EDITORIAL - Youth empowerment for the future

With advances in science and better health care, average life expectancy around the globe has gone up from 30 years in 1800 to 67 in 2005. World population has also risen from a billion in 1810 to 2.5 billion in 1950 and seven billion by 2011.

Population growth has been both boon and bane for the planet, posing opportunities but also challenges for development. Managing population growth is difficult especially for nations where limited resources are far outpaced by the demands of a booming population.

Today the planet has the largest-ever youth generation, and World Population Day 2014 is dedicated to them. The United Nations, observing the special day on July 11, has called on governments to give priority to the youth in development programs. Youth empowerment, the UN said, is essential for a sustainable future. Youths account for about 1.8 billion of the global population. Many of them are mired in poverty, vulnerable to abuse and living in circumstances that violate their human rights.

In the Philippines, the benefits of economic growth have failed to trickle down to the masses. Official figures show that economic growth in recent years hardly made a dent in poverty. Economic growth cannot keep up with the needs of an exploding population. The consequences are evident in the continuing exodus of Filipinos for better opportunities overseas, and in urban blight, most pronounced in Metro Manila but also worsening in key cities around the country.

The Reproductive Health Law is finally being implemented, but this must be complemented by other policies and programs that will improve the quality of life of the estimated 40 percent of the population living below the poverty line. Too many Filipinos still lack access to basic services particularly health care. As World Population Day is observed, we bear in mind that as important as living longer is having a better quality of life.