Experts Address Policy on Cuban Demographic Development

Havana, Feb 21 (ACN) The need to assess internal migration policies, enhance the people’s cultural preparation and prioritize the attention to genre differences are some of the challenges to address the island demographic development.

Experts and researchers with the island’s Center for Demographic Studies (CEDEM) held a workshop in the context of that institution’s 51st anniversary to address the challenges of the country’s demographic unfolding and its main characteristics.

CEDEM director Antonio Aja Diaz said the targets for the demographic policy are sexual and reproductive health, aging of the population, quality of life and care, the country’s labor and migration.

Population aging suggests the importance of science, technology and innovation to increase productivity and economic efficiency, said the expert who also stressed the need to bet to the country’s social and economic development based on the attention to active and younger population sectors.

The executive suggested to find ways to have the young people contribute to the production of goods in key sectors and to settle in different territories. Although any young person can look forward to a higher education tittle, the country’s advancement will also depend on workers and farmers, said the CEDEM director.

According to the expert the country’s demographic policy is carried out by seven working teams linked to different government ministries; over 100 measures already approved will allow to manage the demographic dynamics of the nation, since this is an issue of national security.

Every Cuban province has its own working team to attend to the local demographic situation by following up on data and helping use the information for the purpose of the territorial strategies.

The experts gathered at the University of Havana are addressing the challenges and good practices implemented after two years of having set up the working teams on the demographic situation in all Cuban provinces.