Despite UN officials earlier saying Mr Annan's presence in the Bosnian capital was purely coincidental and there was no particular reason a Sarajevo baby had been selected, the UN chief acknowledged the symbolism of the birth in a city still scarred by years of war. Population experts concede that D6B is purely a symbolic date. With more than 3 babies born around the world every second, it is impossible to work out which baby is the world's six billionth. Most demographers said the baby was more likely to be born in Asia than Bosnia. The symbolic birth coincided with China defending its controversial birth-control policy.
China operates a one-child policy which has earned it praise and vitriol in almost equal measure.
Population explosion Sarajevo is still rebuilding after the bitter Bosnian war UN population experts say the country has made sacrifices for the benefit of the whole world, but human rights groups argue the policy infringes civil liberties and encourages forced abortions. China denies this, although it admits that occasionally local officials overstep the line. In the end D6B and Baby Six Billion were chosen by the UN to highlight the problems of the world's population explosion. Although the growth rate has slowed in recent years, the world population has doubled since 1960 and the UN estimates that the vast majority of new-born infants will grow up to be poor and illiterate. The means, however, are available.