Mnangagwa to open another conference

Today, President Mnangagwa is set to preside over the 20th edition of the International Inter-Ministerial Conference on South-South and Triangular Co-operation in Population and Development, which will take place in Victoria Falls.

This two-day conference will bring together over 30 member countries and organizations belonging to Partners in Population and Development (PPD) to assess the progress made in sexual reproductive health and rights, as well as population development matters over the past three decades.

The consultative gathering will facilitate discussions and agreements among high-ranking officials, subject experts, representatives from development partners, and youth leaders regarding the priority actions leading up to next year's International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD30) scheduled to be held in Zimbabwe.

During a recent PPD partner country co-ordinator meeting, Health and Child Care Minister Douglas Mombeshora highlighted the significance of South-South Cooperation in achieving ICPD goals. He emphasized that this cooperation fosters the exchange of best practices and experiences among member states, including Zimbabwe, which has benefited from a PPD scholarship program supported by Egypt, India, and South Africa. This program has contributed to the development of human resources in reproductive health, population, and development.

Minister Mombeshora reaffirmed Zimbabwe's dedication to fulfilling the ICPD and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Agendas, stressing the need for a robust international intergovernmental framework to promote South-South Cooperation in advocacy, networking, and policy formulation.

He urged all participants to focus on how PPD could expedite the achievement of ICPD and SDGs by 2030, drawing lessons from the COVID-19 experience and working towards the Nairobi Commitments to promote South-South Cooperation in Reproductive Health, Population, and Development within the ICPD Programme of Action.

Zimbabwe remains committed to PPD's work and advocates for South-South Cooperation as a catalyst for realizing the ICPD Programme of Action and the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.

The Gambian Minister of Public Service, Mr. Baboucarr Bouy, echoed this commitment, emphasizing that The Gambia is actively working on implementing national policies and programs to achieve the goals outlined in the ICPD Programme of Action. He highlighted the importance of monitoring progress and established a National Taskforce for South-South Cooperation to oversee and report on national commitments made during the Nairobi Summit.

The ICPD Programme of Action, adopted in Cairo in 1994, underscores reproductive health, women's empowerment, and gender equality as cornerstones of sustainable development. At the last ICPD25 in Nairobi, governments committed to addressing issues like maternal mortality, unmet family planning needs, and gender-based violence.

These commitments encompassed five key areas: universal access to sexual and reproductive health, securing financial resources for the ICPD Programme of Action, leveraging demographic diversity for economic growth and sustainable development, and promoting gender equality.

Lydia Zigomo, UNFPA East and Southern Africa regional director, concurred with partner countries, highlighting that South-South cooperation plays a pivotal role in achieving ICPD goals. She emphasized that collaborative efforts are essential in the face of challenges to the ideals and goals of the ICPD Programme of Action. Zigomo underscored the value of South-South Cooperation as a driving force, driven by the growth of capacity and the willingness of the global south to contribute to global development by sharing knowledge and resources derived from their own developmental journeys.