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National Affairs

National Affairs

What is UNFPA? What does its India Ageing Report says?

30 Sep 2023 Zinkpot 273
  • The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) is a United Nations agency that focuses on global population and reproductive health issues. It was established in 1969 and operates under the umbrella of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). 
  • The UNFPA's mission is to promote and support universal access to sexual and reproductive health care, including family planning, as well as gender equality and women's empowerment.
  • Key areas of work and focus for UNFPA include:
    • Reproductive Health: UNFPA works to ensure that individuals have access to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health services, including family planning, maternal health care, and services related to preventing and treating sexually transmitted infections.
    • Family Planning: UNFPA advocates for and supports family planning programs to enable individuals and couples to make informed decisions about the timing and spacing of their children.
    • Maternal Health: UNFPA aims to reduce maternal mortality rates by improving access to skilled birth attendants, emergency obstetric care, and quality maternal health services.
    • Gender Equality: UNFPA promotes gender equality and women's empowerment by addressing issues such as gender-based violence, harmful practices, and discrimination.
    • Youth and Adolescents: The agency works to engage and support young people in making healthy choices, accessing education, and participating in their communities.
    • Population Data and Analysis: UNFPA collects and analyzes population data to inform policies and programs related to population dynamics, demographics, and development.
    • Humanitarian Response: UNFPA provides reproductive health care and services in humanitarian crises and conflict-affected areas, recognizing the unique needs of women and girls in such situations.
  • UNFPA collaborates with governments, non-governmental organizations, and other United Nations agencies to implement its programs and achieve its goals. It also plays a key role in advancing global development agendas, including the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly Goal 3 (Good Health and Well-Being) and Goal 5 (Gender Equality).
  • One of UNFPA's important contributions is advocating for the rights of individuals to make choices about their own bodies and reproductive health, aiming to improve the well-being of women and girls and promote sustainable development worldwide.
  • The UNFPA India, in its 2023 India Ageing Report, has said that by 2046 it is likely that the elderly population in India will have surpassed the population of children in the country. 
  • The decadal growth rate of the elderly population of India is estimated at 41% and its share of the total population is projected to double to over 20% by 2050.
  • The report unveiled that the population of people aged 80 and above will grow at a rate of around 279% between 2022 and 2050 with a predominance of widowed and highly dependent very old women.
  • According to the report, women, on average, have a higher life expectancy at the age of 60 and 80 when compared with men with variations across the states and Union territories.
  • The report noted that there was a significant inter-state variation in the absolute levels and growth of the elderly population as well, reflecting different stages and pace of demographic transition across states.
  • Most states in the southern region and select northern states such as Himachal Pradesh and Punjab reported a higher share of the elderly population than the national average in 2021 a gap that is expected to widen by 2036.
  • According to the report more than 40% of the elderly in India are in the poorest wealth groups, with about 18.7% of them living without an income.


 

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