Invest in Women and Youth: It Pays

It is my honour to join you in beautiful Yokohama for the Fourth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD IV). I would like to thank the Government of Japan for hosting this historic Conference, TICAD IV, towards a vibrant Africa. Thank you for bringing all of us together to focus on boosting economic growth, ensuring human security and addressing environmental issues on the great African continent.

I would like to commend the Government of Japan and Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda for doubling Japan’s official development assistance to Africa by 2012. The action of Japan is a welcome leap and I urge other donors to follow their lead here in TICAD and at the upcoming Group of Eight (G-8) Summit.

Now is the time to support Africa with strong financial and technical backing. And now is the time to support trade that is fair and balanced. The real and present danger of climate change and the global food crisis only increase the urgency of these calls for action.

UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, is committed to the realization of Africa’s renaissance. We support nationally led development. We are committed to building local capacity and fostering South-South cooperation. And we are committed to doing our part to make the United Nations system more coherent, effective and responsive to the needs of African countries.

On television news programmes, we often see images of Africa focused on drought, conflict, refugees, and starving children. But behind the screen, in real life, lies another side of Africa—an Africa with untapped potential and tremendous wealth. A vibrant Africa that is committed to liberty, life and human rights. An Africa with rich history, tradition and culture. A continent producing award-winning films and world-class literature. An Africa registering high economic growth, well embarked on the evolution of the democratic process, building new schools and clinics, reforming laws and institutions, and looking to the future with hope and determination.

 

Excellencies,

The greatest natural resource of Africa is the African people. And it is time to invest more fully in their education, their health, and their well-being. This is especially important for women and youth. It is crucial to focus on social protection, human security and dignity for the most vulnerable as we strive to reach the Millennium Development Goals and confront the global food crisis and climate change.

There is no doubt that immediate and long-term measures must be taken to address rising food prices and hunger. Human security and development also require greater attention to population dynamics, women’s empowerment and sexual and reproductive health, including family planning.

Allow me, first, to address the issue of population dynamics. Analysing population dynamics is essential to sound planning and policymaking. And strengthening statistical systems is essential to collecting population data and monitoring development goals. UNFPA is committed to a successful 2010 census round. We are providing technical and financial support to many African countries to build national capacity for statistics and censuses.

Today, Africa’s population can be characterized by three distinguishing features. The first is rapid population growth, including urban growth. Africa’s population is set to double within the next 40 years and much of this growth, at unprecedented levels, will occur in cities and slums. This could offset gains made in economic growth. Already the food crisis is having a heavy impact on the urban poor.

The second feature is an age structure that is very young, with 60 per cent of the population under the age of 25. The choices and opportunities afforded to young people will determine the continent’s future.

And the third feature is continuing high rates of fertility and mortality. Slightly more than half of all maternal deaths occur in Africa and most of these deaths are avoidable. Thus, it is high time to make the health and well-being of African women a priority. There is no reason in the world why a woman in Africa should face 1 in 26 lifetime risk of dying during pregnancy and childbirth, compared to a 1 in 8,000 risk for a woman in industrialized countries, as a whole, and a 1 in 11,600 risk for a woman here in Japan.

Today, I call on all leaders to make the health and rights of women a political and development priority. Of all the Millennium Development Goals, MDG 5, to improve maternal health, is generating the least resources and lagging the furthest behind. And African women and families are paying the price.

Collectively and individually, we must act with urgency to support African women to claim their rights, including their right to health. We must accelerate efforts to achieve MDG 5 and its two targets to reduce maternal deaths and achieve universal access to reproductive health by 2015. To make motherhood safer, every woman needs access to family planning, skilled attendance at birth and emergency obstetric care. No woman should die giving life. Increased resources and effective programmes are urgently needed.

I call on African leaders to keep the commitment they made in Abuja to dedicate 15 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) to health. And I call on donor governments to keep their promise to allocate 0.7 per cent of GDP to official development assistance. It is time to support African leaders to carry forward the 2006 Maputo Plan of Action for the operationalization of the continental policy framework for sexual and reproductive health and rights. Together, we must strengthen primary health care with community engagement. This will improve the health and security of African women and youth and accelerate Africa’s development.

And we must remember that building strong health systems is a means, not an end. We should measure success in terms of fewer deaths of women, newborns and children. We should measure success in fewer HIV infections, access to AIDS treatment and longer, healthier lives. This means delivering a comprehensive package of quality reproductive health services that are available, affordable and sustainable at the community level.

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