The world's population continues to grow at an accelerated pace. It is estimated to hit 9.3 billion in 2050, an increase of 50 percent from 6.1 billion in 2001, according to the latest annual report from the U.N. Fund for Population Activities. The key message from the report is that sustainable social development centering on economic growth is impossible without integrated global efforts to eradicate poverty and protect the environment.

Curbing global population growth is a daunting challenge that can best be met through international cooperation. Japan, which is internationally committed to development, must continue to play an active role in these efforts. The Japanese government, faced with a fiscal crisis of its own, plans to cut its foreign aid budget by 10 percent in fiscal 2002. However, this need not translate into an automatic reduction in the nation's contributions to international population programs.

The world's population has doubled in just four decades, from 1960 to 2001. The current figure, to be more exact, is 6.134 billion, according to the U.N. document. Half a century from now, the world will be inhabited by 7.9 billion people, even if fertility rates remain low. The figure will be 10.9 billion if the birth rate goes up. The most likely estimate, one based on a moderate rise in fertility, is 9.3 billion. Most of the growth will occur in the developing countries.