This is the message of Dr. Justine Coulson, UNFPA Country Director for Albania, dedicated to the viewers of the "Depopulation" series:

So, for those of you who have been following all of the episodes in the “Depopulation” series, you have heard from a range of Albanian experts talking about some of the major population changes that are facing the country at the moment. So, you may have watched the session where we were talking about the fact that women are choosing to have fewer children now than maybe in the past. You could have listened to the session where the experts were talking about the trend of outward migration. Or the session where experts were reflecting on the fact that the population is aging in Albania, we are seeing more and more people over the age of 65 making up a considerable proportion of the population. I think the first thing to say is: this is not unique to Albania. So, when we look globally as UNFPA, we see in developed economies and countries that are rapidly developing, such as Albania, these are very normal population trends. And this is actually a success story. So, when economies start to develop, what we see, what comes alongside is greater gender equality, we see better education opportunities for women, women going out in the labor force and, therefore, couples really coming together and deciding to have fewer children. It is not the same as when, maybe, people were growing up in rural economies and they needed bigger families, while women were choosing to stay at home in more traditional roles. Also, when we look at aging populations it is also a success story, it is about the fact that we have populations that have experienced better health, better education and have greater wealth than previous populations. 

So, we do have to celebrate these changes even though they may seem challenging. And so the question is: What can societies do? What can governments do when they are faced with these population shifts? And we can look at a range of countries around the world that are approaching these challenges in different ways. We as UNFPA are working very closely with a number of governments to offer advice and what they can put in place to respond to these types of population shifts. What is important is actually for governments to really make investments to get the best out of the population they have. And what does that mean? So, for example, when we look at declining fertility where women and their partners are choosing to have fewer children, they may actually be having fewer children than they say they want to have. So, maybe, they set out and really think that they want two children, but they only have one. And we know that, when you have a range of policies to support family life such as maternity and paternity leave, it could better support affordable quality child care, that actually can encourage couples to have their first child or to have an additional child. So, there are some options for governments to make investments into family life and enable couples or women who wish to have children to actually go ahead and have the family size that they want. When one thinks about aging populations, very often one thinks about older people, about people who are fragile and who need full-time care. But, actually, what is critical for governments and for societies that have a growing aging population is to keep older people as healthy and as active and engaged in society for as long as possible. And, what we need to recognize is that just because you are 65 does not mean that you are no longer an active member of the society. You may be a grandparent, you may be a volunteer in your local community, maybe you want to keep working, but just not full-time or in a different way, maybe you have skills and knowledge that you could pass on to the younger generations and be a mentor. There are more and more examples globally of greater flexibility in the workplace that is enabling older people to continue to contribute as long as they want to and as long as they are able to. And that is a critical aspect. So, my final message is to say that yes, there are population changes here in Albania, but there are many and many positive examples from around the world on investments that can be made in human capital, in health education systems, in creating dynamic job markets, where people of all ages can find jobs to suit their skills. And I am very much looking forward to working with my colleagues in Albania at the UNFPA office and with our partners in the government and other sectors to find durable sustainable solutions for Albania's future economic development.