Soil degradation, energy consumption, women and education, age structure of the population, and people's needs were some of the themes for the 1993 celebration of World Population Day (July 11). United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and national authorities of UN members organized it. World Population Day is an occasion to bring attention to population issues so the public and decision makers can achieve sustainable development. This year, the event examined support of an agreed effort at a global level to find an equilibrium between population, development, and the environment. World Population Day was celebrated half-way between the Rio Conference on the Environment (June 1992) and the World Population Conference in September 1994 in Cairo. In the Sahel region, the organization of earlier World Population Days had, without doubt, favorable effects since, this year, World Population Day was celebrated over several days, sometimes even for an entire week, e.g., Mali and Chad. Some speeches were presented, audiovisual spots were broadcast, articles were published in the press, and various other organized activities occurred, which allowed World Population Day to stress the importance of population issues. UNFPA's executive director believes it is possible to find some sustainable solutions to the problems of the environment and poverty if we rise to the occasion to resolve population issues.