United Nations Populations Fund (UNFPA) launched ‘The State of the World’s Population 2014 ’ at an event held in Hilton Residences, Colombo. Over 200 young people were present at the event. UNFPA representative Mr. Alain Sibenaler presented the publication to the gathering.

UNFPA is the lead UN agency for delivering a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every birth is safe, and every young person's potential is fulfilled. UNFPA expands the possibilities for women and young people to lead healthy and productive lives.

This publication was launched by the UNFPA globally on 18^th November 2014 under the title “The Power of 1.8 Billion: Adolescents, Youth and the Transformation of the Future”.   The report highlights that developing countries with large youth populations could see their economies soar, provided they invest heavily in young people’s education and health and protect their rights and that the potential economic gains would be realized through a “demographic dividend,” which can occur when a country’s working age population is larger than the population that is dependent and younger. But to maximize the dividend, countries must ensure their young working-age populations are equipped to seize opportunities for jobs and other income-earning possibilities.

UNFPA, hosted a panel discussion with eminent young leaders in Sri Lanka to launch this report. The main purpose of the discussion was to hear from young people on the challenges and opportunities they face in terms of participating in decision making, using new technologies and ensuring the youth voice in the global development agenda. UNFPA believes these issues are most relevant to Sri Lanka now than ever before, as 15.6% of the total population is between the ages of 15-24 years and the country has a one-time opportunity to reap the benefits of a demographic dividend.