(LINA) – The Embassy of Sweden in Liberia and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Tuesday signed an agreement for Sweden’s contribution of US$4.9 million to support UNFPA Country Program document for Liberia over the next four and a half years.
“UNFPA is a strategic partner to Sweden, with capacity to achieve relevant results significant to the needs and conditions of women and girls in Liberia, especially the poorest women and girls in rural communities,” said Ingrid Wetterqvist, Swedish Ambassador to Liberia during the signing ceremony.
“We are of the utmost conviction that the program will contribute to the realization of specific human rights, including the right to life and the right to health,” an UNFPA release issued Tuesday in Monrovia quoted the Swedish envoy as saying.
“It will also tackle discrimination, as well as effecting specific change such that women, adolescents and youth, especially marginalized and furthest behind, have improved access to quality gender-responsive, comprehensive, and integrated SRHR information and services,” Ambassador Wetterqvist added.
“Access to quality sexual and reproductive health services and reproductive rights by all; especially women and girls is the core of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals,” said UNFPA Liberia Representative, Dr. Bannet Ndyanabangi.
“UNFPA will continue its evidence-based advocacy for an enabling policy and program environment for women and young people to access sexual reproductive health information and services, including family planning; delivery of gender sensitive, age-appropriate and life skills.
The current UNFPA Country Programme for Liberia (2020-2024) is fully aligned with the Government of Liberia’s Pro-Poor Agenda for Prosperity and Development (PAPD) 2018-2023, according to the UNFPA press release.
It seeks to contribute to the achievement of universal access to sexual and reproductive health rights (SRHRs) by ensuring that adolescents and youth, including the marginalized, youth with disabilities and those furthest behind, have skills and knowledge to claim and make informed choices about their SRHR and wellbeing.
It also seeks to ensure women, adolescents and youth, especially marginalized and furthest behind, have improved access to quality gender responsive, comprehensive and integrated SRHRs information and services, including family planning and STIs/HIV, including during humanitarian situation.
The current UNFPA Program is also working toward ensuring that the national capacity is strengthened to advance gender equality, prevent and respond to gender-based violence and harmful practices, and promote women and girls’ empowerment, including in humanitarian settings.
The Program will further seek to ensure the national statistics system is enhanced to produce and use disaggregated population data to inform policy decision-making and development programming, according to the UNFPA news release.
Comments are closed.