Commenting on the figures, Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Dr. Natalia Kanem said that this was a success story, not a doomsday scenario.
"Our world, despite its challenges, is one where higher shares of people are educated and live healthier lives than at any previous point in history,” she said . “Focusing exclusively on population totals and growth rates misses the point – and often leads to coercive and counter-productive measures and the erosion of human rights. In fact, people are the solution, not the problem. Experience shows that investing in people, in their rights and choices, is the path to peaceful, prosperous and sustainable societies.”
UNFPA said that they would work with partners and communities to harness the power of 8 billion as part of their mission to achieve the goals set out in the ICPD Programme of Action back in 1994.