STATEMENT BY THE RT HON PRIME MINISTER
DR B.SIBUSISO DLAMINI
DURING THE COURTESY CALL BY THE UNFPA EASTERN AND SOUTHERN AFRICA DIRECTOR
AT THE CABINET OFFICES
THURSDAY 13 AUGUST 2015
Honourable Ministers
UNFPA Eastern and Southern Africa Director, Dr Jullitta Onabanjo
UNFPA Representative in Swaziland Ms Sharareh Amirkhalili
Representatives of the Media
Ladies and Gentlemen
It is an honour and a pleasure to welcome you to my Offices, Dr Onabanjo, and indeed to the Kingdom of Swaziland. And I should add – welcome back, since, as a highly respected professional you worked in this country some years ago.
You have, what might be called, a whistle stop visit to Swaziland, with a number of courtesy calls during a short stay with us. These are primarily to those of our Ministries that are involved in implementation of the UNFPA Country Programme of Support. Nevertheless, I am confident that my colleagues will do everything in their power to ensure that the calls, you will be making, meet all your requirements.
On behalf of His Majesty’s Government, I can say how much we have appreciated the assistance we receive from the United Nations family of implementing agencies and, in particular, we thank the UNFPA for the existing Country Programme that comes to an end this year, and say how much we are looking forward to the upcoming Joint Government of Swaziland and UNFPA Country Programme on Population and Development for 2016 to 2020.
Our partnership dates back to 1974 when support was first provided in the area of data collection and analysis, followed later by a family planning programme. The UNFPA global mission is one that we should all remember every day of our lives, with its commitment to “delivering a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every birth is safe and every young person’s potential is fulfilled.”
This continues to guide UNFPA in its work here in Swaziland. As a country we have come a long way since the landmark International Conference on Population and Development, held in Cairo in 1994. We have made considerable progress in putting in place the requisite policy, legal and institutional frameworks that have a direct bearing on population-related outcomes. They are too many for me to list today but the legislation includes: the Girls and Women Protection Act; Maintenance Act; People Trafficking and People Smuggling (Prohibition) Act and the Children’s Protection and Welfare Act. The Domestic Violence and Sexual Offences Bill has been drafted and is under review. Our Constitution, adopted in 2005, enshrines a Bill of Rights.
Dr Onabanjo, a great deal has been achieved in the current Programme. There is not sufficient time to elaborate in detail during our brief meeting, but what has stood out is the establishment of the five Centres of Excellence located in each of the four regions of our country. These have secured the integration of sexual reproductive health and HIV and AIDS services. The two subjects are inextricably linked, making such an integration vitally important. It is up to us in the coming months and years to roll out that modus operandi to all the health facilities in the country. And we wish to note, with gratitude, UNFPA’s contribution in support of His Majesty’s Government’s efforts towards attaining the respective Millennium Development Goals.
I understand that the emphasis of the new Programme will be on building a stronger national capacity, with system improvements, so that we can deliver the integrated services, as well as establishing a life skills programme with a special focus on adolescents and other youth of our country. It is all about strengthening our ability to do the job ourselves, which addresses the key issue in any development programme – sustainability. The local UNFPA office will continue to provide valuable support in policy development, integration of services and empowerment of women and girls, with a special emphasis on the vulnerable adolescent girls in our society .
The technical assistance that you plan to provide for our 2017 Population Census will also be most helpful, especially within the process of collecting, analyzing and distributing the relevant data.
I should point out, however, that a shortage of resources is a challenge for Swaziland. Government is concerned about the cut in funding arising from the current UNFPA Strategic Plan. However we do hope that UNFPA will continue to mobilise funds from non-regular sources to fill the financing gaps.
Dr Onabanjo, you bring with you a career of impressively extensive experience in all these fields. I am sure that my colleagues in Government, as well as your local UNFPA Office, will all benefit greatly from your visit.
I wish you a very pleasant and productive programme of courtesy calls.