KINSHASA, Democratic Republic of the Congo—Dr. Natalia Kanem, the Executive Director of UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency, will be visiting the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 12 May.
This is the first mission of the UNFPA Executive Director and UN Under-Secretary General to the country. It will be an opportunity to meet with officials from the Government, the United Nations system and with members of civil society, development partners, communities, and women and young people.
The Executive Director’s visit is a show of solidarity with the people of the DRC in their journey towards sustainable development. UNFPA stands for human rights and the dignity and safety of women and girls, and passionately believes that sustainable development and prosperity are only achievable when there is gender quality and women are empowered.
UNFPA supports the rights, safety and dignity of women and girls and equal opportunity for all, through a bold Call to Action with three goals in all 150 countries, including the DRC:
- Ending preventable maternal deaths
- Ending unmet need for family planning
- Ending gender-based violence and harmful practices, including child marriage and female genital mutilation.
The Executive Director will visit the eastern part of the country, where she is to meet survivors of gender-based violence, and as champion of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC), she will advocate for the prevention of and response to GBV.
At a health centre in Kinshasa, the Executive Director will interact with clients and have an honest exchange with women leaders who play an important role in the fight for the rights of women and young girls.
During the trip, she will meet with the highest Congolese authorities and development partners. In addition, this will be an opportunity to support the Government’s efforts in advancing social and economic development, including the Population and Housing Census (PHC2).
For more information, please contact:
Siaka Traore – Communication Specialist, DRC
traore@unfpa.org
Tel: 00243 815 786 999
Daisy Leoncio – Regional Communications Adviser
Leoncio@unfpa.org
+1(347) 491-9154
