NIGER: Interview With UNFPA Niger Office Representative Yacine Diallo
Sahel Dimanche featured on 17 December an interview with UNFPA Niger Representative Yacine Diallo. The interview focused on maternal health issues and UNFPA's interventions in Niger, as well as the achievements in reproductive health indicators in the area of Zinder. Mr. Diallo explained how the husband schools initiative contributed to the improvement of health centre access by pregnant women. Mr. Diallo also emphasized that family planning is not a limitation of the births, but planning and spacing births according to a timetable and intervals desired and well reflected by the couples. In the reproductive health commodity security sector, he indicated that the UNFPA provided technical assistance and funding, and established software for better management of reproductive health products. No break in stock is known since 2009.
THAILAND: Pacific Islands Well-Represented At Regional Statistics Meeting
SPC reported on 17 December that several representatives of the Pacific Islands attended the second session of the Committee on Statistics established by UNESCAP. UNFPA was one of several international agencies in attendance, along with the heads of national statistical agencies from Fiji, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Samoa and Vanuatu. Read: SPC
SWAZILAND: Swaziland, UN Sign Country Programme Action Plans
The Times of Swaziland reported on 17 December that the government and United Nations agencies, including UNFPA, signed country programme action plans, which are critical documents that will guide cooperation between UN and government bodies for the next five years.
THE GAMBIA: APGWA Trains Kanyeleng Women On FGM/C Abandonment
Foroyaa reported on 17 December that APGWA, in collaboration with UNFPA, conducted a workshop to train Kanyeleng Women to develop messages for the abandonment of FGM/C. The training was held over two days, 9-10 December, 2010 at TANGO Resource Centre in Kanifing. Earlier on, APGWA, in collaboration with UNFPA, conducted advocacy activities for the abandonment of FGM/C in North Bank Region in April 2010. This led to the launch of a campaign to eradicate FGM/C in the North Bank Region. At the launching ceremony, a recommendation was made by the parliamentarians, chiefs, women leaders and the 'Ngansimbas', for APGWA to continue the dialogue and community workshops at each district to be hosted by the Chief of the District. Read: Foroyaa
GABON: Review and Planning for UNFPA Cooperation Continues
L'Union, RTG 1 and Gabon-Matin reported on 15-17 December on the annual review of Gabon-UNFPA cooperation in 2010 and planning for the next UN development assistance framework (UNDAF), which included a workshop for the government, UN agencies and other stakeholders. Planning Director Joseph Ebouli outlined the importance of the review for informing preparations for planning the next phase of UN cooperation and implementing the last year of the current programme. UNFPA Country Director David Lawson said, "We have covered a wide spectrum of activities in 2010 and we should rejoice at our successes. We need to continue ion this trend, being strategic forward looking to support President Bongo's strategic priorities for Emerging Gabon." Discussions on progress made over the past year and perspectives and proposals for action in 2011 were reviewed and discussed extensively. The workshop was an important step towards the completion of the new UNDAF and built upon the presidential programme strategic priority until 2016, foreseen in March 2011. Some of the new UNDAF’s priorities include maternal mortality reduction, HIV prevention, enhanced governance, enhanced statistical systems.
GLOBAL: UNFPA Lobbies for Inclusion of Population Dynamics in Rio+ 20 Sustainable Development Agenda
IPS reported on 17 December and UN News Centre reported on 16 December that UNFPA is bolstering its efforts to ensure that gender, reproductive health and other population dynamics figure high on the agendas of upcoming global environmental and sustainable development discussions. Agency officials met with representatives from 20 NGOs to build partnerships to advocate for these issues, with a special focus on the agenda of the Rio+20 conference in 2012, a 20-year follow-up to the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. Read: IPS and UN News Centre