GLOBAL: CONTINUING COVERAGE ON WORLD OF 7 BILLION

CANADA: CTV published on 16 October an article and video on the upcoming 7 billion population milestone predicted by UNFPA. Read and view in English: CTV

GLOBAL: Multiple media outlets picked up the Associated Press report on 17 October that, “As of Oct. 31, according to the U.N. Population Fund, there will be 7 billion people sharing Earth's land and resources.” Read in English: NPR, The Telegraph, Contra Costa Times

GLOBAL: The Associated Press on 17 October published a piece on the 7 billion quoting UNFPA Deputy Representative in Nigeria Ndyanabangi Bannet who noted that 60 per cent of the population is under 30 and needs to be accommodated with education, training and health care.  “It is a plus if it is taken advantage of,” he said of Nigeria’s youth. “But if it is not harnessed, it can be a challenge, because imagine what hordes of unemployed young people can do.” Read in English: Associated Press

GLOBAL: Raleigh International on 17 October published a blog on the approaching population milestone of 7 billion. UNFPA Executive Director Babatunde Osotimehin is quoted saying the event is, “It's an opportunity to bring the issues of population, women's rights and family planning back to centre stage.” Read in English: Raleigh International

GLOBAL: The Press Association on 17 October reported on UNFPA’s 7 billion milestone prediction. Read in English: The Press Association

GLOBAL: Digital Journal on 17 October published an article on the upcoming 7 billion mark and highlighting the upcoming State of World Population report. Read in English: Digital Journal

NIGERIA: The Nigerian Tribune on 17 October reported that worldwide, 215 million women have an unmet need for family planning – a need that will only increase as the population grows. “A world of seven billion people is a distinctive moment in history. It represents an achievement, as well as an unprecedented challenge for the future of the planet and its inhabitants,” said UNFPA’s Babatunde Osotimehin. From 29 November to 2 December an International Conference on Family Planning will convene nearly 2,000 policymakers, scientists and advocates to galvanize action. Read in English: Nigerian Tribune

SRI LANKA: The Daily Mirror reported on 12 October that UNFPA sources revealed a number of socio-economic challenges the country would face as the world approached 7 billion such as a rapidly ageing population and rising unemployment. Read in English: Daily Mirror

UNITED KINGDOM: The Belfast Telegraph on 17 October cited the UNFPA prediction that the population milestone of 7 billion will be hit on 31 October. Read in English: Belfast Telegraph

UNITED STATES: The Harvard Crimson reported on 13 October on a lecture given by UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin and hosted by the Harvard Centre for Population and Development Studies. Dr. Osotimehin stressed that in a world of seven billion, "We must ask ourselves how to engage with young people in different contexts so as to make them equal partners in the development of their countries.” Read in English: Harvard Crimson

UNITED STATES: Forbes.com published a column on 24 October by Elizabeth Kolbert. “Sometime on October 31st, the world’s population will hit seven billion. The baby who does the trick will most likely appear in India, where the number of births per minute—fifty-one—is higher than in any other nation. But he or she could also be born in China—the world’s most populous country—or in a fast-growing nation like Nigeria or Guatemala or, really, anywhere. The idea that a particular child will on a particular day bring the global population to a particular number is, of course, a fiction; nobody can say, within tens of millions, how many people there are on earth at any given time. The United Nations Population Fund has picked October 31st as its best estimate. That this date is Halloween is presumably just a coincidence.” Read in English: Forbes.com
UNITED STATES: Forbes.com published a blog on 17 October entitled “Too Many People?” The blog cites UNFPA several times stating, “The United Nations has been analyzing and forecasting the world’s demographics for decades.” Read in English: Forbes.com

UNITED STATES: McClatchy Newspapers on 9 October published a column on the importance of family planning in a world of 7 billion and global family planning has declined. “International donations of foreign aid to UNFPA to curb population growth have stagnated at $400 million per year, down from a peak of $700 million in 2002.”

UNITED STATES: The Post Standard on 17 October reiterated UNFPA’s Dr. Osotimehin’s description of the 7 billion milestone as a call to action. Read in English: The Post Standard

UNITED STATES: MSNBC on 15 October published a photoblog saying, “By the end of October, it is expected that there will be 7 billion people living on the planet, according to the U.N. Population Fund. We are hitting this milestone, even though Western Europe, Japan and Russia are currently facing population declines as a result of low birthrates and aging populations.” Read in English: MSNBC