Federal Minister for Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal has said that effective service delivery, particularly in family planning and healthcare, requires true devolution of authority within provinces.
It’s not enough to merely delegate responsibilities; they must reach the grassroots level to make a real impact. "Strengthening local governments is, therefore, essential to achieving sustainable population growth and, ultimately, broader development goals,” the minister said at the launch of the multi-chapter volume entitled, 'Pakistan’s Population @ 2050: Demographic Change, Future Projections, and Development Opportunities,' produced by the population council with the support of UNFPA.
The minister was the chief guest at the launch ceremony organized by the Population Council in collaboration with UNFPA.
The minister emphasized the importance of policy continuity, women's empowerment through education, human capital development, and expanding access to health and family planning services.
“To achieve sustainable population growth and our national development goals, we must come together as 'Team Pakistan', fostering collaboration and unity to effectively address our challenges,” he added.
Addressing the event, Dr. Azra Fazal Pechuho, the Sindh health minister, emphasized the need to adopt a holistic approach, stating, “Population growth must be treated as an urgent priority; otherwise, we risk falling short of our development goals. The issue of rapid population growth must be addressed through the lenses of economic impact, resource allocation, climate change, and demographic shifts.”
Pakistan@2050 offers comprehensive evidence and insights into the complex relationship between population dynamics and development. This volume goes beyond demographic analysis, exploring not only projections of population numbers and age structures up to 2050 but also considering other critical sectors.
The report presents evidence that key development outcomes, particularly those highlighted in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030, are deeply influenced by population trends. It argues that Pakistan’s demographic realities must be reconceptualized within the broader context of its socio-economic challenges and opportunities.
Introducing the report, Dr. Zeba Sathar, the country director of the Population Council, highlighted the intrinsic connections between demographic trends, education, and economic outcomes in Pakistan.
She stressed the critical importance of prioritizing the development of women and girls for progress across all sectors. Furthermore, she noted that integrating fertility reduction into climate adaptation plans is essential for ensuring long-term resilience.
PPP MNA Dr Nafisa Shah emphasized that population management should be approached from a broader perspective, not just with a narrow focus on reducing fertility.
She advocated for examining the underlying social constructs contributing to population growth and stressed that population stabilization strategies should address these critical issues highlighted in the report.
In his remarks, Pio Smith, the regional director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), stated that to leverage Pakistan's demographic dividend, the country must invest in human capital by empowering women, reducing unintended pregnancies, and providing women with rights and choices.
