Mr. Chairman/President,
Let me start by thanking Thoraya Obaid for her statement. Times of uncertainties are a challenge to us all, and in these times, we need, just as the Executive Director expressed, greater understanding and cooperation among people and among nations. The work of UNFPA makes a difference to people all over the world, and you have my government’s strongest support.
In light of the crisis, UNFPA should, and is, giving, a voice to those who might be affected the most, the poorest, women and young age groups. It is very important that the most vulnerable get the support and attention they need. There is always a risk, when countries are faced by economic difficulties, that people’s sexual and reproductive health and rights are set aside. We must not let this happen. Instead, we must pursue the development goals at the heart of UNFPA, the mission of promoting and working for sustainable development, universal access to reproductive health and rights, and women’s empowerment
The 5th Millennium Development Goal’s target to reduce maternal mortality, is probably the area where the challenges are the most acute, where we are lagging behind the most. Every minute one woman dies as a result of being pregnant and giving birth. We know that these deaths are needless and avoidable and we have the knowledge to prevent them. This is nothing less than a continuous slow global disaster. More focus and political will are needed to come to grips with this major global health problem. UNFPA’s role in this regard is crucial, especially the transformation of global commitments into national coordinated actions.
Achieving maternal health around the world is an immense challenge, but we must not risk missing out on several other important aspects of the Cairo agenda, such as the roles and responsibilities of men and boys, young people’s need for comprehensive sexuality education and gender based violence to mention some of them. These aspects are obviously interlinked. We won’t be able to achieve sustainable, long-term results, without focusing on all of them in tandem. This year we have the opportunity to reaffirm the commitment to these issues, which are very much in line with Sweden’s priorities for global development, at the upcoming 15th anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development and the Cairo Consensus.
To enable the achievement of ICPD targets at country level, it is necessary to prioritize universal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights information and health care services through long term sustainable investments in health system strengthening. We support UNFPA’s stronger focus on national level actions such as: emphasis on national ownership, capacity development to strengthening national health systems and the inclusion of sexual and reproductive health and rights efforts into national development plans.
Finally, Sweden attaches great importance to the UN family delivering as one in order to become more effective and relevant, especially at the country level. For this to become a reality, we would continue to urge UNFPA to play an active part in these efforts as a key member of the UN system.
In conclusion, UNFPA continues to show excellent ability to advance vital development issues globally. As important, UNFPA has developed its efficiency tools over the past years, for example by introducing results-based management. My government is more than pleased by the progress made under the Thoraya Obaid, and look forward to further cooperation and partnership.
Thank you.