Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Dear Development Partners,
Young people of Burundi, Africa, and the world,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

On this July 11, 2025 — a day when the world turns its attention to the demographic challenges of our time — I speak on behalf of the Association for a Progressive African Youth (AJAP) to reaffirm a simple yet fundamental truth: every young person deserves the opportunity to build the family they desire, with dignity, freedom, and hope.

This year’s theme — “Harnessing the power of young people to build the families they want in a just and hopeful world” — is a powerful call, a heartfelt cry from millions of young people across the globe. It is not merely a matter of demographic statistics or fertility rates; it is a matter of human rights, social justice, and sustainability for our shared future.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The reality is alarming: across the world, young people — especially young women — see their reproductive aspirations thwarted by systemic obstacles.
The UNFPA-YouGov survey reveals that most young people would like to have more children, but they cannot. Why? Because they lack economic security, access to health care and education, or live in contexts of conflict, hardship, or despair.

The real problem is neither overpopulation nor depopulation, but rather the inability of individuals to freely choose their family trajectory. This is the true fertility crisis we must confront together.

Dear young people,

You are already agents of change — bearers of resilience, innovation, and bold ideas. But how can you plan a future, build a family, or see yourselves in the long term if the world you inherit is marked by uncertainty, inequality, and exclusion?

We must build a world that listens to you, understands you, and supports you. A world where every young person can:

• Access comprehensive education, including sexual and reproductive health education;

• Receive quality healthcare services;

• Enjoy gender equality and economic empowerment;

• Live in a safe and healthy environment.

As a young activist quoted by UNFPA rightly said:
“Young people aren’t just thinking about their future children — they’re thinking about the world those children will inherit.”

Excellencies, dear partners,

In the face of demographic trends — rapid urbanization, declining fertility, rising migration — we must adopt a strategic and inclusive vision. It is not enough to track the numbers; we must understand the human aspirations behind each data point.

By 2050, nearly 10 billion people will inhabit our planet, the majority of whom will be young. It is therefore imperative that public policies place the rights, needs, and voices of young people at the heart of decision-making.

At AJAP, we firmly believe that empowering youth is the key to sustainable development, lasting peace, and human dignity. We will continue to advocate, take action, and collaborate with national and international institutions so that every young person in Africa and around the world can live a fulfilling life and build the family they desire — free from constraint and fear.

I conclude, Ladies and Gentlemen,

By calling upon all of you — policymakers, technical and financial partners, civil society, and youth themselves — to work together for a fairer, more equitable, and more hopeful world for future generations.

Because the strength of a society is measured by its ability to secure the future of its youth. And that future begins with the freedom to choose, to love, to build, and to pass on.

Long live African youth! Long live human dignity! Long live World Population Day!

Thank you.

Nsengimana Eric
Chairperson and International Representative
Association for a Progressive African Youth – AJAP