26 August 2013: In a video address to the International Union for the Scientific Study of Population (IUSSP), UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon highlighted the key role of population growth, aging, migration and urbanization in planning for development.

The Union’s 27th annual conference opened in Busan, Republic of Korea, on 26 August 2013. Ban noted the importance of data on how many people inhabit the planet, and where, and projections of how many will be added in future years. These factors, he said, affect sustainable development and development objectives including: poverty reduction employment and social protection; education, housing and sanitation; water, food and energy.

Ban added that development policy making should be rights-based and gender-responsive to empower women and youth, support universal access to health, including reproductive and sexual health and family planning, and promote sustainable consumption and production (SCP) that benefits both people and the planet. [Statement of UN Secretary-General] [IUSSP Website]