ISLAMABAD: Envoys of Indonesia and Bangladesh said population management was central to their agenda for human development, as they shared how the Muslim-majority states managed to control the fertility rate through non-partisan political commitment and welfare packages.
“Bangladesh invested in a robust family planning programme and women’s empowerment through employment and education, which helped the country achieve the majority of its development goals and improve its social indices and economic benchmarks, High Commissioner of Bangladesh to Pakistan Md. Ruhul said while speaking at the 8th meeting of the Parliamentary Forum on Population organised by the Population Council with the support of the UN.
The envoy said, “Because of initiatives like subsidies for entrepreneurship, specific economic zones for women, and awards for continuing their education, there are currently six million women who work in the clothing business. Bangladesh was able to accomplish its population management goals due to a strong, nonpartisan political commitment.”
The high commissioner said that the government ensured that family planning services were delivered to people’s doorsteps, together with sanitation, mother and child healthcare, and other components of a comprehensive health package.
He said that intense media efforts and the engagement of clerics played a major role in lowering the nation’s overall fertility rate and bringing it down to sustainable levels.
Speaking at the event, Indonesia’s Ambassador to Pakistan Adam Mulawarman Tugio stated, “Family planning has long been a top priority of the Indonesian government’s human development programme as the fourth most populous country in the world.”
“From 5.41 children per woman in 1971 to 2.27 children per woman in 2020, Indonesia has seen a dramatic drop in fertility. The total fertility rate decreased by 54pc in 2000 from 5.6 to 2.6 births per woman... The next goal is to stabilise population growth by 2025 by achieving a fertility rate of 2.1 births per woman.”
He emphasised the importance of committed family planning institutions, which improved information and access and promoted the National Family Planning Program to all segments of society, as well as the continued political resolve of succeeding governments.
In her welcome remarks, Dr Zeba Sathar, country director for the Population Council stated, “We need to follow in the footsteps of Muslim countries and learn how Indonesia and Bangladesh achieved their development targets.”
“Legislators played a key role in the investment of human development goals in these countries which are similar to Pakistan as far socio-cultural and religious background is concerned,” she added.
The general secretary of the forum, Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed claimed that the only way to address economic issues was to bring down the population growth rate.
The parliamentarians also stressed the need for the present financial distribution formula, NFC, to be revised so that it is no longer linked to population numbers and is instead focused on the achievement of human development goals. In order to change the NFC distribution formula, they underlined the importance of conducting a national debate on NFC with the participation of the leaders of all political parties, the prime minister, chief ministers, and key ministers.
Published in Dawn, March 22nd, 2023
