| High
Level UN Conference on South South
Cooperation
1-3
December 2009, Nairobi, Kenya
Address
by
Mr. Harry S. Jooseery
Partners in Population and
Development (PPD)
Mr.
President,
Excellencies,
Distinguished Delegates,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I would like in the first instance
to thank you very much for giving
me this opportunity to address this
assembly on behalf of Partners in
Population and Development (PPD),
an intergovernmental alliance of 25
developing countries dedicated to
the promotion and strengthening of
South-South Cooperation in population
and development.
Partners in Population and Development
(PPD), which was established during
the 1994 International Conference
on Population and Development (ICPD),
and whose membership now represents
more than 57 per cent of the world
population, is committed to implementing
the goals and objectives of the ICPD
Program of Action, as well as the
related Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs). Our board members are Ministers
of Health and Population of 25 Developing
nations.
The most important ICPD goal in the
area of global public health is the
goal of ensuring universal access
to and availability of reproductive
health, including family planning,
by 2015. This was included as one
of the two targets under MDG 5 on
maternal health by heads of state
and government gathered at the United
Nations for the Millennium+5 Summit
in 2005.We strongly believe that the
implementation of this target, along
with other targets under MDGs 4, 5
and 6, all of which are related to
global public health, are pivotal
to the reduction of maternal mortality,
achieving poverty reduction and registering
progress towards sustainable development.
It is noted, with concern, that Reproductive
health and most particularly family
planning is losing its centrality
in terms of budgetary allocations
as well as its place in poverty reduction
strategies and in population and reproductive
health policies and programs. We underline
the need to reposition family planning
as a priority in development. The
fact that resource allocation to family
planning in international population
assistance has come down from 55 per
cent in 1995 to less that 5 per cent
today, means that countries are not
giving sufficient priority to reproductive
health and maternal health. We sincerely
hope that international donors, along
with developing countries, will pay
special attention to the need to substantially
increase allocation of resources to
family planning; and this is critical
if we are to make any progress on
maternal health.
No economic progress is possible unless
we address the burning issue of Reproductive
Health, most particularly maternal
and child health and the quality of
life of the population. Hence we urge
that this conference, besides addressing
the economic imperatives of South
South Cooperation, also acknowledges
the need to invest in Reproductive
Health, Maternal and Child Health
to enhance the quality of life of
the population which remains a prerequisite
for sustainable growth and development.
PPD has worked closely with several
international agencies, including
UNFPA and WHO, in promoting and implementing
the goals of ICPD and the MDGs through
South South Cooperation and in particular
in the areas of training and capacity
development, exchange of information,
reproductive health commodity security,
and policy dialogues. It looks forward
to deepening and strengthening its
cooperation with them in implementing
these goals by 2015. We commend the
statement made by Indonesia concerning
the need to ensure that Reproductive
Health/ Family Planning and Population
issues be emphasized in the South
South mechanism.
We
wish that this conference notes with
appreciation the emergence of PPD
as an intergovernmental organization
of developing countries on population
and development and encourages and
supports PPD in promoting RH and population
program through South South Cooperation.
I reaffirm that unless we promote
RH, the MDGs , most particularly MDG
4, 5,6 would not be achieved and I
consequently urge that RH and Population
retain the centrality they deserve
in South South Cooperation Strategy.
Investment in RH/FP remains a cornerstone
for development, and indeed South
South Cooperation an effective strategy
to attain ICPD and MDGs in developing
countries. We wish this to be highlighted
in the final outcome of this conference.
Mr. President, I would like to take
this opportunity to thank the people
and Government of Kenya for their
very kind hospitality.
Thank you.
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