UN confirms that there is no population explosion in Iraq

The United Nations Population Fund in Iraq confirmed that there is no population explosion or population growth in Iraq.

A statement by the Fund received by the Iraqi News Agency (INA) stated that "the representative of the United Nations Population Fund, Dr. Rita Columbia, on January 27, gave a statement regarding the demographic dividend and the importance of developing strong, evidence-based and people-centered policies, and during the interview a mistake occurred in Translation from English into Arabic in quoting the words of the representative of the Fund regarding population growth. 

The statement added that "Colombia had highlighted the increase in the number of young people, which will lead Iraq to the opportunity for a demographic return," stressing "there is no population explosion or population growth in Iraq."

The representative of the United Nations Population Fund continued, according to the statement, "The demographic situation in Iraq has been changing for years and we are currently witnessing a high proportion of the younger population, with about 50 to 60% of people aged up to 30 years, which provides an opportunity for demographic dividend, and if There have been policies and actions from the state, government and societies to empower young people, especially girls, through education, health services, family planning and employment, then in 20 years, Iraqis can make a huge leap toward economic stability and development.”

She indicated: "Based on the Integrated Survey of the Social and Health Conditions of Iraqi Women ( I-WISH-2 ) recently conducted by the Central Bureau of Statistics in the Ministry of Planning, with the support of the United Nations Population Fund, a third of women in Iraq face at least one form of existing violence. On gender, a number similar to global figures, of course, the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the risk of women being exposed to violence and abuse as well as being unemployed.”

Noted that "family planning is very important for any family to ensure the sustainable growth of their children and the prosperity of the family and their economic growth. Today, we see that access to modern contraceptive methods is not universal in Iraq, which limits the options for women, families and couples, however, the United Nations Fund supports The population currently has the Federal and Kurdistan Ministry of Health to address this problem and we are now proud to have a national strategy for birth spacing and family planning and we hope that this strategy will be implemented solidly.”