Global Population Education Call to Action: Slowing Down Rapid Growth Mandatory

BASYE, VA--(Marketwire - July 8, 2009) - Global Population Education's founder, Werner Fornos, encourages Americans to participate and observe the 20th World Population Day on July 11. The focus of this year's annual United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) observance is investing in the lives of women.

"One of the key ways to address our rapidly growing population is to empower women worldwide," says Fornos, an internationally recognized leader in the population field and founder of Global Population Education, a non-profit organization that raises awareness on the global population crisis. "Support for better education and empowerment of women is proven to cut pregnancies in half and help reduce infant mortality to its lowest level."

Women represent 70 percent of the world's absolute poor according to the UNFPA. Initial estimates indicate that without aid or intervention, current poverty levels will increase.

"When a woman's livelihood is compromised so is her children's," says Fornos. "And when a woman's access to family planning services and health services is restricted the entire family suffers."

The current global financial crisis is not helping the issue as many government budgets are being stripped of funds, and experts say women and children are most affected. Fornos says there are actions that should be a priority to safeguard the lives of women and children.

"We need to encourage our elected representatives in Congress to allocate funding for social infrastructure investment in public health, childcare, education and other social services that are employment generators for women," says Fornos. "Direct financial support of family planning services is also imperative and should be addressed urgently as it can help drastically bring down the cost of emergency health services."

In a time of crisis, the UNFPA reports that funding for sexual and reproductive health, gender equality and prevention of HIV, unwanted pregnancies and preventative care in general, are often first to be discontinued. In the time of shrinking national budgets, there is a risk that family planning services, pre- and post-natal services may be perceived as non-essential and dropped as a result.

To learn more on the issue and how you can help visit: http://www.globalpopulationeducation.com.

Contact Information: Media Contact: Amy Summers 727-848-1618 ext. 202 Pitch Inc.