"Child marriage is an appalling violation of human rights and robs girls of their education, health and long-term prospects. A girl who is married as a child is one whose potential will not be fulfilled. Since many parents and communities also want the very best for their daughters, we must work together and end child marriage." 

Turkey welcomed its symbolic "7 billionth baby" as each country across the world picked a newborn to mark the milestone in the Earth's population.

Yusuf Efe Özkan, who was born three minutes after midnight on Oct. 31 to Gamze and Mustafa Özkan at the Dr. Zekai Tahir Burak Women's Health Hospital in Ankara, was chosen as Turkey's representative.

Dr. Zahidul Huque, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) representative in Turkey, visited the hospital to greet Yusuf Efe's arrival and said each country had picked a newborn to mark the population milestone since it was impossible to determine which baby would actually become the 7 billionth human on Earth.

Dünya nüfusu 31 Ekim 2011 saat 00.01 itibarıyla 7 milyara ulaşırken, BM Nüfus Fonu (UNFPA) her ülkeden sembolik olarak "7 milyarıncı bebeği" seçti. Bu kapsamda, Türkiye'nin 7 milyarıncı bebeği de Dr. Zekai Tahir Burak Kadın Sağlığı Eğitim ve Araştırma Hastanesinde dünyaya gözlerini açtı.

UNFPA Türkiye Temsilcisi Dr. Zahidul Huque, dünya üzerindeki 7 milyarıncı bebeğin nerede doğacağının bilinmesinin imkansız olduğundan, dünya genelinde her ülkede 31 Ekim günü doğacak ilk bebeğin, dünya üzerindeki "7 milyarıncı insan" olarak tarihe geçmesinin kararlaştırıldığını söyledi.

Türkiye'de de adını diğer ülkelerdeki bebeklerle birlikte "7 milyarıncı bebek" olarak tarihe yazdıracak bebek, saat 00.03'te dünyaya gözlerini açtı. Anne Gamze Özkan (20) ile baba Mustafa Özkan'ın (21) ilk çocukları olan bebek, normal doğumla 2 kilo 930 gr. olarak dünyaya geldi. Türkiye'nin şanslı bebeğine, ailesi "Yusuf Efe Özkan" ismini verdi.

UNFPA Head Appeals to the International Community to Step Up Assistance to Those Displaced by Syrian Conflict

The international community should urgently increase its support to refugees and displaced persons fleeing the Syrian crisis, Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin, Executive Director of UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, said, following visits to Syrian refugee camps in Turkey and Jordan.

"It is heartening to see the open-door policy of Syria's neighbouring countries," said Dr. Osotimehin. "But we are concerned that, with the number of refugees steadily increasing, the economies of host countries will be affected. The international community will need to step up."

There are currently more than 1.3 million registered refugees in Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and Egypt. The majority are living in host communities, outside of camp settings, which is putting strains on local services. In excess of 6.5 million people also need humanitarian assistance inside Syria, including 4.3 million internally displaced persons. UNFPA is providing life-saving reproductive health services across the region, including within Syria.

In Turkey, Dr. Osotimehin met with women and youth in Nizip Camp, which hosts nearly 14,000 Syrians and is fully operated by the Turkish Government. "I am impressed with what I have seen in terms of logistics, health care and services," he said. "It is clear that the Government of Turkey and its people have not only invested money, but also care." UNFPA has trained health-care providers to respond to refugees' reproductive health needs and provided 40,000 dignity kits containing hygienic items, such as sanitary pads and soap. An additional 20,000 kits will soon be distributed, but it is estimated that 400,000 kits are necessary for Turkey's refugee population of over 200,000 people.

"Moving forward, we will need to expand our services and mobilize resources to protect women and girls and to provide for their needs," Dr. Osotimehin explained. UNFPA, along with other United Nations agencies, will urgently require additional funds to continue responding to the crisis. More than $30 million will be necessary in the coming year for UNFPA to continue its work throughout the region, including in Syria. "But no matter how much we provide for the refugees, the problem is that this will never be home," he noted, adding, "we need to reach a quick and peaceful solution to the conflict in Syria."