Leaders at Japan-Africa Gathering Should Speed Action to End Maternal Death, Reduce Poverty in Africa, Says UNFPA

TOKYO—UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, has urged leaders gathering for the Fourth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD IV) to commit to swifter action to end maternal death and promote women’s rights, to speed up poverty reduction in Africa. TICAD IV will be held in Yokohama, Japan, from Wednesday to Friday.

This call to action was made by UNFPA’s Executive Director, Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, who warned that Africa will not be lifted out of poverty and the Millennium Development Goals will not be achieved unless the lives, health and rights of women were promoted more vigorously and fulfilled.

“It pays to invest in women–for their families, their communities and their nations,” said Ms. Obaid. “Only when women are healthy, educated and empowered can they lift their families and their nations from the depths of poverty to prosperity.”

The Executive Director also hailed the announcement by Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda to double Japan’s official development assistance to Africa by 2012. She expressed hope that more of the funds would be allotted to maternal health. “This action by Japan is a welcome leap,” she added. “I urge other nations to follow this lead.”

TICAD IV is organized by Japan’s Government along with several partners. It will bring together African heads of State and Government and leaders of international organizations to discuss concrete ways to promote Africa’s economic growth, ensure human security and address climate change.

TICAD holds summits every five years. TICAD IV is expected to adopt the Yokohama Declaration and Plan of Action, which would be presented to the Group of Eight (G-8) Summit to be held in Japan in July.

UNFPA urged Japan to make TICAD assistance to Africa even more comprehensive, especially by allotting a greater portion to educating and empowering women and youth, as well as to ensuring universal access to reproductive health.

“UNFPA, for its part, is committed to intensifying action with partners to improve maternal health, enhance access to reproductive health and empower women,” said Ms. Obaid. “With stronger political will, more cooperation and funding, we can ensure a more vibrant Africa.”

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UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, is an international development agency that promotes the right of every woman, man and child to enjoy a life of health and equal opportunity. UNFPA supports countries in using population data for policies and programmes to reduce poverty and to ensure that every pregnancy is wanted, every birth is safe, every young person is free of HIV/AIDS, and every girl and woman is treated with dignity and respect.

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