Intervention of Mr. Adnene Ben Haj Aissa, Executive Director, Partners in Population and Development at the 3rd China – Africa Conference on Population and Development, Accra, Ghana, 23-25 June 2019


PPDLogo-25YearsLogo-VerticalMr. Chair, Distinguished Delegates,

Dear Participants, Friends, Colleagues, Ladies and Gentlemen;

It is with great pleasure to be here in this Beautiful City of Accra, Center of the World, representing PPD Chair and Board members in this important and timely conference and I would like to thank the organizers for inviting me to this Panel on Creating Financial Momentum through SSC moderated by Dr. Jotham Musinguzi, a UN Population award recipient and with great contributions to SSC and to PPD.
I was asked to talk about achievements in SSTC and I trust this conference is one of them as it clearly shows the commitments made by  the government of China towards the promotion of African countries with the aim to improve demographic and health indicators through within the spirit and the framework of South-South and Triangular Cooperation

This is what Partners in Population and Development is promoting since its launching in Cairo 25 years ago on the occasion of the International Conference on Population and Development and it was recognized by the international community as a very promising alliance for the future of SSC. The 10 founding members of PPD were  recognized as success stories in family planning.

Four  countries among the founders were UNFPA designated Centers of excellence in FP and population and were committed to share their experiences and best practices with other developing countries to assist in the implementation of the ICPD Plan of Action through South-South Cooperation and exchange programs.

Over the last 25 years, PPD becomes stronger with its 26 member states, including emerging and rapidly developed countries China, India and South Africa and others which strongly believing in SSC as the best modality for transformation and sustainability.

PPD has capitalized on the wealth of intellectual and  programmatic capacity that exists in its member countries through documentation and replication of best practices in population and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and shared between its members. PPD has mainstreamed its policy advocacy for effective changes through outcome documents and Calls to Action which serve as roadmap for future actions in addressing emerging issues in population and development for the implementation of the ICPD PoA and SDGs.

A series of international Inter ministerial conferences, Partners Country Coordinators consultative meetings and seminars have been organized and offered an excellent plate form for debate, exchange and disseminate successful experiences between PPD member and non-member countries.

Since Cairo in 1994 and thanks to effective SSTC programs, PPD member states succeeded in implementing ICPD objectives and have moved forward to the attainment of the SDGs 2030 agenda. Reduction in maternal  and under five mortality are among the main achievements in PPD member countries.  Vietnam has reached the target of 75% reduction in MMR and Bangladesh, China, Egypt, Mexico and Tunisia have achieved the U5M MDG target. Contraceptive prevalence rate reached 65% in many PPD member countries and the average rate for skilled birth attendance is about 70%.

Progress in PPD member countries has also impacted other developing countries through SSTC programs. The Triangular Cooperation Program between Tunisia, Niger and France implemented in the health district of Kollo, in Niamey; increased the use of modern contraceptive methods from 1.5% to 22,5% in 5 years and contributed in reducing by 30% maternal deaths thanks to the extensive work of policy development, sensitization of men and religious leaders, capacity building of staff and use of mobile units to provide services to hard to reach population. This is what south-south and triangular cooperation is about: doing more with less and we have plenty of good examples with PPD member countries; Thailand and Uganda to reduce HIV infection, Egypt and the Gambia in building capacities of religious leaders, Indonesia and the Philippines, China and PPD member countries to contribute in reducing maternal mortality rates and prevention from post-partum hemorrhages.  Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Ghana and Tanzania are working together, with support from PPD regional office in Kampala, to build the capacities of Parliamentarians to increase domestic resources for RH programs and to champion RH/FP in their communities. Over the last 25 years, PPD succeeded to establish effective and transformational south-south cooperation programs among its member and non-member countries.

Mr Chair, Ladies and Gentlemen;

In March 2019, the international community celebrated the 40th  anniversary of Buenos Aires Plan of Action on SSC during the 2nd UN High level conference held in Argentina and reaffirmed its commitment on South-South and triangular Cooperation as main accelerator and the path to follow for development and achievement of sustainable Development Goals. As a global leading organization promoting SSC in RH, family planning and Population, PPD is more and more committed to go forward in improving health and well-being of population in the global south as the organization is growing thanks to the prosperity of its members engaged in cooperation and working to increase their provision of development assistance.

The prosperous economic growth of southern countries, the international calls to strengthen partnership, south-south and triangular cooperation for sustainable development and the launching of southern funding mechanisms like in China and in India are offering real opportunities to southern countries to engage in building new win-win partnerships and invite the north to contribute in this global efforts to secure healthy population in Africa through SSTC programs.

However, South-South Cooperation is still facing structural and programmatic challenges which can be addressed if political commitment and strong leadership are guiding the decisions at National regional and international levels.

The institutionalization of SSC as alternative modality for development in the context of global agenda remains as the main challenge that PPD and other southern countries are facing due to lack of clear vision and concern with other national and international priorities and interest.
How to secure domestic financial resources for SSC in RH, population and development which can contribute in bringing new additional contribution through SSTC under cost sharing programs.

PPD succeeded to work with its member countries for the establishment of national task forces led by PPD focal persons to coordinate efforts of different stakeholders in promoting south-south cooperation and in engaging new partners.

We in PPD, firmly believe that It is critical to reinvigorate existing partnerships and create new ones, among the various mechanisms for SSC like the Forum of China – Africa, based on the specific mandates and comparative advantages of the diverse organizations involved
and taking into consideration specific needs of the  southern countries.

Mr Chair, Ladies and Gentlemen;

In conclusion, I would like to congratulate the Government of Ghana for successfully hosting the 3rd China – Africa Conference on Population and Development. Like Kenya hosting the Nairobi Summit on ICPD25, PPD member countries are reaffirming their commitments through international gatherings to the implementation of ICPD Program of action and SDGs 2030 agenda and are demonstrating that south-south and triangular cooperation is their choice and their voice.

The upcoming 16th International Inter ministerial Conference on SSC in Population and Development to be organized jointly by PPD and UNFPA in collaboration with the Government of Tunisia during early September 2019 will be another occasion to consolidate the gains and reaffirm the commitments for the achievement of the ICPD PoA and the SDG 2030 agenda and an important step for new commitments to be taken to Nairobi.

Thank you for your attention

 

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