Dear Friends,
As 2009 comes to a close I want to thank you for the support that you have given the
Population Institute and your continuing interest in our work. With your backing, we have made real progress in building public awareness about the implications of
rapid population growth and in educating policymakers about the benefits of expanding international family planning assistance.
The good news is that U.S. support for international family planning assistance is 40 percent higher than it was three years ago, but
the underlying and deeply disturbing truth is this: the U.S. is not doing nearly enough to save the planet. We are losing the race against time. Our children’s future, the fate of the planet, and the wellbeing of every creature on the planet require us to take action
now.
Unfortunately, it’s widely anticipated that the new Congress that will take office in January will make steep cuts in foreign assistance, in general, and international family planning assistance in particular. That would be an enormous mistake, and not just for the developing world. In 2011
world population will cross the 7 billion mark, just 12 years after we reached the 6 billion level. And, unless we can make more progress in reducing fertility rates, world population is now on track to reach 9.5 billion or higher by mid-century.
That’s why we must redouble our public education efforts. Here are a few of the activities that we have planned for next year.
- In January, we will launch, in partnership with allied organizations, a global petition campaign. World leaders need to hear from concerned citizens in every corner of the world. Our goal, and it’s an ambitious one, is to collect one million signatures on behalf of a $1 billion increase in the level of international support for family planning assistance.
- In February, we will launch the third annual Global Population Speak Out. This past February, we recruited 400 academicians, ecologists, and other experts--spanning 39 countries and six continents--to speak out in radio, television, print and Internet media about the environmental implications of rapid population growth. Next year, we will expand upon those numbers and recruit an even larger range of spokespersons.
- In June, we will issue a call for entries for our annual Global Media Awards program that for 31 years now has been recognizing leading reporters, producers, and journalists for excellence in reporting on issues related to population and family planning.
At the same time, we will continue educating Members of Congress through fact sheets and briefings. We will also expand our media outreach by doing interviews and writing opinion pieces for print and electronic media.
We will also continue our
Sustainable World Initiative. This year we developed a powerful new educational tool that allows policymakers and classrooms alike to assess how population growth will affect the sustainability of over 150 nations. Next year we will focus our efforts on getting the U.S. and international institutions to incorporate the concept of sustainability into the policy making process.
When I travel to developing countries and talk to parliamentarians and average citizens about the challenges posed by rapid population growth, I am constantly reminded of how important our work is. I hope you agree. If you would like to make a tax-deductible online donation to support our work in this area, please do so by clicking
here.
Thanks, again, for all your support.
Best wishes for a happy and healthy new year!
Sincerely,
William N. Ryerson
President
For more information visit:
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