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UN Urges Action to Check Mortality Rates From Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja United Nations Funds for Population Activities (UNFPA) yesterday called for urgent and committed action to arrest tragedies due to high infant and maternal mortality rates, just as it gave a frightening yearly death figure of about five hundred and twenty-nine thousand women in Africa resulting from complications during pregnancy. Executive Director of UNFPA, Mr. Thoraya Obaid, said at a one-day commemorative lecture organised by the National Population Commission (NPC) to mark the 2004 Word Population Day in Abuja, that though some measure of progress has been recorded in girl-child education, life expectancy rate and family planning, much more needs to be done to combat tragedies posed by rising infant and maternal mortality rates. Obaid, whose paper was read by the country representative, Mr. Nygoran Essan, noted that countries can reduce the vulnerability of women and girls by increasing respect for their human rights and confronting gender discrimination and violence. In the same vein, UN Secretary General, Mr. Kofi Annan, while commending the success recorded 10 years after the International Conference on Population (ICPD) held in Cairo, Egypt, observed that too many people are yet to experience the gains. He called for greater commitment in prosecuting the ICPD's agreements especially "when it comes to promoting women's rights and increasing investments in education and health, including reproductive health and family planning." The chairman of NPC, Chief Samu'ila Danko Makama, while assessing the progress made so far noted that while the UNFPA performance review on Nigeria is still on-going, evidence from demographic and health survey shows that the country has not achieved much. "Infant and child mortality are still very high as revealed by the 2003 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey. 100 deaths per 1,000 live births and 112 deaths per 1,000 children surviving to 12 months of age respectively," he said. Who Are We ? | About THISDAYOnLine.com | THISDAY People | Contact Us © Copyright 2000 Leaders & Company Limited

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