UNFPA supports Ghana with $27m

Accra, Feb. 21, GNA - The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) on Tuesday committed 27 million dollars to support the country's reproductive health, gender, population and development programmes. The commitment, which is UNFPA's fifth Country Programme Action Plan (CPAP) to the country aims at improving quality of life of Ghanaians from 2006 to 2010.

Mr Emmanuel Tofoatsi, Assistant Country Representative of UNFPA, who made this known at a day's Consultative meeting to review drafted action plan of UNFPA said the programme strategically focused on maternal health as an essential contribution to poverty reduction. The meeting brought together stakeholders to discuss the proposed CPAP for the 2006-2010 and to propose solutions in the light of sector and national realities.

Mr Tofoatse said UNFPA's programme would focus on the districts in the Volta and Central and the three Northern Regions adding the programme would also strengthen capacity of implementing agencies, support capacity building of the media and youth involvement in reproductive health.

The programme would strengthen institutional and technical capacity to integrate population; reproductive health and gender concerns into development planning and budgeting at the national level as well as UNFPA supported districts.

"UNFPA will support the enforcement of existing laws that have been promulgated towards eliminating all practices that negatively affect women's rights."

Mr Tofoatse noted that the Government of would provide the needed support for the implementing agencies to carry out the fifth country programme of assistance.

Mr Makane Kane, UNFPA Country Representative, expressed the joy that UNFPA's support had strengthened the Government's commitment to matters of population in the country.

"Our assistance has also helped in strengthening national capacity in data collection and analysis, including the conduct of 2000 Census and other major surveys."

Mr Kane noted that the draft CPAP were made up of practical and urgent strategic interventions for improved access to maternal health through emergency obstetric care and repositioning family; improved reproductive health behaviour among men, women and young people.

Mrs Helen Allotey, Deputy Director of External Resource Mobilisation Division of the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, said the Ministry was waiting for the finalisation of the various CPAPs together with UNFPA, UNICEF and WFP so that they could reinforce the coordination of UN agencies assistance which was in line with and consistent with the UN reforms agenda on harmonization.

She reaffirmed the Ministry's commitment in leading and supporting efforts to address the constraints faced in the effective utilization of external resources to meet the targets of the MDGs.

12 Feb. 06