African First Ladies hold 7th African Confab : On Sexual Health
Twelve African First Ladies have confirmed their participation in the 7th African Conference on Sexual Health and Rights, scheduled to take place in Ghana from tomorrow, Wednesday, February 10, 2016.
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The First Ladies, who are scheduled to arrive in the country today, would deliberate on issues affecting women, children and their sexual reproductive health and rights on the continent.
The 7th African Conference on Sexual Health and Rights is being hosted by the First Lady of Ghana and President of the Organisation of African First Ladies Against HIV/AIDS (OAFLA), Mrs Lordina Mahama, in collaboration with Curious Minds, Ghana, an organisation of young advocates and youth in broadcasting.
The first ladies are Mrs Margaret Kenyatta from Kenya, Mrs Gertrude Mutharika, Malawi; Mrs Roman Tesfaye, Ethiopia; Mrs Dominique Quattara, Cote D’Ivoire; and Mrs Aminata Keita Maiga, Mali.
Others are Madam Adjoavi Sika Kabore from Burkina Faso, Mrs Sia Koroma, Sierra Leone; Dr Maria Dia Luz Guebuza, Mozambique; Mrs Mialy Rajoelina, Madagascar; Mrs Hinda Deby Itno, Chad; and Mrs Djene Kaba Conde, Guinea Bissau.
The rest are official representatives of the First Ladies of Sudan, Rwanda, Burundi and Zambia.
Other dignitaries
Other dignitaries expected in Accra this week for the conference are the UN Under Secretary & Executive Director of UNFPA, the Deputy Executive Director of UNAIDS, the Africa Union Commissioner for Social Affairs and UNICEF’s Deputy Director for West and Central Africa.
Also in attendance will be the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders in Africa, the President of the International Women’s Health Coalition and over 15 ministers from the Health, Justice, Gender and Youth ministries across Africa.
500 Participants
In all, more than 500 participants, representing various stakeholder and constituency groups across Africa, will attend the conference. These include policy makers, development partners, civil society organisations, academia, activists, media, adolescents and youth.
The conference, which will be opened by President John Dramani Mahama on Wednesday, February 10, 2016 is on the theme: “Realising Demographic Dividend in Africa: the Critical Importance of Adolescents and Youth Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights.’’
All-In campaign
During the conference, the First Ladies will also launch a united continental “All-In” adolescent HIV campaign under the umbrella of OAFLA.
The launch of the HIV campaign is a collaborative effort of OAFLA, the Ghana AIDS Commission and the Global “All-In” partners such as UNICEF, UNFPA and UNAIDS to urge governments to prioritise and improve the provision of integrated HIV & sexual reproductive health services to adolescents between the ages of 10 and 19 years.
Global push
The initiative forms part of the global push to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030 with the aim of reducing AIDS-related deaths and new HIV infections among adolescents by 65 per cent and 75 per cent respectively by 2020.
Mrs Mahama has prioritised the campaign to ensure that all member states across the continent give attention to the sexual reproductive health of adolescents.
Mrs Mahama will also launch a major campaign towards ending child marriages in Ghana. The initiative is being spearheaded by the First Lady through the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection. The Ghana Ending Child Marriage Initiative aims at raising awareness and garners support towards ending child marriages in Ghana.
Major milestones
In an interview with the Daily Graphic, Mrs Mahama expressed her joy at the visit of the First Ladies and said it would boost the efforts of governments aimed at addressing the issues affecting Africa, especially women and children.
She said the year 2016 would see the achievement of major milestones in the collective endeavour to secure the future of Africa, improve maternal and child health on the continent and work towards ending the AIDS epidemic.
Mrs Mahama said the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provided a new opportunity, and there was the need to identify and utilise entry points across several sectors and at various levels as an efficient and cost-effective way to achieve the ambitious goals of ending AIDS among children and improving adolescent sexual reproductive health and rights.