High commissioner for COVID-19 in Guinea-Bissau advocates for the rights of girls and women on World Population Day

JULY 11 - World Population Day

In the context of World Population Day 2020 under the theme: Putting the brakes on COVID-19: how to safeguard the health and rights of women and girls now, UNFPA in Guinea-Bissau organized a debate on Rádio Sol Mansi in chain with Rádio Difusão Nacional, which included the participation of Dr. Magda Nely Robalo, High Commissioner for COVID-19 in Guinea-Bissau, Mr. Bubacar Baldé, Acting President of the National Committee for the Abandonment of Harmful Practices, Dr. Maimuna Silla, President of the Ana Pereira Foundation and Mr. Dienqui Soares on behalf of the Institute for Women and Children. They debated onGBV legislation in Guinea-Bissau, harmful practices, and restitution of the Nairobi conference (ICPD + 25) and post-Nairobi perspectives..

“We intend that those tested by COVID-19 receive their results directly on their phones" said the High Commissioner for COVID-19, who continued to justify that“this measure is one among many that are expected to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in Guinea Bissau”.

The High Commissioner said that “We need to work hard to achieve the 3 transformative results of UNFPA: (Zero) Unmet needs for family planning, (Zero) preventable maternal deaths, and (Zero) Gender-based violence and all harmful practices”.

On July 11, World Population Day, UNFPA aims to raise awareness of the sexual and reproductive health needs and vulnerabilities of women and girls during the pandemic, to highlight how we can safeguard hard gains and ensure that SRHR remains in local agenda, and explore how to maintain momentum to achieve the SDGs by 2030 that we gathered at the Nairobi Summit.