Malabo, 20 July 2015. In an effort to provide a sub-regional scope to address cross border issues, the Mano River Union (MRU) and UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in the margins of the International Conference on Africa’s Fight against Ebola.

The MoU provides the framework for the identification and implementation of activities to be undertaken in or by the four member states, namely Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

Under this MoU, UNFPA and the MRU will collaborate in addressing cross border issues related to maternal health, including access to skilled birth attendance, family planning, adolescents sexual reproductive health, obstetric fistula and HIV/AIDS services. Furthermore, the two organizations will launch women empowerment initiatives and promote girl-child education and male involvement.

“UNFPA has been always on the side of member states and Mano River Union Secretariat when cross-borders issues arose within the sub-region and relevant response identified and internalized by local institutions for the benefits of women, children and other vulnerable groups. This is a testimony of the great sensitivity and flexibility of UNFPA with regards to country/region-driven interventions,” said Ambassador Dr Saran Daraba Kaba, Secretary General of the Mano River Union when signing the MoU with Mabingue Ngom, UNFPA Regional Director for West and Central Africa.

Through implementation of multi-country context specific initiatives, the MRU and UNFPA will jointly advocate for change in policy to secure the demographic bonus in the four countries, deploy and mobilize technical and financial resources; support cross-border preparedness and humanitarian response to address emergencies and population needs with a focus on women, children and other vulnerable groups; and promote the Mano River Security Strategy and the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) goals.

This partnership is already operational with the development of the Mano River Response Initiative which comprised of several elements responding to the needs identified during joint assessment and analysis. The first concrete action of this partnership is the Mano River Maternal Health Response (MRMR), financed by the Government of Japan, which aims at building resilience and supporting recovery through integrated and strengthened maternal health in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, the three countries most affected by Ebola.

UNFPA works to deliver a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person’s potential is fulfilled.