Ho-Ghana, Sept.19, GNA – Dr Archibald Yao Letsa, Volta Regional Minister has commended the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) for its continuous support to the Volta Regional Coordinating Council (VRCC) in promoting issues of population and development.
He said the Fund had significantly supported the VRCC in implementing various programmes in ensuring healthy and equitable population and protection of human rights of all persons in the region.
Dr Letsa said this at the opening of a two-day Gender Equality Males’ Empowerment School (GEMS) in Ho on the theme: “Action for Gender Equality, Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights: Men and Boys as Key Partners.”
It was organised by the Volta Regional Directorate of the Department of Gender under the auspices of the VRCC with support from the UNFPA for 30 in-school adolescent boys, and 30 men.
The participants were drawn from the UNFPA operational districts including Central Tongu, North Dayi, South Dayi, Keta and Akatsi North.
The Minister said the VRCC in partnership with the UNFPA over the years, had rolled out series of interventions to educate and empower adolescents on sexual and gender-based violence, teenage pregnancy, and child marriage to ensure their holistic development.
He said when young adolescents engaged in early sexual relations and marriage, it could lead to gender-based violence and abuse, which affected their mental health development and productivity.
Dr Letsa said the GEMS offered the opportunity to raise a crop of men and boys who would serve as shining examples, be helpful and supportive of other people in the society.
He implored the participants to be worthy ambassadors in their communities, schools, and workplaces, and work assiduously to promote gender equality, while upholding the human rights of all persons devoid of discrimination.
The Minister charged stakeholders to leverage on the school to create solutions to address the unique needs and challenges facing adolescent boys, girls, and other vulnerable groups to achieve the sustainable development goals by 2023.
Mrs Thywill Eyra Kpe, Volta Regional Director of the Department of Gender, said empowering adolescent boys and men was one of the key focus areas of UNFPA global programme to end child marriage.
She said gender equality must be seen as an important step for developing societies that were sensitive to the challenges confronting their people and develop pragmatic mechanisms to address them.
The Director said gender equality was the responsibility of all persons and that the GEMS was instituted by the Department of Gender to support the UNFPA global programme to address child marriage, Social and Gender Based violence, among others.
The programme aimed at equipping the participants with relevant information and understanding of gender equality, equal educational career development of boys and girls.
It would also help them understand issues of adolescents sexual and reproductive health and the devastating consequences of sexual and gender-based violence on their personal, societal, and national development.
