President to open ICPD conference

Rumbidzayi Zinyuke in VICTORIA FALLS

PRESIDENT Mnangagwa will today officiate at the 20th edition of the International Inter-Ministerial Conference on South-South and Triangular Co-operation in Population and Development to be held in Victoria Falls.

The two-day conference will headline more than 30 Partners in Population and Development (PPD) member countries and organisations gathered here to take stock of the progress that has been made around sexual reproductive health and rights and population development issues over the past 30 years.

The consultative meeting will enable high-level officials, subject experts, representatives from development partners and youth leaders to discuss and agree on the priority actions to be taken ahead of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD30) to be held in Zimbabwe next year.

Speaking during the PPD partner country co-ordinator meeting held here yesterday, Health and Child Care Minister Douglas Mombeshora said the ICPD Programme of Action acknowledged South-South Cooperation as a key strategy for achieving ICPD goals.

“Indeed, South-South Cooperation promotes sharing of good practices and experiences and supports member states to realise their national aspirations and development goals in reproductive health, population and development. For example, member states and Zimbabwe is not an exceptional, have benefited from a PPD scholarship programme offered with support from Egypt, India and South Africa contributing towards development of human resource base through capacity development, leadership and service delivery in Reproductive Health, Population and Development,” he said.

Minister Mombeshora reaffirmed Zimbabwe’s commitment to achieving the ICPD and SDGs Agendas of moving the world forward and leaving no one behind.

He said for this to be achieved, there was need for a strong international inter-governmental framework of promoting SSC in advocacy, networking and policy formulation.

“I therefore, urge you all, to focus on how PPD can help accelerate the ICPD and SDGs by 2030, learning from the Covid-19 experience and achieving the Nairobi Commitments to promote South-South Cooperation (SSC) in Reproductive Health, Population and Development within ICPD Programme of Action,” Minister Mombeshora said.

He said Zimbabwe was committed to the work of PPD and to promote South-South Cooperation as an accelerator to achieving ICPD Programme for Action and the 2030 agenda for Sustainable Development.

Gambian Minister of Public Service, Mr Baboucarr Bouy, said his country was committed to achieving the goals outlined in the ICPD Programme of Action through the effective implementation of national policies and programmes.

He said tracking the progress made towards the attainment of the ICPD PoA goals and targets was important.

“As part of our strategy to monitor and evaluate our progress in implementing the ICPD Programme of Action, with support from PPD, The Gambia has recently established a National Taskforce for South-South Cooperation. The taskforce’s primary responsibility is to regularly oversee and report on the execution of our National ICPD Commitments, including those made during the Nairobi Summit. This proactive monitoring and reporting mechanism is vital for ensuring accountability and achieving positive outcomes as we work towards fulfilling our commitments in Nairobi,” Mr Bouy said.

The ICPD Programme of Action was adopted by representatives of 179 governments in Cairo in 1994.

The Programme of Action recognised reproductive health and the empowerment of women and gender equality as pillars of sustainable development.

At the last ICPD25 held in Nairobi, Kenya, the governments made commitments to address maternal deaths, unmet need for family planning services, and gender- based violence.

Countries made national commitments in five areas, namely: universal access to sexual and reproductive health, financial resources to finish the ICPD Programme of Action, demographic diversity to drive economic growth and achieve sustainable development and gender.

UNFPA East and Southern Africa regional director Ms Lydia Zigomo concurred with partner countries that South-South cooperation was indeed an accelerator for the achievement of the ICPD goals.

“While much progress has been made in population and development, and more women and young people enjoy their rights and choices than in 1994, the ideals and goals of the ICPD programme of action are facing a pushback. Concerted and collaborative effort is thus needed to achieve our goals,” she said.

Ms Zigomo said SSC as an accelerator, was driven by the realisation that the global south was growing in terms of capacity and the drive to contribute to global development by sharing their knowledge and resources derived from their developmental journeys.