President Danny Faure held a bilateral meeting with the Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Dr Natalia Kanem, in the margins of the 73rd Session of the UN General Assembly yesterday. 

UNFPA is the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency that works to realise reproductive rights for all, and supports access to a wide range of sexual and reproductive health services. President Faure highlighted the excellent cooperation that exists between the UN agency and Seychelles, especially in the country’s efforts to ensure safe and wanted childbirth whilst also working to curb teenage pregnancy that negatively affects both the socio-economic and educational aspirations of young girls.

President Faure and Dr Kanem discussed the ways in which the UNFPA could share its expertise to complement the reform and strategic plan recently launched in Seychelles focusing on the health sector. Both sides committed to woking closely to help Seychelles meet its developmental targets in this field. 

Dr Kanem described Seychelles as a model nation in terms of its holistic approach to universal health care, gender parity, and the inclusion of women in high levels of the three branches of Government. She also commended the government’s policy focussed on educating the youth on reproductive health.