Calls on State to act as MDGs deadline nears

By Maureen Abwao and Brigid Chemweno

Unemployment, maternal health and women inheritance are among challenges yet to be addressed as the deadline for attaining Millennium Development Goals lapses next year.

In a bid to address such issues, members of G77 Team, an alliance of civil society organisations in Kenya working on areas of population and sexual reproductive health has called on the Government to take necessary measures before the lapse. The lobby has urged the Government to prioritise key services such as family planning, pre and post natal care, treatment of sexually transmitted infections including HIV and provision of quality services for the management of complications arising from abortion.

The Commission on Population and Development has stressed the importance of integrating population and development into the Post 2015 Development Agenda.

Health services

The agenda was discussed during the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) that was adopted by consensus by the UN member states.

It pointed out that there was need of inclusion of certain fundamental issues like equitable and universal access to quality integrated and comprehensive sexual and reproductive health services by including the rights of young people to get comprehensive education on human sexuality.

Addressing journalists yesterday during a media briefing on the ICPD in Nairobi, programme officer at African Woman and Child Features Services Jane Godia said the media should play its role of creating awareness on population and development.

“We need to address issues such as sexual reproduction among the youth as most of them engage in sexual activities, putting them at risk of unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections. This impends on development as they fail to be reproductive in terms of economic growth”, said Godia.

She also emphasised on the need to assess if the MGD goals have been able to yield results.