Doha, July 15 (QNA) - The State of Qatar ranked 40th globally according to the latest Human Development Reports issued by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) for the year 2023-2024, based on a set of approved indicators, most notably the per capita share of the gross national income reaching USD 95,944, life expectancy at birth reaching 81.6 years, the average years of schooling reaching 10.1, and the expected number of years of schooling reaching 13.3.

This came in a speech delivered by Vice-Chairman of the Permanent Population Committee (PPC), Sultan Ali Al Kuwari during the celebration of World Population Day, organized by the Permanent Population Committee, in cooperation with Qatar Museums, today, at the National Museum of Qatar.

Al Kuwari added in his opening speech that the State of Qatar celebrates World Population Day annually, pursuant to the recommendation of the Governing Council of the United Nations Development Programme, which approved in 1989 that the international community celebrate World Population Day on July 11 of each year, noting that this annual occasion aims to raise awareness of population-related issues and to focus attention on the urgent nature of these issues and their importance in the context of comprehensive development plans and programmes and the need to find solutions to these issues, which was recently emphasised by the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ant?nio Guterres in his message on World Population Day 2024, when he said: "This year marks the thirtieth anniversary of the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development (held in Cairo in 1994). This year must also be the year in which we pledge to accelerate efforts and investments to turn its promises into reality." He added that World Population Day is an opportunity to celebrate humanity, diversity and shared responsibility towards others and towards the planet, which harmonises with the motto of the PPC, "Towards a Better Life for the Population", which is derived primarily from the State of Qatar's attention to population issues. Such attention is driven by Qatar's project to build an advanced society based on the principle of respecting human rights and continuously improving the standard of living of its citizens and residents, which was translated in 2008 by issuing Qatar National Vision 2030.

Al Kuwari pointed out that the achievements of the PPC were not limited to setting the state's population policy and following up on its implementation, but also included monitoring the profound transformations taking place in the state's population situation through scientific studies and research (especially studies related to the imbalance of the population structure) that aim not only to shed light on population issues and matters, but also to spread population culture and awareness, and to provide decision-makers with an objective picture of the state's population reality.

For his part, Director of the National Museum of Qatar, HE Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Hamad Al Thani, said that World Population Day is a vital platform to raise awareness about global population challenges and call for sustainable solutions, noting that this years celebration included representatives from government agencies, international organizations, non-governmental organizations and academia, to discuss strategies and initiatives aimed at advancing population-related action plans.

He added that Qatar Museums is the entity tasked with hosting this year's celebration, and always seeks to provide an authentic and inspiring cultural experience through a growing network of museums, archaeological sites, festivals, public art installations, and artistic programs.

He also underlined cooperation with the Permanent Population Committee to intensify efforts to protect cultural heritage and enhance understanding and appreciation of it. (QNA)