Tashkent, 20 December 2016 – UN Population Fund (UNFPA) organized a press conference to launch UNFPA’s flagship annual report, State of the World Population 2016.

The Report is being produced annually by UNFPA for over ten years to advocate for a variety of issues related to population and development. The 2016 Report is entitled “10: How our future depends on a girl at this decisive age” and shows that our collective future depends on how we support the world’s 60 million 10-year-old girls today as they start their journey from adolescence to adulthood.

Ten is a pivotal age for girls everywhere, as puberty approaches. In some parts of the world, a girl at this age enjoys limitless possibilities and begins making choices that will influence her education and, later, her work life. But in other parts, a girl who goes through puberty is suddenly seen as a commodity that may be bought, sold or traded, the UNFPA report shows. She may be forced to marry, pulled out of school and expected to start bearing children and begin a lifetime of servitude.

“How we invest in and support 10-year-old girls today will determine what our world will look like in 2030,” UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin says. “With support from family, community and nation, and the full realization of her rights, a 10-year-old girl can thrive and help bring about the future we all want.”

Today’s press-conference gathered UNFPA’s partners as well as representatives of mass media to go through the highlights of the Report and make emphasis on the fact that investments that empower 10-year-old girls can triple a girl’s lifetime income, increase a nation’s economic growth and lead to a cycle of healthier, better educated children.

UNFPA Representative in Uzbekistan Ms. Mieko Yabuta says that “keeping every 10-year-old girl’s life on track is possible, but it requires support from, and investments by, everyone around her—her family, community and government. Men and boys also have a critical role in tearing down the barriers that prevent girls from realizing their full potential”.

The new development agenda, endorsed by world leaders in 2015, is the blueprint for countries’ social and economic progress for 15 years. It aims for equitable development that leaves no one behind. Removing the barriers that hold 10-year-old girls back today will increase the chances that the agenda will be a success, the report argues. The real test of success of the Development Agenda is whether a 10-year-old girl today is healthy, educated and productive 15 years from now. Failure to invest effectively in 10-year-old girls now may hamper economic growth and progress for years, if not generations.

UNFPA Uzbekistan supports the Government of Uzbekistan in delivering the Sustainable Development Goals, especially through promoting healthy lifestyles among young people, promoting access of young people to education, healthcare, including reproductive health and family planning services, which is a key to sustainable development of the population and future generation.