2024 Population Day: People May Be Hard To Reach, But No One Is Unreachable – UNFPA
BY KHALID IDRIS DOYA, Bauchi
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Nigeria has stressed the need for all and sundry at this moment to commit to doing more to ensure that our data systems capture the full range of human diversity so that everyone is seen, can exercise their human rights and can reach their full potential.
The Fund on the occasion of the 2024 World Population Day celebration noted that it is a moment to ask who is still going uncounted and why and what these may cost individuals, societies, and our global efforts to leave no one behind.
UNFPA Nigeria at the commemoration celebration held Thursday at the Bauchi State Secretariat, represented by a Gender/Reproductive Health Analyst, Deborah Tabara, said that thirty years on from Cairo, there’s much to be celebrated but still much work to be done.
“People may be hard to reach, but no one is unreachable. To realize the rights and choices of those pushed to the margins of our societies, we have to count them because everyone counts. Our rich human tapestry is only as strong as the weakest thread”, Tabara said.
The analyst explained that when data and other systems work for those on the margins, they work for everyone, and thus how progress accelerates for all, stressing that UNFPA looks forward to continuing to strengthen collaboration with the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to leave no one behind, count everyone.
The Gender Analyst assured that UNFPA stands ready to support the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to harness the power of inclusive data to build resilient systems and societies, saying inclusive data is not an end in itself; but a means to informed decision-making.
Deborah Tabara explained that decision-makers shape policies, programmes, strategies, plans, and budgets that promote inclusivity and equality, and “Together with you, we can forge a future where every person is counted, every community is acknowledged, and every need is addressed”.
The Chairman of the National Population Commission (NPC) in Nigeria, Hon. Nasir Isa Kwarra had earlier in a remark noted how these data can or are readily available to all- decision-makers, planners, civil society organizations, businesses and citizens in order to shape policies, direct actions, advise on development options, and permits governments to be held to account, in a way that truly reflects the needs of everyone.
Hon. Nasir Kwarra told the population day celebration with the theme “Embracing the Power of Inclusive Data Towards a Resilient and Equitable Future for All” that is a reflection of the outcome of both global and regional reviews and evaluations of progress and achievements attained in the last three-decades of the implementation of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD).
“The outcome is reported at national, regional and global levels. In particular, Africa showed a dearth of data/information and sufficient evidence to explain situations, track implementation, measure achievements, extent of progress and identify benefits and improvements on peoples’ well-being or transformation.”
“To demonstrate how worrisome the outcome was, the 2024 State of the World Population Report (SWOP), launched in Nigeria on April, 24th this year, dedicated its chapter three titled “Counting Every Stitch” to highlight the importance of inclusiveness in data collection. One of the features under that chapter (pages 76-81) was on the necessity for African censuses to strive to count everyone”.