ISLAMABAD: The MoNHSR&C, in collaboration with the UNFPA and development partners, commemorated World Population Day 2026 here, under the global theme “Realizing the hopes and aspirations of young people – today and for the future.”
The national event brought together parliamentarians, senior government officials, religious scholars, development partners, representatives of the diplomatic community, academia, civil society organizations, youth representatives, and media to reaffirm Pakistan’s commitment to investing in young people and promoting informed and voluntary family planning as a foundation for sustainable development, said a press release on Wednesday.
The ceremony commenced with the recitation from the Holy Quran. Syed Mustafa Kamal, Federal Minister for MoNHSR&C, welcomed the Chief Guest, Senator Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani, Chairman Senate of Pakistan, Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb, Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue, Senator Saira Afzal Tarar, Senator Samina Mumtaz Zehri, Allama Muhammad Hassan Haseeb-ur-Rehman, representatives of UNFPA and FCDO, parliamentarians, development partners, and all distinguished participants attending the World Population Day 2026 commemoration. He appreciated their presence and emphasized that collective leadership, cross-sectoral collaboration, and shared commitment were essential to addressing Pakistan’s population and development challenges. Addressing the participants, Mustafa Kamal underscored that population stabilization was not merely a health issue but a matter of national security, economic stability, and sustainable development.
He highlighted the pressures of rapid population growth on healthcare, education, employment, food security, infrastructure, and national resources, noting that Pakistan’s population has reached approximately 241 million with a growth rate of 2.55 percent.
The Minister highlighted the urgent need to address maternal and child health challenges, noting that approximately 11,000 mothers lose their lives every year due to pregnancy and childbirth-related complications, while around 400,000 children die annually from preventable causes.
He emphasized that every maternal and child death was a national concern requiring collective efforts to strengthen healthcare systems, enhance awareness, ensure access to quality reproductive health and voluntary family planning services, and promote healthy birth spacing.
Highlighting Pakistan’s fertility rate of around 3.6 children per woman compared to lower rates in neighboring countries, he stressed that addressing demographic pressures and investing in human capital were essential for achieving sustainable economic growth and long-term development.
The Minister emphasized the importance of awareness, advocacy, and behavioural change, calling upon parliamentarians, religious scholars, media, civil society, development partners, and communities to collectively promote informed choices and family well-being.
He highlighted the need to revisit population-related considerations under the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award, proposing greater emphasis on socio-economic indicators and performance-based incentives for provinces making progress in population stabilization, family planning, and human development.
He also appreciated the government’s decision to waive taxes on commodities related to women health and population control, terming it an important step towards improving accessibility and affordability of essential health commodities.
The minister reiterated that addressing population challenges is a shared national responsibility requiring collective efforts from federal and provincial governments, parliamentarians, religious scholars, media, civil society, development partners, and communities.
Senator Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani, Chairman Senate of Pakistan and chief guest of the World Population Day 2026 commemoration, emphasized that Pakistan’s future depends on investing in its people, particularly its young population.
Addressing the gathering, he highlighted that population management requires coordinated efforts in health, education, employment, food security, and sustainable development.
He underscored the role of parliament in providing legislative support and policy direction for population stabilization, while emphasizing the importance of family planning, girls’ education, youth empowerment, and responsible parenthood.
He appreciated the efforts of the MoNHSR&C, Population Programme Wing, provincial governments, UNFPA, and development partners for their continued commitment to Pakistan’s population and development agenda.
Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb, Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue, emphasized the importance of aligning population dynamics with economic planning, fiscal sustainability, and Pakistan’s long-term development priorities.
He highlighted that rapid population growth has direct implications for economic stability, public expenditure, employment generation, and resource allocation.
The Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue emphasized that the 10-Year National Population Stabilization Program, being developed through joint efforts of the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination and the Ministry of Finance, would provide an important framework for integrating population considerations into economic planning and development strategies.
He stressed the importance of investing in health, education, skills development, and employment opportunities to transform Pakistan’s demographic challenge into a demographic dividend.
Senator Samina Mumtaz Zehri, Member of the Senate of Pakistan, highlighted that Pakistan’s population challenges require sustained political commitment, inclusive policymaking, and coordinated action.
She emphasized the importance of investing in women and young people through girls’ education, women empowerment, maternal healthcare, and equitable access to voluntary family planning services. She reaffirmed Parliament’s commitment to supporting initiatives that promote healthy families and sustainable development.
Saira Afzal Tarar, Member of National Assembly of Pakistan and coordinator to chief minister of punjab on population addressed the gathering.
A seasoned parliamentarian highlighted the Parliament’s commitment to advancing policies that promote maternal and child health, voluntary family planning, women’s empowerment, and youth development.
She also emphasized Maryam Nawaz’s vision for health, noting the importance of strengthening primary healthcare, immunization, maternal and child health services, and family planning initiatives to improve the well-being of families across Pakistan.
Senator Tarar stressed that sustained political commitment, adequate investment, and strong coordination between federal and provincial governments were essential to achieving population stabilization and ensuring a healthier and more prosperous future for the country.
Representing the religious community, Allama Muhammad Hassan Haseeb-ur-Rehman, Custodian of Eidgah Sharif, Rawalpindi, and Member of the Council of Islamic Ideology, emphasized the importance of safeguarding the rights of mothers and children in light of the teachings of Islam.
Citing references from the Holy Quran and the Sunnah (Hadith), he highlighted that Islam places great emphasis on the health, dignity, and well-being of mothers and children, and encourages responsible parenthood and proper care of the family.
He noted that healthy birth spacing (Waqfa) was consistent with Islamic principles when undertaken to protect the health of the mother and child, and called upon religious scholars and community leaders to play an active role in promoting awareness, family well-being, and informed decision-making within society.
In his remarks by the Secretary, Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination, who highlighted the need for a coordinated national response to Pakistan’s rapidly growing population.
He emphasized that empowering young people through education, healthcare, skills development, and employment opportunities is essential for achieving inclusive and sustainable growth.
Dr Luay Shabaneh, Country Representative, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Pakistan, reaffirmed UNFPA’s steadfast partnership with the Government of Pakistan in advancing reproductive health, voluntary family planning, gender equality, and youth empowerment. Referring to the 2026 World Population Day theme, he emphasized that young people were central to Pakistan’s future and must be empowered with quality education, healthcare, skills, and opportunities to realize their full potential.
He stressed that ensuring universal access to reproductive health information and services, while enabling young people to make informed choices about their lives and futures, is essential for harnessing Pakistan’s demographic dividend and accelerating progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Dr Shabaneh commended the Government of Pakistan, particularly the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination, for its leadership in prioritizing population and development issues and reaffirmed UNFPA’s continued commitment to supporting national efforts towards sustainable population growth and improved health outcomes for all.
Ms. Henritta Hamilton, Acting Development Director, Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), reaffirmed the United Kingdom’s continued partnership and support for Pakistan’s efforts to strengthen reproductive health services, promote youth engagement, and advance social and behaviour change initiatives.
She highlighted the importance of investing in young people, improving access to quality healthcare and education, and creating an enabling environment where individuals and families can make informed choices about their health and future.
She appreciated the Government of Pakistan’s commitment to addressing population and development challenges through
collaborative approaches and emphasized the importance of partnerships among government institutions, development partners, civil society, and communities to achieve sustainable and inclusive development outcomes.
Ms. Hamilton stressed that addressing population challenges was a shared responsibility and requires collective commitment, coordinated action, and sustained efforts from all stakeholders, including governments, communities, development partners, and individuals.
She reiterated FCDO’s commitment to supporting Pakistan’s initiatives aimed at improving health outcomes, advancing gender equality, and empowering women and young people for a healthier and more prosperous future.
A documentary highlighting the challenges posed by Pakistan’s rapid population growth was screened, illustrating its far-reaching implications for healthcare, education, employment, food security, urbanization, climate resilience, and sustainable economic development.
The documentary underscored the urgency of adopting a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach to population stabilization and investing in the health, education, and well-being of Pakistan’s growing youth population.
The documentary also highlighted the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination’s recent efforts to advance the national population agenda under the leadership of the Federal Minister for National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination.
It showcased the Ministry’s role in elevating population stabilization as a national development priority by actively engaging Parliament, strengthening collaboration with provinces and development partners, and promoting voluntary family planning and reproductive health.
Among the key milestones highlighted was the Federal Minister’s sustained advocacy in Parliament, which contributed to the Government of Pakistan’s decision to waive taxes on birth control commodities and others, making these essential health commodities more affordable and accessible.
The documentary further highlighted the Ministry’s ongoing initiatives, including the development of the National Population Stabilization Roadmap 2026–2035, implementation of the Waqfa Social and Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC) Campaign, strengthening of family planning services, and promotion of multi-sectoral partnerships to address Pakistan’s population challenges through evidence-based policies and coordinated action.
Mr. Shahrukh Hassan, Chief Executive Officer of the Mir Khalil-ur-Rahman Foundation (MKRF), delivered a briefing on the Waqfa Social and Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC) Campaign.
He highlighted that the campaign aims to raise awareness about the health, social, and economic impacts of rapid population growth while promoting healthy birth spacing as an important measure for improving maternal and child health and strengthening families.
Mr. Hassan emphasized that the campaign addressed myths and misconceptions surrounding family planning through evidence-based communication, religious guidance, media engagement, community outreach, and collaboration with religious scholars, educators, policymakers, media professionals, and community leaders.
He noted that the campaign sought to encourage informed choices, improve awareness of family planning services, and support Pakistan’s population stabilization goals.
The event concluded with a vote of thanks by the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination, expressing appreciation to distinguished guests, development partners, participating organizations, and stakeholders for their continued commitment towards advancing Pakistan’s population and development agenda.
The commemoration reaffirmed the Government of Pakistan’s commitment to implementing comprehensive population policies, expanding access to voluntary family planning and reproductive health services, empowering women and young people, and fostering multi-sectoral partnerships for sustainable population growth and national prosperity. –Agencies
