This year the World Population Day focuses on “Adolescent Pregnancy”. In Uzbekistan though, adolescent pregnancy out of wedlock is relatively rare, hence, the focus will be made to the prevention of early marriages as a major cause of Adolescent Pregnancy.

There are more than 500 million girls in the developing world today. Their rights, health, education and potential must be protected and included in the post-2015 development agenda. However, millions of adolescent girls face deep discrimination and exclusion that prevent them from claiming their rights and living out their true potential. They are taken out of school early, vulnerable to sexual violence and coercion, and subjected to harmful practices. They often are married as children, and face pregnancy and childbearing before they are physically, emotionally and socially mature enough to be mothers. The consequences of adolescent pregnancy reverberate throughout the girl’s life and carry over to her children and generations that follow.

Key Message and Actions

We must invest in adolescent girls for their own sake. Educated and healthy girls have the opportunity to reach their full potential and claim their human rights. They are also more likely to marry later, delay childbearing, have healthier children, and earn higher incomes. They can help lift themselves and their present and future families out of poverty. They will be a force for change in their communities and generations to come.

World Population Day is celebrated annually on 11 July. This important observation is an outgrowth of the Day of 5 Billion, which was observed on 11 July back in 1987. It was later recommended that 11 July be observed as World Population Day. World Population Day seeks to focus attention on the urgency and importance of population issues, particularly in the context of overall development plans and programmes, and the need for collective actions.

UNFPA promotes the rights of adolescents and youth worldwide. Its multisectoral response to addressing adolescent pregnancy includes reaching marginalized girls, delaying marriage age, advocating for girls’ education, building economic, social and health assets, partnering with communities, and providing access to comprehensive sexuality education and SRH information and services, including contraception and HIV services.

Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin: Adolescent pregnancy is not just a health issue. It is deeply rooted in poverty, gender inequality, violence, forced, child marriage, power imbalances between girls and their partners, lack of education, and the failure of systems and institutions that otherwise should be protecting their rights.