Accra, March 3, GNA - Ghana and Nigeria will co-host the 2nd Dialogue and Retreat of the Alliance of Southern Civil Society in Global Health, in Ghana to review the implementation of the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD).

The meeting will enable participants to deliberate on how they can contribute to the national, regional and global processes in the most inclusive and participatory manner.

The meeting to be organized by the Centre for Health Sciences Training, Research and Development (CHESTRAD), and co-sponsored by the Governments of Ghana and Nigeria, will be under the theme “Access, Effectiveness, Results and Accountability: Deepening Southern Engagement in Global Health.”

The conference, which be held from March 3 to 9, will also include dialogue with capacity enabling sessions, featuring leaders from around the region and the world.

A release issued by the UNFPA and copied to the Ghana News Agency, said the General Assembly of the United Nations, in its resolution 65/234 of December 2010, mandated UNFPA, in cooperation with the UN system and other relevant institutions of experts, to undertake operational review of the implementation of the 1994 International Conference on Population (ICPD) Programme of Action (PoA).

It said the resolution requested governments to review progress made and constraints faced in the implementation of the PoA. It was in this regard, that the UNFPA was supporting Civil Society and youth networks to organize consultations meeting.

“This is our first opportunity at the regional level to really listen and engage with civil society and young people about their contribution to the review of the ICPD Programme of Action. It is our goal to create a good quality review that truly reflects the needs of people, and will enable governments and communities to address their issues more effectively,” Mr Kwabena Osei-Danquah, Executive Coordinator of UNFPA’s ICPD Coordination Secretariat said.

While young leaders are less familiar with the 1994 conference in Cairo, its Programme of Action remains just as relevant to their lives as when it was initially adopted. The outcome document encourages economic growth and sustainable development through a commitment to all human beings and their right to pursue healthy and productive lives without discrimination.

“We are conducting these consultations to share information, listen and give civil society and youth a platform at both the national and regional levels. These meetings give us the chance to gather credible information so we can respond to people regarding their needs, their health, their livelihood, and then come out with solid recommendations for moving toward a better life where everyone does count.”, he added.