The United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA), on Wednesday launched the State of the World Population Report 2008 at the Gambia College’s Brikama campus. The theme for this year’s report is: ‘Reaching the common ground through culture, gender and human rights.’

The report focuses on issues such as reproductive health, poverty, inequality, population, human rights, women’s empowerment, culture and a host of other pertinent issues. Delivering the keynote address on behalf of the vice president of the Republic of The Gambia, Ajaratou Dr Isatou Njie-Saidy, the executive director of The Gambia Family Planning Association, Yankuba Dibba, who is also a member of the National Population Commission, underscored the complexity involved not only in the conceptual interpretation of the terms ‘culture, gender and human rights’, but also in reaching a consensus on how they are viewed across societies, communities, countries and the globe.

He noted that the awareness of the concept of culture is necessary, but that it is not sufficient for the understanding of any culture.  He however underscored the pivotal role that culture plays in our various societies and the need for government to include it in its policies.

Dibba added that the report provides practical issues in understanding how the process works, and he noted that “the State of the World Population Report 2008 states, among other things, that there should be no conflict between human rights and cultural values since human rights express values universal to all cultures.”  He however observed that parties that infringe human rights can be found in all cultures, adding that embracing cultural realities can reveal the most effective ways to challenge harmful cultural practices and strengthen beneficial ones.

In her presentation on ‘the overview of the state of the World Population Report 2008’, Jainaba Bah Sambou, legal adviser at the Department of State for Justice,  said that this year’s theme is indeed pertinent and especially suitable for The Gambia, taking into consideration best practices in development such as the right-based approaches and the protection of minority rights and interests.

She revealed that the UN’s new paradigms in development protect and promote cultural diversity as well as encourage development practitioners to be aware of the significance of culture in development. Bah added that culture and gender are almost synonymous, saying that gender refers to the socially ascribed roles of men and women, boys and girls.  She said that these roles are constructed by society, culturally determined and are not universal. She added that like all social constructs, they change over time.

Other speakers at the launching included the governor of the Western Region, Lamin Sanneh, and Dr Reuben Mboge, UNFPA assistant. It was also attended by chiefs, National Assembly members, students and various cultural troupes.