VIET NAM: Harmonised Programme and Project Management Guidelines
The Viet Nam Economic Times (Thoi Bao Kinh Te Viet Nam) published, on 14 May, an interview with United Nations Resident Coordinator in Viet Nam John Hendra on UN-funded projects in Viet Nam after the UN and the Government signed the Harmonized Project Programme Management Guidelines (HPPMG). Application of the HPPMG will help reduce transaction fees for participants and increase aid effectiveness. At the same time, UN-backed projects in Viet Nam will achieve better transparency. According to Hendra, the HPPMG is a key part in the One set of Management Practices, one of five pillars of the One United Nations Initiative in Viet Nam. The document is the a joint effort by the Government of Viet Nam and three UN agencies – UNDP, UNICEF and UNFPA – in response to the Paris Declaration and Ha Noi Core Statement on aid effectiveness.
BOTSWANA: BCC Boss Quits But Keeps The Spirit
Mmegi Online published an interview on 14 May with Outgoing Botswana Council of Churches (BCC) chief, David Modiega. Mr. Modiega discussed the BCC’s activism on HIV/AIDS: “When HIV/AIDS was rampant and people were dying the church could not be aloof as people died. There was no shying away as there was no right word for ‘sex.’ We then started targeting young people through the Adolescent Sexual Reproductive Health (ASRH) sponsored by UNFPA, to try and target the gate-keepers, the church leaders, to address sexuality and emotions of someone as they grow. To say let's talk about sexuality in churches.” Read: Mmegi Online
ANGOLA: Putting a Dent in the Maternal Death Rate
IRIN reported on 14 May on a strategy led by the government and supported by UNICEF, WHO and UNFPA to revitalize the provision of basic healthcare at existing health facilities in 16 municipalities, covering 23 percent of Angola's 18 million people. Read: IRIN