Eng. Hazem El-Ashmouny, Governor of Al Sharkia, chaired the Regional Population Council meeting to discuss a number of topics related to the population issue and to identify the performance rates of implementing the axes of the executive plan for the population in the governorate in the General Diwan meeting hall The governor announced the start of the activities of the urgent plan to improve the population characteristics and human development in the governorate in Belbeis Center by implementing awareness meetings and organizing conferences and seminars in villages and affiliates to reach broad categories of citizens to raise awareness of the danger of population growth due to its negative social and economic effects on society and to work to change the thinking and culture related to repeated childbirth and confront the phenomenon of population growth. Dr. Eman Ali, Director of the National Population Council Branch, reviewed the procedures for implementing the urgent plan to improve demographic characteristics and human development in the governorate, which was launched on January 1, 2025 in Belbeis Center. It was noted that the urgent plan includes the evaluation phase and diagnosis of gaps, and includes self-assessment by the health management team of the current situation to identify gaps and achieve ownership and belonging, then conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the units through the Ministry's Quality and Governance Team, followed by conducting a community questionnaire through rural pioneers and population guides to analyze the community according to population indicators, then the implementation phase of the executive plan, which includes continuing activities related to reducing needs and implementing the executive plan to raise performance efficiency in the units, then implementing the executive plan to raise population indicators, followed by the evaluation phase. For her part, Eng. Lobna Abdel Aziz, Deputy Governor, praised the fruitful cooperation between all working parties, which contributed to improving demographic indicators and characteristics, noting that implementing the urgent plan will not affect the implementation of existing activities within the population plan in centers, cities and neighborhoods with the aim of eradicating illiteracy, empowering women, raising awareness of the dangers of early marriage and reducing birth rates, thanking the Governor of Sharkia for his continuous and permanent support for the population file and providing all necessary support to population coordinators in the governorate. At the end of the meeting, the governor stressed to the heads of centers, cities and neighborhoods to intensify efforts, cooperate and coordinate with all concerned parties to work in parallel with the start of implementing the urgent plan to improve demographic characteristics and human development in Belbeis Center, stressing the governorate's continuation in providing all necessary support to achieve the target in the field of improving the demographic characteristics of the governorate, which allows for greater confrontation of the population increase and overcoming it.