2 November 2025, Bogota, Colombia – Members of the Executive Committee of Partners in Population and Development (PPD) held a high-level bilateral meeting with Ms. Diene Keita, Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), at the Hilton Hotel, Bogota, Columbia. The meeting reaffirmed the longstanding strategic partnership between the two organizations and underscored their shared commitment to advancing South-South Cooperation in population and development.
The delegation was led by PPD’s Executive Director, Professor Joseph Akinkugbe Adelegan, alongside PPD Executive Committee Members:
- Professor Mohamed Douagi, Chair of the PPD Board and President Director General, National Board for Family and Population, Tunisia
- H.E. Dr. Douglas Mombeshora, Vice-Chair of the PPD Board and Minister of Health and Child Care, Zimbabwe
- Mr. Hamed Yaqoob Sheikh, Secretary of the PPD Board and Federal Secretary of Health, Pakistan
- Dr. Mohamed A. Sheikh, Treasurer of the PPD Board and Director General, National Council for Population and Development (NCPD), Kenya
- Dr. Ayman Abdelmohsen, Chief of the Sexual and Reproductive Health Branch, UNFPA
In his opening remarks, Professor Mohamed Douagi expressed profound appreciation for UNFPA’s continuous support and emphasized the importance of further strengthening the alliance to enhance visibility, drive innovation, and deepen member countries’ engagement. He underscored the need to translate strategic commitments into impactful actions that advance reproductive health, family planning, and population development goals.
Professor Joseph Adelegan, the Executive Director of PPD, reaffirmed his commitment to revitalizing the organization’s mandate in South-South Cooperation. He highlighted the importance of action-oriented programming and close alignment with UNFPA’s global priorities to maximize collective impact.
UNFPA Executive Director Ms. Diene Keita congratulated Professor Adelegan on his appointment and reiterated UNFPA’s strong commitment to enhancing collaboration with PPD. She emphasized the centrality of population and development in the mandates of both organizations and called for renewed political commitment, deeper cultural understanding, and strategic planning to advance shared objectives.
Ms. Keita also stressed the importance of developing a joint roadmap focusing on sustainable financing for women’s health, knowledge exchange among member states, and strengthening national and regional capacities through South-South and Triangular Cooperation.
Both organizations reaffirmed their shared vision to enhance solidarity among member states and accelerate progress toward the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) Programme of Action and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The meeting concluded with a mutual commitment to scale up collaborative initiatives and further leverage South-South Cooperation to address global population and development challenges.
