Rotary International's
Statement on
Population Growth and Development
Population growth, when
accompanied by increased agricultural production and adequate education
for all, can be an important element of a prosperous society, providing a
strong labor force to help drive the economy.
Where population growth exceeds the capacity of the economy to
absorb and integrate the population, the result is not prosperity for the
majority of the people, but rather a downward spiral of increasing
poverty, insufficient resources, urban violence and environmental
degradation. The poorest of
the poor are the most adversely affected.
Sustainable development,
preservation of the environment and the quality of life for all people,
especially the new generations, is impacted by population growth. Present
world birth rates and longer life expectancy contribute to accelerated
population growth which puts an ever-increasing strain on the
non-renewable resources necessary for sustainable development.
Through the current RI programs and emphases such as Hunger,
Concern for the Aging, AIDS, Literacy and Preserve Planet Earth, Rotary
clubs have already begun to address the issue of population growth, both
directly and indirectly.
Rotary International
encourages Rotary clubs and districts, working as appropriate with
government agencies, non-governmental organizations and local leadership
to increase awareness and undertake even more projects that directly
impact population growth and sustainable development.
Projects would include those that promote education on the issue of
population, access to family healthcare, adequate nutrition, and enable
individuals to make informed and responsible decisions about issues such
as child spacing, in a way that is in keeping with their personal values
and cultural and religious considerations.
Goal:
Increase Awareness of Critical
Issues Related to World Population Growth and Sustainable Development and
Implement Relevant Projects.
Working Goal:
To encourage Rotary clubs and
districts, working as appropriate with government agencies,
non-governmental organizations and local leadership, to increase awareness
and undertake even more projects that directly impact population growth
and sustainable development. Projects
would include those that promote education on the issue of population,
access to family health care, adequate nutrition and enable individuals to
make informed and responsible decisions about issues such as child spacing
in a way that is in keeping with their personal values and cultural and
religious considerations. (The
Rotarian: February 2000;
p. 34.)
Program of Action:
-
Immediate:
A.
To organize the Conference of Cooperation between Rotary and
the United Nations Population Fund:
World Population Growth and Sustainable Development Concerns
28-30 July 2000 in Zurich, Switzerland.
B.
To organize a Rotary Population Summit in New Delhi, India
to create awareness amongst Rotarians and promote cooperation between
Rotary, local, private and governmental agencies 21-23 September 2000.
C.
To organize a Latin American Population Concerns Conference
in Brasilia, Brazil to coordinate the efforts of Rotary and the
local, state and national governments of Brazil and other nations of
Latin America regarding population and development on 16-18 March
2001.
E.
To urge zone institutes, district assemblies, district conferences,
inter-city meetings, multidistrict conferences and regional
conferences to include topics on population and development.
F.
To encourage presentations on population and development at club
meetings.
G.
To write and distribute a “Population and Development Handbook”
with ideas to create awareness and with examples of projects for
Rotary clubs and districts of all sizes to use to take action to
educate women and men about child spacing to put increased intervals
between the births of their children to allow mothers to be healthy,
to reduce infant death and to allow greater economic development of
their families.
-
Intermediate
A.
To motivate cooperation between districts and clubs to create 250
Matching Grants and two 3-H Grants to take action on Population
Concerns.
-
Long Term
A.
To educate women and men about child-spacing (which includes: 1.
education, particularly of young girls, adolescents and mothers, 2.
access to health care, including family health care, 3. sanitation and
hygiene, 4. nutrition, 5. at risk children, and 6. literacy) to put an
increased interval between the births of their children to allow
mothers to be healthy and reduce infant mortality.
B.
To increase opportunity for women for economic advancement
(by providing 1. skill development and employment and 2. the
use of Micro-credit)
C.
To reduce the stress on our environment (water, air, the flora and
fauna) as a result of over population of cities, rural communities and
mountainous regions.
D.
To create awareness of the world’s aging population.
E.
To take action using Rotary Programs for Community Service and the
Grants of The Rotary Foundation to combat hunger, illiteracy and lack
of economic development caused by child birth at excessively young and
too frequent intervals.
|
