Planning by Sadiya Hamza New York – UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon, on Monday, said the world body had embarked on a new era of development “and family planning remains one of the best investments countries can make to achieve progress in the Sustainable Development Goals.’’ Ban made this known in a message to the International Conference on Family Planning in Bali, Indonesia, delivered by Dr Babatunde Osotimehin, the Executive Director of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA). In his remarks made available to UN correspondents in New York, Ban said family planning was key to unlocking the untold opportunities for individuals and nations. He said “family planning saves lives. “We have seen in countries around the world that maternal and child health improve when women have access to services and information they need to freely decide the number, timing and spacing of their children. “Fewer unintended pregnancies mean fewer maternal and infant deaths, fewer abortions and fewer miscarriages.’’ The UN chief said that by empowering women and girls to make informed decisions about their bodies, it would enable them to make informed decisions about how they would live to seek education and to stay in school. He noted that once women and girls were empowered, they would develop the skills to find decent work and contribute to the economic growth of their families,their communities and nations. He added that as Secretary-General of the UN, he held high the banner of empowering women and girls, promoting their health and defending their rights. “We have made great progress under the Millennium Development Goals, including through the Every Woman Every Child movement. “The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development calls for us to leave no one behind and to do that, we must intensify our efforts in that direction.’’ The UN chief said that in September, the UN launched a new Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ health to accelerate progress. The new strategy, he said, was aimed at providing roadmap toward ending preventable deaths of women and children by 2030 and ensuring that every woman, child and adolescent thrive. In so doing, he added, the living conditions of the people would improve. “You can count on the UN family to do its part; working together through partnerships like the H4+ group and under the leadership of UNFPA as a core partner of the Family Planning 2020 initiative. “We will continue to support countries with the greatest needs in reaching those left furthest behind with the life-saving information, services and supplies they need, including family planning. “Let us work together to turn global commitments into local actions that will ensure that every pregnancy is wanted and that every woman, child and adolescent survives and thrives.
[pro_ad_display_adzone id=”70560″]
“In transforming their lives, we will transform our world.’’ The conference, the fourth of its kind, is taking place in Nusa Dua, Indonesia, from Jan. 25 to Jan. 28. Co-hosted by the Gates Institute and the UNFPA, National Population and Family Planning Board of Indonesia (BKKBN), the conference is expected to draw several thousand researchers, programme implementers, policymakers, advocates, youth leaders, media, and representatives of local and international organisations. The UN says the Gates institute says 2,200 individual scientific abstracts and preformed panels have been submitted for consideration, the largest number in the history of the conference. (NAN)