Juba-South Sudan-In a continued strategic partnership towards attainment of Sexual Reproductive Health Rights in South Sudan, The United Nations Population Fund-UNFPA and the Ministry of Health signed a work plan to strengthen national systems for closing unmet need for family planning, ending preventable maternal deaths and eliminating all forms of GBV and harmful traditional practices like Child marriage.
The one-year work plan costed at $490,526 will be implemented by the Ministry of Health with support from UNFPA.
“As a ministry, we are happy with the great and long-standing partnership we have with UNFPA. This partnership dates back to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement –CPA era, this work plan is well aligned with the Health Sector Strategic Plan and actualizes the implementation of the plan” said, Hon. Harriet Pasquale Akello, the former Undersecretary, Ministry of Health,
On her part, UNFPA Officer in In-charge (OiC), Suzanne Mandong re-echoed that the partnership between UNFPA and the Ministry of Health is key because South Sudan is a priority country to UNFPA,
“We applaud the Ministry of Health for upholding the ICPD agenda, we look forward to addressing the 3Zeros” (i.e., zero unmet need for family planning, zero preventable maternal deaths and zero harmful practices), she said.
Hon. Akello recognized the huge investment UNFPA through other partners have sunk in South Sudan, especially in training healthcare cadres,
“UNFPA is so engaged with training nurses and midwives, we have moved away from our old song of having only 8 midwives at independence, now the tune has shifted, thanks to UNFPA”, She added.
South Sudan remains a key priority country to UNFPA, according to Ms. Mandong, stressing that it has one of the highest maternal deaths, and she pledged a continued collaboration between UNFPA and the ministry of Health to address the three transformative results,
“At UNFPA, we will not rest as long as we continue to lose women while giving birth, a loss of one mother is one too many, because it is a human capital loss, NO woman should die while giving birth “Suzanne stressed.
The work plan signing ceremony also doubled as a courtesy call to the ministry.
