Lusaka – The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) said on Friday that it was committed to supporting Zambia build capacity in responding to humanitarian crisis affecting mainly women and girls.
In a statement to mark World Humanitarian Day, the UNFPA said it was committed to sustaining its partnership with Zambian government to ensure that rights and needs of women and girls were addressed.
This year’s World Human Day theme is `Vulnerable Populations in Emergencies.’
UNFPA said it would support programmes aimed at providing sexual and reproductive health services to ensure safe births and work with partners to build sustainable and resilient health systems.
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The UN agency said even if Zambia had experienced relatively low emergency and humanitarian situations in recent decades, data indicate that a significant number of the population was often affected by floods and drought.
“In such situations, girls and women often face a higher risk of abuse, sexual exploitation, violence, forced marriage, reproductive health-related illnesses.
“They also face the risk of death due to lack of protection and an absence of aid delivery to address their needs,” the statement said.
According to UNFPA figures, nearly 60 million people are displaced by conflict, war and persecution, the largest number since UN was created 70 years ago. (Xinhua/NAN)
