The United Nations Population Fund has presented Minister for Development Cooperation Bert Koenders with the 2009 State of World Population Report. This year’s edition of the annual report deals with women, population growth and the climate.

The report concludes that a slower population growth rate would give society more flexibility in responding to the effects of climate change. This could greatly help reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the future.

For his part, Mr Koenders stressed the importance of women’s sexual and reproductive rights and general access to contraception: ‘The poorest of the poor, especially women, suffer greatly from climate change. They are the ones who feel the impact of drought and famine. Besides addressing population growth, equal rights and greater participation by women, a solid policy on the climate and sustainable development must also embrace sustainable production and consumption.’



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