JAMAICA: Maternal Mortality Still High
The Jamaica Observer on 5 July reported that, "there are fresh concerns that the country will end up far from the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of reducing the number of deaths to 25 per 100,000 live births by 2015." Director of the Latin American and Caribbean Division of the UNFPA, Marcela Suazo, is quoted as saying, "With all the technological advances, this shouldn't happen. Maternal mortality should not be a problem in this century. We have enough knowledge that should prevent women from dying while giving life." In Jamaica, hypertension, followed by haemorrhage, embolism (where a blood clot or air bubble blocks a blood vessel), and unsafe abortions account for half of all maternal deaths. Read in English: Jamaica Observer
GUATEMALA: UN Says One in Four Children Born of Teen Mother
Siglo 21 reported on 5 July that the UN says that one in four children is born of a teenage mother or a young woman, most likely poor, said Marcela Suazo, UNFPA Regional Director, in Quito, where UNFPA has asked for better public policy to benefit youth. Read in Spanish: Siglo 21
PARAGUAY: Maternal Mortality Declined in Last Ten Years
Ultima Hora reported on 5 July that maternal mortality declined in Latin America and the Caribbean by 41% in the last 10 years, although the averages of the region still show deep inequality. Virginia Camacho, regional advisor on sexual and reproductive health, UNFPA, made these statements at the Special Committee meeting of the ECLAC Population and Development, which takes place in the city of Quito, Ecuador. Read in Spanish: Última Hora
PARAGUAY: One in Four in Latin America Born To Teenage Mother
ABC Digital reported on 5 July that in the framework of the Special Committee Meeting of ECLAC Population and Development, UNFPA Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, Marcela Suazo said that births to teenage mothers occur in poorer households, so it made an urgent call to invest in education, access to sexual and reproductive health and family planning for adolescents and young people. Read more in Spanish: ABC Digital
OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY: Palestinian Authority Contribution to UNFPA
Al-Ayyam on 5 July reported on the meeting between H.E. Dr. Riyad Malki, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Ms. Barbara Piazza-Georgi, UNFPA representative. The purpose of the meeting was to hand over, by Dr. Malki, a cheque in the amount of $5,000 from the PNA to UNFPA. “Realizing the vital role UNFPA plays in oPt,” Dr. Malki said in his press release, “despite the financial difficulties the Palestinian Authority is going through.” Ms. Piazza-Georgi expressed her gratitude and appreciation and considered it to be “a historic moment when Palestine contributes to development at the global level, despite the difficulties of the PNA” she commented. Read in Arabic: Al-Ayyam
NIGERIA: UNFPA Seeks to Boost Access to Contraceptives
The Guardian on 5 July reported that the UNFPA has started to train monitors to ease the contraceptive distribution procedure. An uncoordinated distribution system has limited the intended impacts of the government's free contraceptives programme. Read in English: The Guardian
NIGERIA: Maternal Deaths High In Lagos
The Guardian on 5 July reported on a recent study which found that one in every 40 pregnant women in Lagos will die during gestation, childbirth or during the six weeks after the end of the pregnancy or delivery. The study, "a collaborative effort with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), World Health Organisation (WHO), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and Ipas identified reasons why MMR remains unacceptably high in Lagos State at 555 per 100,000 compared to the national average of 545 per 100,000 live births." Read in English: The Guardian
LEBANON: Launching of Joint GBV Project in North
Several media outlets reported on 4-7 July on the launch by the Safadi Foundation of a new UNFPA-supported project entitled, "Yes for Facing Violence Together." The project aims to raise awareness on gender-based violence prevention among residents of old neighbourhoods in the Northern city of Tripoli, through the implementation of sensitization events as well as learning basic martial arts skills for empowering women and girls on psychological, social, physical levels. The project will be implemented in three Safadi Foundation centers located in Tripoli and its surroundings.
This project falls within the joint MDG-F Programme on Conflict Prevention and Peace Building in North Lebanon, within which UNFPA is entrusted with the Women Empowerment and Gender Component. The project It comes as a result of a two-staged training workshop targeting social workers and women leaders: first stage revolves around GBV concepts, definitions and implication, and second stage addresses project development and results based management; after which participating NGOs submitted small proposals to implement local initiatives aiming at empowering women and providing support to reduce GBV vulnerability in targeted areas. Safadi Foundation and is one of the 4 NGOs recipients of such small grants. Read in Arabic: Al Bayan; Tripoli scope.
TANZANIA: UNFPA Urged Increase in Health Budget
The Daily News on 5 July reported that UNFPA Assistant Representative Dr. Rutasha Dadi urged officials to consider a per capita allocation in their health budget. "As per the World Health Organisation (WHO), countries are required to put aside 33 US dollars per person in the health budget. UNFPA supports this and we urge the government to adhere to the target as it is more effective," he said. Read in English: Daily News
GHANA: Journalist Sensitization Workshop Held
The Ghana News Agency on 5 July reported on a UNFPA organised media workshop to sensitize journalists on the implementation of the sixth Ghana Country Programme (CP6) which will be ongoing for five years. The workshop helped the journalists to understand CP6 and updated their knowledge on the UNFPA strategic plan for enhanced coverage of UNFPA-mandated issues. Read in English: Ghana News Agency
MYANMAR: Country Programme Action Plan Signed
The New Light of Myanmar on 5 July reported on the signing ceremony to implement the Country Programme of Action Plan (2012-2015). The ceremony was jointly organized by the Republic of the Union of Myanmar and UNFPA. The four-term Country Programme of Action Plan is to be implemented in the cause of reproductive health, booming population, HIV/AIDS and gender equality.