The Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Dr. Natalia Kanem will visit Senegal and The Gambia from 5 to 9 August, 2019. This first official visit to both countries is part of the celebration of the 50 years of UNFPA and the 25th anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), to be held from 12 -14 November, 2019 in Nairobi, Kenya.
The Executive Director will be aiming at getting the commitment of governments and other stakeholders to accelerate the implementation of promises made at the ICPD in Cairo in 1994. At the conference, world leaders from more than 179 countries, including all African countries, pledged to reduce the number of preventable maternal deaths, to respect sexual and reproductive health and women's rights and to end gender-based violence and harmful practices such as child marriage and female genital mutilation.
While in Senegal, the Executive Director will meet with government authorities, UN agencies, technical and financial partners, as well as UNFPA staff.
Dr. Natalia Kanem will visit the operationalization of the Demographic Dividend (DD) concept in the commune of Gueule Tapée, Fass, Colobane (Fass Emergent). In Fass, she will also have interactive discussions with members of the Youth Advisory Board.
The Executive Director is expected to discuss plans for the upcoming Nairobi Summit on the ICPD25 which will be holding under the theme, Accelerating the promise.
A major highlight of the Executive Director's visit is her participation at a youth event entitled "25 Hours of Dakar" with the participation of over 500 youths from the continent. The “25 hours of Dakar” will be held Wednesday, August 07 at the African Renaissance monument. The Pan-African youth are expected to convey a message to the Executive Director, as their contribution towards the Nairobi Summit. International music legend Youssou Ndour will grace this event with his presence.
After Senegal, the Executive Director will visit The Gambia from 8 to 9 August 2019.
Read the full Biography of Dr. Natalia Kanem, who, in October 2017, was appointed United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund.
