Chairman of the National Population Commission (NPC), Nasir Isa Kwarra, has stressed the need for increased investment in education, vocational training and technological advancement in Africa.
Speaking at the informal plenary meeting of the general assembly marking the 30th anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) at the UN headquarters in New York, Kwarra highlighted Africa’s youthful population as a key factor driving the call for such investments.
He urged the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) to provide support tailored to the developmental needs of member states, particularly in addressing harmful practices prevalent in developing countries like early child marriage, genital mutilation, prenatal sex selection and female infanticide.
“We call on UNFPA and other UN System to assist countries when they request help in this regard.
“The gap in inequality within and among nations continues to widen, developing countries continue to face the impact of COVID-19 which exacerbates the already dire humanitarian situations occasioned by climate change, despite contributing the least to it. To alleviate poverty, assuring stronger health systems, ensuring universal access to sexual and reproductive health-care services, and promoting gender equality, women’s empowerment, and the need for adequate financial resources to achieve sustainable development among other goals,” he said.
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