Human development report 2011 by UN

Men Exceed Women – UN
Population Shoots Up
UNITED NATIONS, Oct 27, (KUNA): A UN report issued on Wednesday noted that the Kuwaiti male population exceeds the female population and that the population growth rate in the country is seen increasing at a rate of 2.4 percent in the period 2010-2015.
The report, entitled ‘State of the World Population 2011’, issued by the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) said the Kuwaiti’s population (locals and residents) is now 2.8 million, and that the male population is 1.7 million, whereas the female population is only 1.1 million.
Globally, the report said that with the world population projected to reach 7 billion in five days’ time, actions taken now will decide whether the future will be healthy, sustainable and prosperous, or marked by inequalities, environmental decline and economic setbacks.
The world must seize the opportunity to invest in the health and education of its youth to reap the full benefits of future economic development, or else face a continuation of the sorry state of disparities in which hundreds of millions of people in developing nations lack the most basic ingredients for a decent life, UNFPA Executive Director Babatunde Osotimehin warned in the foreword of the report.
The report noted that the record population size can be viewed in many ways as a success for humanity because it means people are living longer and more children are surviving worldwide. But not everyone has benefited from this achievement or the higher quality of life that this implies.
Great disparities exist among and within countries and in rights and opportunities between men and women, girls and boys, as evidenced by the fact that that 215 million women of child-bearing age in developing countries lack access to voluntary family planning.
“Our work is far from done,” Osotimehin said, suggesting that charting a path now to development that promotes equality rather than exacerbating or reinforcing inequalities is more important than ever. “We must tear down economic, legal and social barriers, to put women and men and boys and girls on an equal footing in all spheres of life.”
Source: Arab Times