Mister President,

Distinguished Members of the Executive Board,

In Sierra Leone, important achievements have been made that give reasons for some optimism: the government banned child marriage last June, 2024; access to maternal health services has improved considerably, with skilled birth attendance rising from 42 per cent in 2008 to 87 per cent in 2019. While maternal mortality rates remain as high as 443 deaths for 100,000 live births, it fell by 74 per cent between 2000 and 2020. The use of modern contraceptives tripled from 8 percent in 2008 to 24 percent in 2019 for women aged 15-49, and the total fertility rate dropped from 5.1 to 4.2 over the same period.

These encouraging trends both speak to the impact of policies and strategic interventions put in place over the years in Sierra Leone and serve as motivation to do more. For instance, prevailing gender and social norms continue to limit

opportunities for women and girls, negatively impacting their health and wellbeing, and perpetuating gender-based violence and harmful practices. About 30 percent of girls are married by the age of 18, and one in three women aged 20-24 give birth by age of 18.

Mister President,
Distinguished Members of the Executive Board,

It is my privilege to present to you today the UNFPA country programme for the Republic of Sierra Leone. It seeks to support national efforts to reduce preventable maternal deaths, unmet need for family planning, and GBV and harmful practices by prioritizing integrated gender-transformative interventions, with emphasis on the health and wellbeing of adolescent girls and young people.

It refocuses attention on strengthening partnerships with civil society organizations, including women’s and youth movements, and reprioritizes engagement with men and boys as well as traditional and religious leaders as catalysts for promoting positive social change.

The country programme will invest in data and evidence generation and analysis that will help to inform national policies and strategies while innovation and digitalization will be leveraged to accelerate and scale up results.

The financial commitment to achieve the results of this programme is 48 million USD of which 10.3 million USD attributable to regular resources and 37.7 million USD to be mobilized through co-financing or other resources.

Mister President,

Excellencies,

I convey my utmost gratitude to the government of the Republic of Sierra Leone for its diligent efforts, and commitment to the realization of the ICPD programme of action.
I also express my gratitude to all partners and donors for their unwavering financialassistance and call for increased investments towards women and girls in Sierra Leone. 

I thank you for your attention.