3.9m women, girls need reproductive health services in North East —UNFPA

More than 2.3 million girls and 1.6 million women need reproductive health services in the North East, according to the UN Population Fund.

Dr Eugene Kongnyuy, the fund’s Country Representative told News Agency of Nigeria on Sunday in Abuja that no fewer than 7.1 million women were affected by the insurgency in the region.

There were unestimated millions of women affected by war and disasters that were cut off from reproductive health services globally, Kongnyuy said.

He, urged for more commitment to the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development held in Cairo in 1994.

In 1994, during the ICPD, 179 countries including Nigeria agreed that population and development were inextricably linked, the Represented stated.

Kongnyuy, added that the conference adopted a 20-year Programme of Action, which focused on individuals’ needs and rights, rather than on achieving demographic targets.

“We are celebrating the 50th anniversary of UNFPA and at the same time we are celebrating 25 years of ICPD 1994, He said.

The Plan of Action of ICPD 1994 was handed over to UNFPA to coordinate the implementation globally.

The Country Representative expressed concern that the Cairo Agenda (UNFPA dream) was yet to be realised for all people in all places, including Nigeria.

He stated that, there are more than 214 million women globally who want to prevent pregnancy but are not using modern methods of contraceptive, with 20 per cent unmet need for family planning in Nigeria.

Worldwide, 800 women die from preventable causes during pregnancy and childbirth every day. In Nigeria, 111 women die daily during childbirth.

Total fertility rate is still very high in many developing countries.

World population has grown from 3.6 billion in 1969 to 7.7 billion today, Nigeria’s population has increased from 140.4 million in 2006 to 198 million in 2018, according to him.

With this alarming figure, The country representative, called for full implementation of the ICPD Programme of Action in Nigeria because of its link to Sustainable Development Goals.

According to him, UNFPA remained committed to ensuring that the needs of the affected population were met in humanitarian crisis, emphasising that “every birth should be safe, and every pregnancy wanted.”

He said UNFPA was working assiduously to ensure that every young person’s potential was fulfilled and every girl and woman was treated with dignity and respect.