World Population Day will be recognized on July 11, 2018. The day aims to bring attention to issues pertaining to global population. The day was established by the Governing Council of the United Nations Development Programme in 1989.

The 2018 theme for World Population Day is “Family Planning is a Human Right,” and hopes to encourage people to engage in more open discussions.This year is also the 50th anniversary of the 1968 International Conference on Human Rights, this is where family planning was recognized as a human right for the first time.

The Teheran Proclamation, which was born out of the conference, states: “Parents have a basic human right to determine freely and responsibly the number and spacing of their children.”

An extremely important statement was made at this event: Women and girls have the right to avoid the exhaustion, depletion and danger of too many pregnancies, too close together. Men and women have the right to choose when and how often to embrace parenthood — if at all. Every individual has the human right to determine the direction and scope of his or her future in this fundamental way.

The U.N. has summarized family planning as the following nine points:

●      Non-discrimination: Family planning information and services cannot be restricted. Restrictions are not to be placed based on the basis of race, sex, language, religion, political affiliation, national origin, age, economic status, place of residence, disability status, marital status, sexual orientation or gender identity.

●      Available: Countries have the responsibility to ensure that all necessary family planning commodities and services are available to everyone.

●      Accessible: Countries have the responsibility to ensure that family planning commodities and services are accessible to everyone.

●      Acceptable: Contraceptive services and information are to be provided in a dignified manner, with respect to modern medical ethics and the cultures of those being served.

●      Good quality: Family planning information is to be clearly communicated and scientifically verified.

●      Informed decision-making: All people are to be empowered to make reproductive decisions with full autonomy, free of pressure, coercion or misrepresentation.

●      Privacy and confidentiality: All individuals must have the right to privacy when seeking family planning information and services.

●      Participation: Countries have an obligation to make sure of the active and informed participation of individuals in decisions that affect them, including possible health issues.

●      Accountability: Health systems, education systems, leaders and policymakers must be held accountable to the people they serve in all efforts to realize the human right to family planning.