Khatami Stresses Importance of Improving People's LifeIn a message marking the World Population Day, Iranian President Mohammad Khatami Wednesday stressed the importance of improving the quality of people's life.Khatami said that "today the goal of all programs is to upgrade the quality of people's life through policies and programs on population and development." With half of Iran's population being under the age of 25 at present, the president said, all policy-makers should aim to achieve an appropriate population growth rate to maintain sustainable social development. He added that efforts should be made to help people realize the significance of a small family and the youth must be educated with knowledge on population information. Although Iran's population growth rate at present is relatively balanced and appropriate, however, maintaining the situation requires coordination among cultural, social and economic sectors, Khatami stressed, pledging that the government would promote the youth's knowledge on population, such as reproductive health and family planning. The World Population Day, which fell on July 11, was designated by the United Nations in 1987 in view of the growing importance of population in world economic and social development. |
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