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Harnessing Demographic Power: Population Intelligence for Sustainable Development

Population growth, aging, migration, and urbanization shape our societies, directly influencing consumption, production, employment, income distribution and poverty. These complex dynamics complicate our efforts to ensure equal access to health, education, housing and more, but also provide significant opportunities for sustainable development.

 

Busy streets of Majeedhee Magu, Male'

 

Maldives: A Window of Demographic Opportunity

The Maldives is currently entering a period of demographic opportunity, characterized by a healthy, educated working-age population, and fewer young dependents. This shift can spur economic growth through higher per-child investment, increased workforce participation for women, and greater household savings for old age. Yet, harnessing this potential necessitates strategic planning and effective policy responses.

 

Overcoming Challenges: Pathways to Sustainable Development

Our approach to leveraging population dynamics for sustainable development encompasses:

  • Demographic Intelligence and Assessment: We aim to strengthen national capacities to generate evidence and utilize demographic assessments, using the Census and other main databases to analyze and envision solutions through research and modern data sources.
  • Bringing Population Issues within Overall Development Priorities: We strive to integrate population trends in the context of low population growth and increasing population aging into both social and economic policies, including addressing gender issues arising from family dynamics and access to the tourism sector.
  • Moving Toward a More Resilient Planet: We aim to understand and address the relationship between population and climate change, designing policies that protect people’s rights, particularly their reproductive choices, while preserving the planet.

 

UNFPA: Bridging the Gap

Under the umbrella of the United Nations Sustainable Development Corporation Framework, UNFPA’s 7th country program prioritizes:

  • Collecting and Analyzing Population Data: We aim to strengthen the national referral coordination system for a survivor-centered response.
  • Policy Advocacy: Influencing social and economic policies, aligning them with population trends from a life-cycle approach that is climate resilient. 
  • Strengthening Partnerships: With policymakers, academics, and young people to develop thought pieces on demographic change.

 

Join Us: Making a Difference

UNFPA is seeking to expand its collaboration with partners across sectors to generate population data and influence evidence-based policy making in the context of an aging population. Here’s how YOU can be a part of this transformative journey:

  • Invest in a Sustainable Future: Support UNFPA’s flagship initiative to build a Sustainable Resettlement Plan for Maldives, helping release the population strain from Male’. Support our efforts to advocate for national policies and strategic frameworks that integrate a life-cycle, right-based, gender-transformative, and adaptive approach.
  • Support Data Analysis and Dissemination: Contribute to efforts analyzing and disseminating population data from the Census and other data sources to a wide audience through innovative and digital platforms.
  • Create Dialogue Platforms: Generate dialogue and influence the media, policymakers, and think tanks on repeating the benefits of a healthy and prosperous population.

 

Learn more:

To learn more about how we can unite to harness population dynamics for sustainable development, please connect with us at: maldives.office@unfpa.org.

 

Demographic dynamics are powerful forces that shape our world. Join us today in our endeavor to navigate these forces towards a sustainable and prosperous future for Maldives.