The Multisectoral African Campaign Against Child Marriage is to be launched this week at the Pan-African Parliament during the 2012 Annual African Womens Parliamentarians Conference in Johannesburg, South Africa.
At the launch of the campaign, UNFPA’s Africa Regional Director Bunmi Makinwa is to speak on the impact of child marriage on maternal health. The discussions will also include the impact of child marriage on the rights of the girl child and gender equality, and the impact on HIV and AIDS. The speakers will include UN Women’s Regional Director for Southern Africa, Nomcebo Manzini, and UNAIDS Deputy Regional Director, Mbulawa Mugabe. A statement will be made on behalf of Women Parliamentarians by Juliana Kantengwa, Vice President of the Pan African Parliament.
The Pan African Parliament is the legislative body of the African Union. The theme of this year’s conference is “The Role of Parliamentarians in Promoting Maternal, Newborn and Child Health in Africa”. The event will be opened by Bethel Nnaemeka Amadi, President of the Pan-African Parliament, and the key note speech will be given by Joyce Banda, President of the Republic of Malawi.
Dr. Akinyele Dairo, Technical Adviser for Reproductive Health and Maternal Health in UNFPA’s Africa Regional Office, will join a panel discussion at the conference on t he status of the implementation of Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5 on Maternal and Child Health, and factors militating against their achivement in Africa.
An update will also be given on the Campaign on Accelerated Reduction of Maternal Mortality in Africa (CARMMA) by the African Union’s Commissioner for Social Affairs, H.E. Bience Gawanas.
Draft programme for 2012 Annual African Women Parliamentarians Conference
Draft programme for Parliamentary Launch of Multisectoral African Campaign Against Child Marriage
2012 Reproductive and Sexual Health Scorecard
