022 is a big year for the natural world: a new international agreement will be agreed to combat global biodiversity loss. The post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework is intended to ensure that by 2050, humans are living in harmony with nature. The UN has also called for greater funding for nature conservation. Population Matters Senior Campaigner…
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Young voices for the planet: Meet our Choice Ambassadors
Meet our Choice Ambassadors! Dedicated to fighting for the planet, these inspiring young people champion empowering solutions to our environmental crises. Outreach Coordinator Florence Blondel introduces the team. “The lower the population, the safer the planet, and to me, the quickest solution to slowing population increase is by educating, supporting, and empowering women,” says Choice…
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The BBC on population: Re-treading a well-worn path
Human population dynamics, impacts and challenges are rarely raised or discussed in any depth on mainstream media. So the fact that the BBC gave over one of its flagship Radio 4 ‘Rethink’ series to population should be welcomed by anyone interested in better understanding this crucial, but overlooked, issue. Unfortunately, the programme had some major…
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Director’s reflections on 2021
As 2021 draws to a close, Population Matters Director Robin Maynard reflects on an eventful year. Thank you to all of you from across the world for your interest, your campaigning, and support over the past year. Population is a global issue, one which has to be addressed globally, with policies and solutions made relevant…