Reviewing the extent of implementation of the Addis Ababa Declaration on Population and Development

United Nations Population Fund

Newsletter Review of the Addis Ababa Declaration on Population and Development in Africa beyond 2014 Accra, Ghana,

2-5 October, 2018 image:

The Black Star Gate at Accra © UNFPA WCARO/Habibou Dia

2 Reviewing the extent of implementation of the Addis Ababa Declaration on Population and Development (AADPD) beyond 2014 African Ministers in charge of population issues have endorsed the continental report on the implementation of the Addis Ababa Declaration on Population and Development (AADPD). At the end of their two-day meeting in Accra Ghana, (4-5 Oct), the Ministers adopted the recommendations of the population experts, who had assessed the gains, gaps, best practices and challenges in implementing the Declaration.

Ken Ofori-Ata said that many African countries need to make the transition from focusing on population management to investing in human wealth, adding that the continent needs to work hard in achieving demographic dividend and addressing the challenges faced by young people.

“Frustrated by lack of opportunity, many of Africa’s young people are risking their lives on perilous journeys in search of a better “This is a historic day for Africa as we adopt life. The danger is that pools of idle youth these recommendations which are aligned to are a magnet for recruiters from rebels and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs extremist groups” 2030) and the African Union agenda 2063 the (Honourable Ken Ofori-Ata Ghana Minister future we want” of Finance) (Dr. Roberts Chakanda, Deputy Minister of Planning and Economic Development in the UNFPA Deputy Executive Director – Republic of Sierra Leone) Programmes Mr. Dejere Wordofa said

© UNFPA Nigeria/Gabriel Adeyemo

Africa has come a long way in addressing Speaking on behalf of the Vice President of population and development issues and the Republic of Ghana at the opening cere- has reasons to celebrate. mony, the Minister of Finance, Honourable

“Adolescents and youth who are able to go to school, stay in school, avoid child marriage and avoid teenage pregnancy has increased. Women and girls who go through their life without threat of illness or death due to increasing skilled attendance at birth has also increased” (Mr. Dejere Wordofa UNFPA Deputy Executive Director)

3 Mr. Wordofa however cautioned that some challenges are still ahead. These include unmet need for family planning, low poor quality of service resulting in high maternal mortality, and rapid urbanization which deepens inequality. He stated that alongside with AU Commission, the UN Economic Commission for Africa and other agencies, “UNFPA stands ready to support the process of ensuring the rights, choices

and progress for all through the full and accelerated implementation of the Addis Ababa Declaration on Population and Development (AADPD).

She noted that the review will feed into the historic commemoration of the 25 years of ICPD and the 52nd Session of the Commission on Population and Development

(CPD) taking place in New York in 2019 thus it is important for all Member States to be prepared to highlight Africa priorities on the population agenda.

© UNFPA WCARO/Habibou Dia

The Africa Union Commissioner for Social Affairs Mrs. Amira Elfadill said “the AADPD is critical to the achievement of AU Agenda 2063 and global Sustainable Development Goals 2030”.

The Ministers made the following recommendations on the review of AADPD: • Recommended the expansion and scaling up of existing initiatives such as Sahel Women's Empowerment and Demographic Dividend (SWEDD), which focus on the demographic dividend and the empowerment of women.

• That emphasis is placed to engage traditional leaders and healers as they are consistent stakeholders and gate-keepers in the population discourse • Recommended that social security needs to be a subject of consideration especially in the CAP • Recommended that early child development, drop out children, adoption, and inter -country adoptions, undocumented and unaccompanied minors and stateless children are subjects of consideration.

4 UNFPA STORIES AUDIENCES UNFPA officials meet with the Ghanaian President At the peak of his engagements in Ghana, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo- Addo, granted audience to UNFPA officials at the Jubilee House, during which they discussed issues of common interest. According to the Ghanaian Head of State, population and health issues are closely linked to Family Planning, education and schooling, especially for girls and these are key issues for

The UNFPA DED expressed his appreciation to the President for championing the cause of women and girls in Ghana and for hosting the meeting of experts and ministers in charge of Population and Development as part of the AADPD review process. He went further to express UNFPA’s commitment to strengthen its partnership with the government and people of Ghana.

Ghana and Africa.

"The mandate of UNFPA is of major importance, and Ghana will add its voice to that of UNFPA to support issues of population, development, education and birth-spacing both at country and regional levels.”

(President Akuffo-Addo)

alongside the UNFPA Regional Directors for West and Central Africa, Mabingué Ngom; and East and Southern Africa, Ms. Julitta Onabanjo. AU Commission’s Chief of the Health, Population and Nutrition Division, Dr. Margaret Agama-Anyetei, and the UNFPA Ghana Representative, Mr. Niyi Ojuolape, were also in attendance from the guests’ side, while the Representatives of the National Population Council as well as The African Union Commissioner for Social the Ministry of Gender, Children and Welfare Affairs, Ms. Amira ElFadil, accompanied of Ghana, joined from the Ghanaian side.

UNFPA’s DED to the high-level discussions,

5 Courtesy call on the Minister of Foreign Affairs

decide on the number of children she wants to have. This, he said, can be realised with enhanced collaboration between governFollowing his engagements with the Head ments and international partners, in order of State, the DED paid a courtesy call on to ensure that “choice, dignity and rights” the Honourable Minister of Foreign Affairs are the focus of today’s Family Planning. and Regional Integration of Ghana, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey. The highlights of their discussion were on the girl-child.

“If we are able to solve the issues surrounding the girl-child to stay in school and grow properly to be able to make important choices, then Africa will achieve gender parity and will succeed in realizing the SDGs”.

(Honourable Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration of Ghana, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey) The DED expressed his wish to see a better Africa where the 10-year-old girl stays in school, completes her education and grows to be an empowered woman to © UNFPA WCARO/Habibou Dia

Courtesy Call on Ghanaian Vice President H.E. Mahamadu Bawumia

and access to decent jobs. Responding to the DED’s appeal, the Vice President emphasized that he will carry this message to cabinet. H.E. Alhaji Mahamadu Bawumia said he is “looking forward to support from UNFPA during the 2020 population census”.

© UNFPA Nigeria/Gabriel Adeyemo

UNFPA delegation met with the Vice President of the country, H.E. Alhaji Mahamadu Bawumia, during which the DED made a passionate appeal to the government, to make Family Planning a priority in the national budget. He emphasized that unless issues of population growth are dealt with, the youth will not have quality education

6 Calls on Ghanaian Second Lady, H.E. Samira Bawumia good and important choices for herself and her family. He reiterated the fact that gender equality is at the heart of all UNFPA interventions.

Mrs. Bawumia said “there is the need to develop a culture that abhors bad and harmful practices such as Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and Child Marriages”

acts do not understand the impact of their actions on families and communities, and commended UNFPA for supporting her project: Coalition of People Against Sexual and Gender-Based Violence and Harmful Practices – CoPASH.

© UNFPA Nigeria/Gabriel Adeyemo

The Second Lady of the Republic, H.E Mrs. Samira Bawumia received UNFPA officials.

During this meeting, the DED reiterated the importance of girls’ education in ensuring that every girl grows up to be able to make

© UNFPA Nigeria/Gabriel Adeyemo

She noted that the perpetrators of such

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Š UNFPA Nigeria/Gabriel Adeyemo

A Stop at the Gender Ministry to Pay a Courtesy Visit on the Minister

The DED paid a courtesy visit to the Deputy Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Hon. Gifty Twum- Ampofo. Their discussions focused on issues of mutual interest, highlighting the collaboration between UNFPA and the Gender Ministry. The DED in his opening remarks was grateful for the effective collaboration between the Ministry and UNFPA, indicating that the is-

sues of population, including the work on the ICPD processes, is imperative for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, hence the commitment of UNFPA and the UN system in general to support the Government of Ghana in that regard. The Minister expressed appreciation for the technical and financial support from UNFPA to the Ministry.

8 Field visit and meeting with UNFPA staff

Interacting with Beneficiaries of UNFPA Ghana Interventions in Agbogbloshie and Jamestown, Accra.

An exciting part of his engagement, was his visit to the Agbogbloshie Market and the Ussher Polyclinic, both within the Greater Accra Region. At the Agbogbloshie Market, the Deputy Executive Director, accompanied by the Regional Directors Mabingue Ngom and Julitta Onabanjo, visited a UNFPA supported project site, where children of ‘Kayayei’ (women head porters) benefit from accessing education and are guaranteed a smooth transition through their adolescence. At this site, sexual and reproductive health information and services are also made accessible to commu-

nity members, most of whom are women and young people.

At the sexual and reproductive information service points, the Deputy Executive Director and Regional Directors had the opportunity of directly interacting with project beneficiaries, having discussions around reproductive health and menstrual health management. They also handed over dignity kits to the girls and women who were there to seek information and services.

Top Left, Top Right, Bottom Left © UNFPA Nigeria/Gabriel Adeyemo: Bottom Right © UNFPA Ghana/Philip Lawson

9 At Ussher Polyclinic An especially interesting engagement, was between the DED and officials of the Ussher Polyclinic, where the DED saw the UNFPA-supported skills center, equipping girls from the community with livelihood skills and giving them a second chance to realize their dreams. Most of the girls enrolled at the skills center had either dropped out of school and/or give birth in their teenage years. However, with two years of gaining skills, the girls are usually supported to start their own income-generating activities

© UNFPA WCARO/Habibou Dia

to support themselves, or even to go back to school.

Having seen first-hand the impact of UNFPA’s work in communities like Agbogbloshie and Jamestown Accra, the DED and Regional Director for West and Central Africa, jointly launched the 3 Zeros Agenda, a campaign towards ensuring that UNFPA’s 3 transformative results, become a reality for the populations the agency works to serve – women, youth and adolescents.

the Deputy Executive Director and Regional Director for West and Central Africa, jointly launched the 3 Zeros Agenda, a campaign towards ensuring that UNFPA’s 3 transformative results, become a reality for the populations the agency works to serve.

10 Meeting with Staff To wrap up his engagements, given that this is his first official visit to the region, the Deputy Executive Director had a meeting with UNFPA Staff from within the region, who were attending the ADDPD+5 Experts and Ministerial Meetings. The meeting with staff made it possible to highlight the work of various country offices, pointing out seeming challenges encountered in carrying out plans of action and the need to re-adjust programmes and interventions based on prevailing conditions in various

parts of the world today. The Deputy Executive Director attributed some of the challenges encountered by UNFPA to the growing inadequacy of resources and sometimes, the leadership necessary for providing the impetus for achieving targets.

The recently launched UN Youth Strategy during the 73rd UN General Assembly meeting was alsodiscussed, with staff pledging their commitment to seeing it being actualized by 2030.

UNFPA staff group photo

Š UNFPA WCARO/Habibou Dia

11 With the contribution of : Jacob Eben Enoh UNFPA WCARO / Communication adviser Adebayo Fayoyin UNFPA ESARO / Communication adviser Habibou DIA UNFPA WCARO / Media specialist Doris Mawuse Aglobitse UNFPA Ghana / Programme analyst Communication & ressource mobilisation Haddy Jonga UNFPA The Gambia / Communication specialist Gabriel Adeyemo UNFPA Nigeria Philomena Dozi-Kuzoze UNFPA Ghana Jean-Philip Lawson UNFPA Ghana

A UNFPA Production www.lemaconceptsafrica.com