Piggs Peak – The Ministry of Economic Planning and Development, through its National Population Unit, hosted a regional dissemination workshop yesterday at Piggs Peak Hotel focusing on the 2025 State of the World Population Report titled “The Real Fertility Crisis: The Pursuit of Reproductive Agency in a Changing World.”
The event, held in collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Eswatini, brought together policymakers, health practitioners, and community representatives from across the Hhohho region to discuss how global population and development frameworks can align with Eswatini’s priorities.
Reported by Owethu Mavuso, an intern from the Ministry of Economic Planning and Development, the workshop forms part of national efforts to link global insights with Eswatini’s developmental agenda through evidence-based and inclusive policy dialogue.
Director of the National Population Unit, Nombulelo Dlamini, thanked participants for their active participation and reiterated the Ministry’s commitment to ensuring that all citizens, including those with disabilities and the elderly, have access to equitable care and opportunities to contribute to national development. She said inclusive policies remain key to creating strong communities and achieving sustainable growth.
Hhohho Regional Secretary, Sibusiso Dlamini, praised the Ministry and UNFPA for facilitating the engagement, noting that such regional dialogues help translate international recommendations into practical local action. He urged continued collaboration between government, community leaders, and development partners.
Lucas Jele from UNFPA guided participants through a series of key demographic terms and concepts, including “adolescent birth rate,” referring to childbirth among girls aged 15 to 19, and “overachieved fertility,” which occurs when people have more children than they intend. He explained “demographic resilience” as the ability of communities and governments to adapt to population changes in a way that protects human rights.
Jele also cautioned against using alarmist expressions such as “overpopulation” or “population control,” saying they can fuel anxiety and contradict principles of human dignity. The session aimed to ensure that discussions on population growth and fertility remain grounded in rights-based and inclusive approaches.
The outcomes from the workshop are expected to inform national population and development strategies under Eswatini’s commitments to the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) agenda and the Vision 2022 extension framework.
The Ministry and UNFPA Eswatini are scheduled to continue the dissemination sessions today in the Shiselweni region.
Discussion about this post