Islamabad/New Delhi, Jan 14 (IANS) The United Nations Population Fund’s (UNFPA) recent statement to Pakistan to rethink its population dynamics is timely as well as constructive, but a sustained policy action towards it is going to be the real challenge, according to a media report.

An editorial published in Pakistan’s financial daily, Business Recorder, stated that the UNFPA urges the country to make a purposeful and evidence-based plan and not count the rising population as an “inevitable burden”.

The UN body urged Pakistan — having the world’s fifth largest population with the number exceeding 225 million — to mark the growth “as a strategic driver of sustainable and inclusive development”.

The editorial urged the need to integrate population dynamics into broader development and climate strategies, as Pakistan’s high population growth and fertility rates are linked to persistent gender inequality and limited access to quality health services.

“UNFPA’s recommendation to reform how population is reflected in national planning and financing — particularly through the National Finance Commission (NFC) formula — is therefore significant,” it said.

The report stressed developing a “reimagined, forward-looking NFC framework — one that incentivises progress in gender equality, climate resilience, balanced population outcomes, and service quality.”

“Such reform could encourage provinces to invest more seriously in human development while strengthening accountability and public service delivery,” it added.

As per the UNFPA, high maternal mortality, unmet need for family planning, early marriages, gender-based violence, and unequal access to reproductive health services are major challenges to sustainable development. These are further compounded by deep-rooted social norms, governance failures, and stark inequities between urban centres and remote regions.

The report called for “sustained political commitment and a comprehensive policy overhaul” to address these concerns.

It urged to make people-centred approaches and reform population policy at both the federal and provincial levels. It also stressed the need to focus on gender equality and broader human development to turn the population dynamics into a “source of strength rather than strain for the national economy”.

–IANS

rvt/