Dar Es Salaam, March 03 (IPS) -Tanzania’s speaker, Tulia Akson, the president of the IPU, demanded a bold and immediate investment in young people.
At the meeting of Africa and Asian Parliamentary Meetings held in Dar S -Salam on Monday, February 24, Akson emphasized that the rapid increase in population should be interpreted as economic prosperity rather than crisis, emphasizing that the strengthening of youth rights should be at the center of national policy.
AKSON told lawmakers from all over Africa and Asia, “We must take intentional and adjusted measures to take advantage of demographic dividends so that we can strengthen our youth and actively participate in economic development.”
Organized by the African Population Development Association (APDA), the meeting has provided a platform for legislators to discuss legislative and policy reforms necessary for population development goals by cooperating with the African Parliament (FPA) and Tanzania’s Population Development Association (TPAPD).
The event also emphasized the emergency of the population -centered development strategy with the support of UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and JTF.
Population statistics
Africa’s population is expected to double from 2 billion to 200 million by 2050, and many young people occupy. Experts argue that this young population can lead to unprecedented economic change if it has high quality education, medical and economic opportunities. But failure to behave can lead to social anxiety, poverty growth and economic congestion.
According to the UNFPA, 42 %of African population shows both opportunities and challenges, with 42 %under 50. Although expected life expectancy has been improved and maternal mortality has decreased, there is a critical gap on education, employment and reproductive health services.
Akson said, “Young people make up a large part of our population, and their negligence is a time bomb that can interfere with progress.
Tanzania has made progress in giving youth authority through initiatives such as free education from elementary to secondary schools, expanding student loan systems, and national technology development programs with professional and technical knowledge to young people.
Akson said, “We also started the Youth Entrepreneurship Fund to support new companies and small businesses and expand digital education programs to improve ICT capacity among youth.
Despite such efforts, structural barriers persist, so young people limit their access to quality jobs and economic opportunities.
Sexual and reproductive health: The main pillar of development
Akson also emphasized the importance of investment in sex and reproductive health education so that young people, especially girls, can choose information about their future.
“We are at risk of derailment of the development trajectory unless we invest in the sexual and reproductive health and rights of young people,” she said.
UNFPA continued to emphasize that access to reproductive health services is essential for economic and social progress. In many countries, the use of contraceptives has increased, but harmful practices such as youth pregnancy, sexual violence and child marriage and female genital cutting (FGM) are still widespread.
Despite the progress, the UNFPA Tanzania national team said, “Maternal mortality is maintained, and only a few African countries have been on track to meet 70 deaths per 100,000 birth by 2030.”
Similarly, more women are voluntarily using modern contraception, but millions of young girls still lack access to important reproductive health services due to social stigma, policy gaps and inappropriate funds.
Schreiner demanded urgent investments in comprehensive sexual intercourse education (CSE) and youth -friendly health services, providing young people to have knowledge and protecting them from unintended pregnancy, sexually transmitted disease (STI) and harmful cultural practices.
Schreiner said, “Comprehensive sex education and investment in the health of young people, including sexual and reproductive health, must be prioritized to accelerate progress toward universal health.
The role of parliament in developing the population agenda
As a policymaker, the Capitol Party has a significant impact on the national budget and legislative reform that affects the population policy. AKSON urged colleagues to use constitutional obligations to pursue policies that deal with youth unemployment, sexual violence and reproductive health.
“As the SDGs come quickly, we must act quickly and decisively to remove the barriers that hinder the development of young people.”
Yasushi Misawa Ambassador Tanzania praised lawmakers as a promise to solve the population problem. Therefore, as a representative of the citizens, the role of the Parliament is very important. ”
Joseph Komwihangiro, the national director of Pathfinder International, a global civil society organization that provides sexual and reproductive health services, reflects this feeling.
“Population data is the core of everything we do. Policy dramators help to improve their services and solve the most urgent problems faced by the community, ”he said.
He urged Congress to interpret the demands of vulnerable groups, including women, girls and underprivileged communities, as a comprehensive policy that prioritizes the demands of vulnerable groups.
Global threats threaten progress
The meeting also emphasized how the global crisis, including armed conflict, climate change, and emerging health threats, threatened the realization of sustainable development goals immediately on the vulnerable population.
AKSON said, “Increasing global crises such as extreme weather conditions and emerging health problems are very related to the fact that it has an unbalanced impact on the vulnerable population and derailment.
She quoted Tanzania’s founding father Julius Nyerere. “The purpose of development is people. You can’t develop things. You develop people. ”
Akson has urged that true and meaningful developments should be people -centered, and lawmakers urged to create policies that match citizens’ unique reality, culture and aspirations.
Strengthening partnerships for development
UN Secretary -General António GuterRes demanded “enforcement, massive investment and more effective partnership” to draw progresses of major SDGs, including health, education, gender equality and economic development, when five years left to achieve the agenda in 2030.
Akson emphasized that gender equality should be the core of all development efforts, rebelling this call.
“We can’t expect to achieve the SDG without dismantling the sex barrier and not giving it to all women and girls,” she said.
Dar S -Salam Monday meeting concluded as a request to strengthen international cooperation to maximize development.
As a result of the meeting, the documents were ready to submit to the TICAD9 summit in Japan in August 2025, so the members of the National Assembly promised to defend legislative and policy reforms to accelerate the realization of the Addis Ababa Declaration on ICPD behavior programs and population and development.
Akson finished the meeting in an optimistic tone and said, “Let’s have hope for the future that our authorized young people can create.”
For many African and Asian countries, the future is terrible in challenge. However, Akson and fellow lawmakers emphasize, investments, reproductive health rights for teenagers, and enacting inclusive policies are important for a sustainable and equitable future.
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