The Executive Director of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), Dr Babatunde Osotimehin, yesterday, said that with barely 11 per cent of the world’s population, Africa bears 24 per cent of the global burden of diseases.
Osotimehin made the disclosure while addressing the ministerial session at the ongoing Regional Conference on Population and Development in Addis Ababa.
He urged leaders to step up efforts in addressing the overwhelming health challenges facing the continent.
He said “Africa accounts for just one per cent of the world’s financial resources for health and three per cent of the global health work force, which results to limited and inequitable access to health services and very poor health outcomes for our people, particularly the most vulnerable of us.’’
The UNFPA boss said 450 African women and girls die every day in childbirth, accounting for more than half of all preventable maternal deaths worldwide.
“The region also accounts for half of all child deaths and roughly 75 per cent of all HIV-related deaths globally,” he added.
Osotimehin, who was former Nigeria’s health minister, urged leaders to increase funding to tackle challenges related to extreme poverty and income disparities, social exclusion and inequalities and address the needs of the young and the old.
“We also need to address challenges related to the status of women and girls, and to ensure universal access to basic health services, including sexual and reproductive health services, as well as address the unmet needs of some 47 million women in sub-Saharan Africa for family planning,” he added.
According to him, challenges related to urbanisation, migration, complex emergencies and conflict, the environment, food insecurity and climate change also need to be addressed.
“These challenges are linked in a vicious self-perpetuating cycle that must be broken.
“It is unacceptable that in the 21st century, girls are still subjected to harmful practises such as female genital mutilation and child marriage, which violate their rights to health, physical and mental integrity and life.
“Of the 10 countries worldwide with the highest rates of child marriage, eight of them are in Africa, while pregnancy complications remain the leading cause of death among adolescent girls aged 15 to 19 in our region.’’
He appealed to stakeholders for measures to tackle gender inequalities and critical barriers that prevented women and girls from exercising their rights and empowering themselves through a secure, sustainable, prosperous and resilient societies.
“We know that when countries invest in girls and other young people, and in their access to reproductive health information and services, household incomes rise, disease burdens fall, child survival improves and their economies thrive.
“The challenges of responding to the needs of Africa’s more than 50 million adolescent girls are linked to the youth bulge.
“We know that our continent is in demographic transition and there is much anticipation and excitement around the demographic bulge and its potential demographic bonus.
“ We must, however, be strategic, innovative and forward looking if we are to harness this demographic dividend and transform the region.’’
On his part, the Chairman of the AU and Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Hailemariam Dessalegn, assured of improved efforts to ensure that the outcome of the conference and the recommendations of the African common position were implemented.
The chairman said “if properly managed, the so-called youth bulge will represent a golden opportunity for many African countries to experience the demographic dividend, mainly in the form of accelerated economic growth and development.’’
He, however, urged governments to ensure effective implementation of policies that would take advantage of changes in the population structure.
Our correspondent reports that the conference is being attended by government agencies, civil society organisations and experts in population, health, women, gender and children matters across Africa and beyond.
Other participants include leadership of the AU Commission (AUC), the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) being the host and several UN agencies.
The conference, which will end on Friday, is expected to evolve strategies and action plans beyond the 2014 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) agenda.