Ghana would this week host African First Ladies at a conference on Sexual Health and Rights.
The Conference, which is part of a long-term process of building and fostering regional dialogue on sexual and reproductive health and rights, is scheduled to begin on February 10 to 12.
A statement from the office of the First Lady said the seventh African Conference on Sexual Health and Rights is being hosted by Mrs Lordina Dramani Mahama, First Lady of Ghana and President of the Organisation of African First Ladies Against HIV/AIDS (OAFLA), in collaboration with Curious Mind-Ghana, an organisation of young advocates and youth in broadcasting.
Participating First Ladies are from Kenya, Ethiopia, Mali and Cote D’Ivoire, Sierra Leone, Guinea Bissau, Burkina Faso and Chad.
Other First Ladies expected at the Conference are from Sudan, Madagascar and Mozambique.
The Conference, which would be opened by President John Dramani Mahama, is on the theme, “Realising Demographic Dividend in Africa: the Critical Importance of Adolescents and Youth Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights”.
During the Conference, the First Ladies will under the umbrella of OAFLA, launch a United Continental “All-In” Adolescent HIV Campaign, which is a collaborative effort of OAFLA, the Ghana AIDS Commission and the Global “All-In” partners such as UNICEF, UNFPA and UNAIDS.
The launch according to the statement would urge governments to prioritise and improve the provision of integrated HIV & Sexual Reproductive Health Services to adolescents between the ages of 10 and 19.
Mrs Mahama will also launch a major campaign towards ending child marriages in Ghana, a programme that is being spearheaded by the First Lady through the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection.
The Ghana Ending Child Marriage Initiative aims at raising awareness and garnering support towards ending child marriages in Ghana.
Other dignitaries expected in Accra for the Conference are the UN Under Secretary & Executive Director of UNFPA, the Deputy Executive Director of UNAIDS, the Africa Union Commissioner for Social Affairs and UNICEF’s Deputy Director for West and Central Africa.
Also in attendance would be the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders in Africa, the President of the International Women’s Health Coalition and over 15 Ministers from the Health, Justice, Gender and Youth Ministries across Africa.
About 500 participants, representing various stakeholder and constituency groups across the African continent would be attending the conference.
These include; policy makers, development partners, civil society organisations, academia, activists, media and the youth.
Source: GNA
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