BANGUI, Central African Republic – A high-level meeting was held in Bangui on June 12-13 to discuss Central African Republic’s high maternal mortality rate of 890 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births (2011).
Because of the crucial role that the Department of Territorial Administration and Decentralization can play, and the fact that only a combination of efforts can accelerate the reduction of maternal mortality and make the goal of zero new HIV infections a reality for the Central African, the meeting was attended by 14 Senior Division Officers, including two women, four Deputy Division Officers, 34 Mayors including seven women, and officials from the Department of Territorial Administration and Decentralization.
 Josué Binoua from the Department of Territorial Administration and Decentralization with UNFPA Resident Representative Therese Zeba. |
Different presentations and discussions enabled them to become familiar with population challenges and to develop strategies that will enhance their participation, as development actors, in improving people’s living conditions.
The participants discussed maternal mortality, its direct and indirect causes and ways to reduce it, the challenges facing the youth, and the high HIV prevalence among young girls, who carry the burden of infections rather than boys of the same age – at a ratio of six to one. The discussions also focused on the relationship between gender and maternal deaths, the population dynamics, youth- and adolescent- related issues, and the sharing of UNFPA’s new vision.
Aware of their role and responsibilities in seeking appropriate solutions to population and development issues, the Administrative and Communal authorities committed to reinforcing their involvement in reducing maternal mortality through strengthening the surveillance of maternal deaths. They also committed to coordinating and monitoring the implementation of the seventh CAR/UNFPA Country Programme.
Read the Bangui Commitment
For further information, please contact:
Julie Imafidon, UNFPA CAR communication unit. Tel: +236 75530414/70559770; Email: imafidon@unfpa.org
