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SARAJEVO, October 21 (FENA) - Two-day regional conference "Population dynamics, human capital and sustainable development in Southeast Europe" opened in Sarajevo today, which should respond to demographic changes in Southeast Europe.
The conference, organized by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), will focus on strengthening human capital, gender equality and human rights.
The conference gathers government representatives, academics, civil society, the United Nations and other international multilateral institutions in Southeast Europe to discuss demographic trends such as low fertility, population aging and migration.
The discussion should provide recommendations for countries of the region to develop population and social policies based on evidence and human rights, and to strengthen regional cooperation on population dynamics and human capital development.
BiH Minister of Civil Affairs Adil Osmanović recalled the increasing number of people leaving BiH, saying that all levels of government in BiH should be engaged in finding an answer to this challenge.
UNFPA Regional Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia Alanna Armitage today warned of dramatic changes in demographics in the countries of the region, given the decline in the birth rate, which is the lowest in BiH in Europe, while at the same time young people looking for a better life elsewhere.
"Decline in the birth means that the population in Southeast Europe is decreasing. That's why we gathered here to try to find solutions we see in creating an environment for better life for people," Armitage said.
The head of the research team at the Institute for Demography in Vienna, Tomáš Sobotka, also warned that the region of Southeastern Europe is among those that have a significant decrease in population, which is why it is necessary to discuss ideas for changing this situation.
The conference is supported by the offices of UN Resident Coordinators in Albania, BiH, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, as well as the UN Office for Development Coordinator in Kosovo, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
This year, the UNFPA marks the 50th anniversary and the 25th anniversary of a key International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), which recognized that population policies must focus on the population, with their rights and needs, not numbers.
(FENA) A. B.
