Six Billion People and Counting: Population Issues and Solutions for the New Millenium

Margaret Catley-Carlson, immediate past president of the Population Council, will discuss "Population Issues and Solutions for the New Millenium" at 8 p.m. Tuesday, March 30, in the Neilson Library Browsing Room, Smith College.

The lecture is free, open to the public, and wheelchair accessible.

Catley-Carlson, whose tenure at the Population Council ended in January after a six-year term, was the first woman to head the Council, an international nonprofit organization which undertakes programs and research with the goal of promoting a sustainable balance between people and natural resources.

In February, Catley-Carlson attended the Hague Forum, at which representatives from governments around the world met to assess the progress made on a comprehensive plan of action set forth in 1994 at the International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo. At the conference, Catley-Carlson presented her essay, "From Cairo to Kayoro," an account of efforts by the Population Council to bring integrated reproductive health and planning services to a small, impoverished, agrarian village in northern Ghana.

Prior to joining the Council, Catley-Carlson held a number of distinguished positions in Canadian government, including deputy minister of health and welfare, and president of the Canadian International Development Agency. She also served as deputy executive director of UNICEF, with the rank of assistant secretary-general of the United Nations.

Currently, the world's population is almost 6 billion. At the present growth rate, that figure is expected to double in 40 years. The Population Committee of the Pioneer Valley Sierra Club, the organizer of the lecture, has been working with students and residents of the Five Colleges community to build awareness about population growth and its impact on the environment.

This lecture is co-sponsored by a number of organizations including the Smith College Project on Women and Social Change, National Audubon Society, and the UMass Center for International Education.

For more information, call Anita King at (413) 268-9212.