Welcome to the United Nations
Leaders from around the world opened the 48th session of the Commission on Population and Development on 13 April 2015, where they will take stock of the world's development and the welfare of its people.
Below are 10 little-known facts about the world as it stands today. Together, they show signs of enormous progress – but not enough. Too many women and adolescents continue to die of entirely preventable causes, and too many people are denied their rights. Yet these facts also show a clear path forward towards an achievable and more prosperous future, one where every person’s needs are met and rights are fulfilled.
1. There are more young people in the world than ever before, creating unprecedented potential for economic and social progress.
There are about 1.8 billion young people between the ages of 10 and 24 – the largest youth population ever. Many of them are concentrated in developing countries. In fact, in the world’s 48 least developed countries, children or adolescents make up a majority of the population.
Too many of these young people see their potential hindered by extreme poverty, discrimination or lack of information. But with proper investment in their education and opportunities, these young people’s ideas, ideals and innovations could transform the future.
2. Women in sub-Saharan Africa are as likely to die in pregnancy or childbirth as women in nineteenth-century England, when Charles Dickens described these horrors in Oliver Twist and A Christmas Carol.
Put another way, for every 100,000 babies born in sub-Saharan Africa, 510 women die from maternal causes. Globally, some 800 women die every day from causes related to pregnancy.
Yet there has still been enormous progress: since 1990, there has been a 45 per cent decline in globally maternal mortality rates. And the actions needed to save more women are well known, including expanding access to maternal health care and voluntary family planning.
3. A staggering 225 million women in developing countries want to avoid pregnancy but are not using modern contraceptives. And tens of millions of women do not receive the basic pregnancy and delivery care they need.