VICTORIA FALLS- In a significant stride towards fulfilling commitments outlined in the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), Zimbabwe has established a comprehensive National Taskforce dedicated to coordinating, monitoring, and evaluating the implementation of its Programme of Action, President Emmerson Mnangagwa has said.
Officially opening the International Conference on South-South and Triangular Cooperation in Population Development currently taking place in Victoria Falls, Mnangagwa said his administration has introduced capacity-building programs for the health workforce and a people-centered national development agenda among other measures meant to achieve the objectives of the ICPD.
“In a bid to track our commitments to the International Conference on Population and Development, the Government of Zimbabwe established a multi-sectoral National Taskforce which periodically meets to coordinate, monitor and evaluate the implementation of the Programme of Action.
“The taskforce employs a Whole-of-Government and Whole-of-Society approach
He commended collaborative efforts that have helped address gaps in health service provision, drawing support from countries such as the People’s Republic of China and Cuba, where medical specialists have contributed to Zimbabwe’s health service delivery.
“I am pleased to highlight that through such partnerships, Zimbabwe has managed to fill gaps in health service provision. This has seen medical and other health specialists coming to our country to assist us in the health service delivery sector, from as far afield as the People’s Republic of China and Cuba,” said Mnangagwa.
Calling for enhanced coordination among member states to amplify South-South and Triangular Cooperation, President Mnangagwa stressed the importance of sharing knowledge and resources in population development.
In addition, the president highlighted his administration’s efforts to provide age-responsive information on reproductive health, particularly tailored for the youth.
He emphasized the criminalization of early and forced child marriages and harmful practices as key steps toward safeguarding the safe transition of children into adulthood.
“The criminalisation of early and forced child marriages and other harmful practices is facilitating the safe transition of children into adulthood,” he said.
Mnangagwa credited improved quality of life for the country’s population growth from 7.6 million in 1982 to 15 million in 2022.
He further acknowledged reduced HIV and AIDS-related mortality rates due to enhanced availability of Anti-Retroviral Treatment and decreased mother-to-child HIV transmission, resulting in improved life expectancy and declining fertility rates.
“Additionally, the decline in HIV and AIDS related mortality rates owing to the increased availability of Anti-Retroviral Treatment as well as reduced mother to child HIV transmission has had positive impacts. Similarly, fertility rate has steadily declined while life expectancy at birth has increased due to comprehensive and coordinated socio-economic and healthcare interventions,” added Mnangagwa.
Looking ahead, in 2024, 179 member states who initially convened in Nairobi in 1994 will mark 30 years since the adoption of the ICPD Programme of Action.
The Programme of Action underscores the necessity for comprehensive reproductive health care, encompassing voluntary family planning, safe pregnancy and childbirth services, as well as the prevention and treatment of sexually transmitted infections.
