Dispatches - June
Luxembourg and UNFPA sign $1.4 million agreement to make motherhood safer in rural Afghanistan
KABUL, Afghanistan – Luxembourg and UNFPA have signed a cooperation agreement worth US$1.4 million to make motherhood safer for women in remote areas in Afghanistan, where maternal mortality rates are among the highest in the world.
The project, which will support the government's annual work plan on reproductive health, will put in place a Comprehensive Reproductive Health programme in the provinces of Badakhshan, Daikundi and Faryab. The programme is designed to improve the quality and accessibility of reproductive health services for vulnerable populations, build the capacity of service providers in the provinces, and increase community awareness and involvement in making pregnancy safer.
The contribution reflects the strong commitment and support of Luxembourg to the work of the UN in Afghanistan and responds directly to one of Afghanistan’s worst development indicators: maternal mortality. The agreement builds on Luxembourg’s ongoing support to UNFPA’s work in Afghanistan, which has included assistance for census and elections, reduction of maternal mortality and obstetric fistula.
The improvement of maternal health is integral to the United Nations Development Assistance Framework for Afghanistan for 2006 – 2008. Afghanistan’s aim is a reduction in maternity mortality of 50 per cent by 2015 and 75 per cent by 2020.
The agreement was signed at a ceremony hosted by the Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General, Ameerah Haq, and attended by high-level representatives from Luxembourg , Afghanistan and UNFPA
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