UNFPA PRAISES CANADA’S SUPPORT TO EQUIP 900 COMMUNITY CLINICS, FIGHT HIV/AIDS IN NIGERIA

UNFPA PRAISES CANADA’S SUPPORT TO EQUIP 900 COMMUNITY CLINICS,

FIGHT HIV/AIDS IN NIGERIA

NEW YORK, 1 August (UNFPA) -– The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has welcomed the decision of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) to grant 10 million Canadian dollars (about US $6.6 million) over two years to expand Fund-supported reproductive health services and HIV/AIDS prevention initiatives in Nigeria.

The grants will enable the UNFPA to upgrade and equip 900 primary health facilities in 180 of the country’s local government areas and provide training in life-saving skills to some 900 midwives.  The sums are also meant to help increase significantly the number of births in those counties attended by skilled personnel, and to increase HIV/AIDS awareness.

"I most heartily welcome Canada’s concrete support for Nigeria’s efforts to save the lives of millions of its people by helping to ensure safe motherhood and prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS in Africa’s most populous country,” said the UNFPA’s Executive Director, Thoraya Obaid.  "During my recent visit to Nigeria, I appealed to President Olusegun Obasanjo to keep his country in the front line of the struggle against HIV/AIDS.  This action by Canada will enable the UNFPA to support Nigeria in such an undertaking to save millions of lives.”

The CIDA is providing the sum through three arrangements that were signed in Nigeria last week by the Canadian Government and the UNFPA.  Canada’s High Commissioner to Nigeria, Ian Ferguson, and the Fund’s acting Representative in Nigeria, Danièle Landry, signed the arrangements at a ceremony witnessed by the Minister of Health, Alphonsus B. Nwosu, and other Nigerian Government officials.

Activities that CIDA grants will support over the two years include:

-- Enhancing support of safe motherhood by providing life-saving and other skills to about 1,000 midwives and other health workers, as well as upgrading and equipping 900 county health facilities in the 12 states supported by the UNFPA;

-- Strengthening the contraceptive supply and logistics management system by helping to ensure the availability of contraceptives at Government facilities covered by the UNFPA country programme, enhancing the efficiency of the national contraceptive supply and logistics management system and supporting HIV/AIDS interventions;

-- Production and radio adaptation of television series by translating the popular series, “I Need to Know”, into local languages to increase HIV/AIDS awareness in Nigeria.  The pilot, 52-episode series has been popular in the country.

“No Nigerian mother must die from childbirth,” Mr. Nwosu said, thanking Canada for the funds meant to promote safe motherhood by substantially increasing the number of births attended by skilled personnel in selected communities.

“The high rate of maternal mortality in Nigeria is unacceptable,” added a statement by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Jerry Gana.  “We must make motherhood safe, by promoting access to modern facilities and services provided by trained health personnel.”

As for the television series, Mr. Gana added:  “We must break all the barriers to our young people getting the messages that can keep them away from risky behaviour and practices.  And we must utilize the opportunities offered by the broadcast media for realizing these.”

Under its current Nigeria programme of some $32.5 million, the UNFPA supports programmes in 12 states in addition to its work with the Federal Government in reproductive health, population and development strategies, as well as advocacy.

The UNFPA is the world’s largest multilateral source of population assistance.  Since it became operational in 1969, it has provided more than

$5 billion in assistance to developing countries.  The United Nations General Assembly has thanked the Fund for its work since then in creating awareness of population problems, providing systematic assistance to developing countries, and helping to improve the quality of human life.

For more information, please contact the UNFPA, New York, Abubakar Dungus, tel.: +1 (212) 297-5031, e-mail: dungus@unfpa.org or Tom Odemwingie,

UNFPA Nigeria, e-mail: odemwingie@unfpa.org.

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