FIRST LADY TO HOST 7TH AFRICA CONFERENCE ON SEXUAL HEALTH AND RIGHTS

Ghana will this week host 12 African First Ladies at a conference on Sexual Health and

Rights. The Conference, which is part of a long-term process of building and fostering

regional dialogue on sexual and reproductive health and rights, will take place from

the 10th to the 12th of February.

The 7th African Conference on Sexual Health and Rights is being hosted by Mrs.

Lordina Dramani Mahama, First Lady of Ghana and President of the Organisation of

African First Ladies Against HIV/AIDS (OAFLA) in collaboration with Curious Minds,

Ghana, an organisation of young advocates and youth in broadcasting.

According to a statement from the Office of the First Lady, participating First Ladies are from Kenya, Ethiopia, Mali and Cote D’Ivoire. Others are from Sierra Leone, Guinea Bissau, Burkina Faso, Chad, Sudan, Madagascar and Mozambique.

The Conference, which will be opened by President John Dramani Mahama on

Wednesday February 10, 2016 is on the theme ‘Realizing Demographic

Dividend in Africa: the Critical Importance of Adolescents and Youth

Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights’.

During the Conference, the First Ladies will under the umbrella of OAFLA launch a

United Continental “All-In” Adolescent HIV Campaign.

This is a collaborative effort of OAFLA, the Ghana AIDS Commission and the Global

“All-In” partners such as UNICEF, UNFPA and UNAIDS to urge governments to

prioritize and improve the provision of integrated HIV & Sexual Reproductive Health

Services to adolescents between the ages of 10 and 19 years.

Mrs. Mahama will also launch a major campaign towards ending child marriages in

Ghana. Being spearheaded by the First Lady through the Ministry of Gender, Children

and Social Protection, the Ghana Ending Child Marriage Initiative aims to raise

awareness and garner support towards ending child marriages in Ghana.

Other dignitaries expected in Accra  for the Conference are the UN Under

Secretary & Executive Director of UNFPA, the Deputy Executive Director of UNAIDS,

the Africa Union Commissioner for Social Affairs and UNICEF’s Deputy Director for

West and Central Africa.

Also in attendance will be the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders in

Africa, the President of the International Women’s Health Coalition and over 15

Ministers from the Health, Justice, Gender and Youth Ministries across Africa.

In excess 500 participants, representing various stakeholder and constituency

groups across the African continent will be attending the conference.