Ministry, UNFPA affirm commitment
The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MOGCSP) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Ghana, have affirmed their commitment to work to promote gender equality and reproductive health in the country.
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The two bodies gave the assurance when the newly appointed UNFPA Representative for Ghana, Mr Babatunde Ahonsi, paid a working visit to the Minister of Gender, Children and Social Welfare, Nana Oye Lithur, in her office in Accra.
The Minister noted that both organisations had a shared mission and mandate to ensure gender equality and to improve Reproductive Health in Ghana.
She pointed out the linkage between gender inequality and poverty and called for a stronger working relationship with UNFPA in order to reduce underdevelopment.
Touching on achieving MDG 5, the minister stressed the need for increased access to maternal health related services and family planning, particularly for young people.
UNFPA support
She commended the UNFPA for its continued support, and mentioned that the UN agency was supporting the ministry to help women suffering from fistula and to also work with traditional leaders to create awareness of fistula.
UNFPA, she also said, was supporting the ministry to draft a gender policy which should be completed by the end of the year.
The agency also supported the government to develop a policy framework for the aged, the minister said, and elicited support to develop a legal framework and set up a national machinery for the aged.
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Madam Lithur said UNFPA was also offering support to address teenage pregnancy along the coastal belt of the country.
She indicated that one of the priorities of the ministry was to work to improve the lives of female head porters (Kayayei) and appealed to the new UNFPA representative to offer his support.
Nana Oye thanked the agency for also supporting the government to coordinate the multi-sectorial interventions to address Gender-Based Violence (GBV) which, she said, started with a high level ministerial conference on GBV about two months ago.
Mr Ahonsi said the UNFPA believed in gender equality and women empowerment and pledged the agency’s continued partnership with the ministry to achieve the MDGs.
He also said the UN agency was working closely with the ministry to enhance the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) programme, especially through direct cash transfers.
About Mr Ahonsi
Mr Ahonsi was the country Director of the Population Council in Nigeria and also worked with the Ford Foundation in West Africa.
He has expertise in reproductive health and human development focusing on gender and youth-related policy and programming issues.
He also served on the Gender and Rights Advocacy Panel of the Department of Reproductive Health and Research, WHO, Geneva and the Board of the United Nations University International Institute for Global Health, Kuala Lumpur.