UNFPA, GNA to strengthen collaboration on development issues
The United Nations Populations’ Fund (UNFPA) on Tuesday pledged its commitment to strengthen collaboration with Ghana News Agency (GNA) in addressing population, maternal and development issues.
“Our collaboration dates as far back as 2009 when we helped trained GNA reporters in the 25 districts in the six regions we are working in and we will like to deepen this relationship,” Dr Bernard Coquelin UNFPA Country Representative said.
He made the pledge when he called on the General Manager of GNA in Accra. He was accompanied by Mrs Doris Aglobetse UNFPA’s Communications Analyst.
Dr Coquelin said UNFPA and its implementing partners would partner the Agency to work to get their information into the public domain at the national and international because of the visibility and availability of the wire service in all districts.
He noted that UNFPA is focusing on the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 5, which deals with improving maternal health and reducing maternal mortality.
UNFPA has a national programme, which focuses on improving access to reproductive health services, especially in under-served areas; meeting the needs of adolescents; collaborating with other partners to combat the spread of HIV and AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections, and strengthening the country’s capacity for programme coordination and monitoring.
The UNFPA’s Country Representative said according to the population data Northern, Upper East and Upper West Regions have the highest morality rates, “But Brong- Ahafo and Ashanti Region have also been identified as equally high rick regions and there is the need to partner the media to change behaviours”.
Dr Coquelin expressed UNFPA’s commitment in helping train GNA reporters to update their knowledge on population, maternal and development issues.
He presented UNFPA’s Information Kit to the GNA General Manager.
Mrs Aglobetse explained that before 2009, UNFPA was working with a media network called Media Communication and Advocacy Network, which included five of GNA’s reporters.
Dr Bernard Otabil, GNA’s General Manager commended UNFPA for the collaboration and the intention to deepen relations.
He said GNA is committed to promote development issues.
Dr Otabil explained that the Agency is acting as an agent of change in the areas of development and around the MDGs and would give UNFPA the maximum cooperation in enhancing the capacity of reporters.
He pleaded with UNFPA to expend the capacity building to editors of the Agency in order to expose them to what the UN body represents, its activities as well as population and development issues to facilitate the quality of the stories.
Source: GNA