On 19 November, UNFPA Lao PDR in cooperation with the Department of International Cooperation of Ministry of Investment and Planning launch this year's State of World Population report. The launch is chaired by the Vice Minister of Ministry of Planning and Investment and UNFPA Representative, Lao PDR. 

The 2009 report, “Facing a changing world: women, population and climate”, puts people at the centre of discussions on climate change. “Global climate is changing. And it is we ourselves- in our lifestyles, our rapidly increasing numbers and the massive scale of our consumption and production- who are changing it,” states the report. Population dynamics, including size, age structure, growth rate and urbanization affect greenhouse-gas emissions and energy use. Technology alone cannot solve climate change. The role that people play must be taken into account in addressing problems of rising seas, droughts, melting glaciers and extreme weather. “Climate change is more than an issue of energy efficiency or industrial carbon emissions; it is also an issue of population dynamics, poverty and gender equity,” says UNFPA Executive Director Thoraya Ahmed Obaid.[Read more]