Qatar

New York/Information Office/ 28 February 2017/ The Commission on Population and Development of the UN Economic and Social Council, chaired by the State of Qatar, held a preparatory meeting ahead of the commissions 50th that will take place in New York from April 3 to April 7.

Qatar's permanent delegation to the UN called for holding today's meeting. United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs Wu Hongbo and Executive Director of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) Babatunde Osotimehin.
Permanent Representative of Qatar to the United Nations HE Sheikha Alia Ahmed bin Saif Al-Thani welcomed the participants in her opening speech at the meeting. Her Excellency highlighted the direct relation between demographics such as population age and economic development.
Her Excellency noted that demographics, whether having a young or old population, pose different challenges in terms of development. Such challenges range from the ability to fight poverty to providing education, housing, and medical care. Qatar's Permanent Representative noted that responding to these challenges change from one country to the other.
The meeting presented a number of information related to the change in population demographics worldwide and its likely impact on sustainable development efforts.