Tunisia has fullfilled about 50% of its commitments to the 2019 Nairobi Summit, mainly in the areas of population and development, academic Mansour Nejah said at a workshop organised by the Health Ministry and the Ministry of Economy and Planning Wednesday.
The Nairobi Summit sought to follow up on the 1994 Cairo International Conference on Population and Development (CIPD). During that event, Tunisia voiced 27 clear and concrete commitments in a bid to back the objectives of the ICPD and guarantee the rights and dignity to all, necessary for the achievement of the 2030 agenda for sustainable development.
The national commitments focused on five main areas, namely universal access to sexual and reproductive health as part of health coverage; guarantee the right to sexual and reproductive health care during humanitarian crises; combat violence against women and harmful practices against children; mobilise necessary funding to complete the ICPD Programme of Action, and finally leverage demographic diversity so as to boost economic growth.
According to Nejah, Tunisia is doing its best in meeting its commitments, whose full completion is set by 2030, despite the challenges created by the coronavirus pandemic and political instability in the country.
Director of the United Nations Population Fund in Tunisia (UNFPA Tunisia) Rim Fayala said that the promises of the 179 countries participating in the Nairobi Summit have made it possible to put women at the centre of local and international strategies so as to improve several indicators, particularly those related to reproductive health.
Fulfilling these promises will, in the long term, make it possible to fight against poverty and ensure security and prosperity for all nations.
The official pointed out that despite the achievements made in Tunisia, several shortcomings have been recorded in recent years. The use of contraceptives fell from 62% in 2012 to 50% in 2018, which reflects a relaxation in reproductive and sexual health, she underlined.
This workshop, which was chaired by Health Minister Ali Mrabet, was held in partnership with UNFPA Tunisia and the organisation Partners in Population and Development (French: PPD).
Source: Tap News Agency