UNITED NATIONS Dec 11: Former World Bank preikient Robert McNamara warned that the world's population could triple within 100 years and

tf nations did not inaugurate a multi-tedbon-doUar birth con trol programme, reports

speech to the UN Population Fund McNamara proposed an eightbtlfiondol far programme by the year J 000. With 35 bUhon dollar from industrial nations and 4.5 billton spent by developing countries themselves

The World Bank, he said, should organise the financing and serve as the lender of the

Nothing that the world '• population of 5.4 billion could triple within 100 years. McNamara said nations must take 'immediate action to ac derate the reduction of population growth rates' in the 1990s. He pointed out that bi ologlsts said there were limits to the numbers of people the globe can support, but no one knew exactly what those limits were.

"Within the past decade, four global environmental phenomena have surfaced : the

low of biodiversity, acid rain, destruction of the ozone layer and climate change. ' he

'All are a function of rising population levels and increasing consumption per capita." McNamara said

Industrial nations. McNamara noted, consume seven times as much per capita as Third World countries and should reduce their consumption to 'assure a sustainable path of development for all the inhabitants of our

He said infant mortality rates have fallen, while literacy. nutrition and life expectancy have increased. But the number of people suffering from hunger has Increased to over a billion, the number of illiterates has risen to 900 million and infant mortality rates over at unacceptable levels.

Another report from Egypt adds : Egypt s population boom is swallowing the hard-earned benefits of its economic reform programme, the Minister for the Economy warned on Tuesday

"There Is no obstacle to the successes the Egyptian economy has achieved except the dangerous population

growth which has exceeded all expectations In the past 10 years.' Yousari Mustapha said tn a speech to business students

Listing signs of progress tn Egypt's reform programme tn the past few months, he added that population growth undermined the reforms by spawning higher imports and foreign debt.

Fund (IMF) will next week review how Egypt has fared in the reforms which It embarked on in May

But with a million extra mouths to feed every nine months. Turning market reforms into better individual standards of living is an uphill struggle.

Mustapha said Egypt's trade deficit had risen in the fiscal year ending June 1991 — exports had grown, but imports had grown faster.

Ironically. the rate of population growth is actually slowing down tn Egypt which has run family planning programmes since the 1960s

No precise figures are available but experts In the field estimate annual population growth has dropped to about 2.3 per cent, from about 2.8

Egypt s population, now about M millton. has more than tripled in the palt 50 years. On current trends, ft will top 70 million by the end of the decade.

Mustapha said inflation had 1989/1K) to 1” per cent in 1990/91. He predicted it would fall again to 15 per cent by June 1992. and to Just six per cent by June 1994.

He cited currency reform and the freeing of interest rates as factors that have created a stable base for eco nomic growth and defended controversial treasury bills the government began issuing 1n January to cover its budget deficit.

"Inflation has been brought under control by financing the budget deficit from the real savings of citiaens. and not by printing bank notes as tn the past.' he said.

Currency exchange had boomed since the government unified exchange rates two months ago. he said. Over 34 million dollar changed Into Egyptian pound compared to less than nine million dollar a Jay officially when the black market flourished.