Expanding and Improving South-South Collaboration in the Fields of Reproductive Health, Population, and Development

Conert Sibanda

October 11, 2023

The Zimbabwe Ministry of Health and Child Care’s mantra of “zero maternal death cases” is in line with the global interest of all Ministries of health.

The Minister of Health and Child Care, Hon. Dr. Douglas Mombeshora, stated that Zimbabwe has benefited from South-South and triangular cooperation in the health sector.

He emphasized the importance of sharing knowledge and expertise among developing countries to improve sexual and reproductive health, reduce maternal mortality, and empower women.

“Apprehensive sexual reproductive health services and thus help the increase of uptake of sexual and reproductive health services through South-South and Triangular Cooperation with other nations, Zimbabwe has managed to fill gaps in health service provision, including sexual reproductive health through medical and other health specialists coming into the country to provide health services from countries like China and Quba. Through South-South and Triangular Cooperation, Zimbabwe has benefited in human knowledge and capacity, building periodic fellowship offered by partners in population and development,” said Dr Mombeshora

The Minister of State for Finance, Planning, and Economic Development of Uganda, Hon. Mr. Amos Lugoloobi, said that the Ugandan government is committed to eliminating obstacles that affect the girl child. He highlighted the importance of investing in girls’ education and access to healthcare to improve their sexual and reproductive health outcomes.

“The government would annually allocate at least ten percent of maternal and child health resources that develop health services. The third commitment was to eliminate obstacles that stand in the way of girls empowerment including teenage pregnancy, child marriage and all forms of gender based violence and embark on educational reforms that aimed at ensuring that girls enrole and start in school and scale up investments in technical and vocational education training to create employable skills.” Hon Mr Lungoloobi said.

The Vice President of the Republic of the Gambia, Hon. Mr. Muhammad B.S Jallow, said that the world needs to be united to create a world where everyone can live in dignity. He emphasized the importance of South-South collaboration to achieve this goal.

“We continue to foster compression South-South and Triangular partnerships and knowledge exchange to accelerate the achievement of the ICPD agenda and sustainable development goals. We must also strive to ensure that no one is left behind especially in the post COVID19 recovery efforts. In conclusion, the Gambia is committed to the principles of ICPD and values of South-South and Triangular Cooperation, we believe that by working together, sharing innovative solutions and supporting one another, we can make significant strides towards a world where everyone can live a life of dignity and free from discrimination”, said Hon Mr Jallow.

The Minister of health and population for Yemen Hon Dr Qasem Mohammed Qasem Buhaibeh said on a sad note the effect of civil war in the country is affecting population and development.

The conference also discussed the strides made in universal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights, including family planning, which was initiated in Kenya.

Delegates are taking stock of the achievements and commitments made at the ICPD Conference on high-priority sexual and reproductive health issues affecting reproduction and women’s empowerment.

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