The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in partnership with its implementing partners, has organised its maiden Partners’ Learning Forum to foster shared learning in the areas of maternal and adolescents’ health.

The forum, on the theme: “Utilising Shared Knowledge and Practices for Advancing the ICPD Agenda in Ghana,’’ provided a platform for stakeholders to share successful lessons, knowledge and strategies to improve on their work in addressing maternal and adolescents issues

The partners included metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies as well as civil society organisations across the country.

Dr Babatunde Ahonsi, UNFPA Country Representative to Ghana said the fund had directly supported a number of research projects, publications and production of numerous reports and listed the Adolescent Sexual Reproductive Health and national population policies, gender policy, situational analysis on adolescents and young people, census monographs, midwifery and MDG5 fact sheets as some of the reports.

He noted that the UNFPA programme of partnering with stakeholders would be implemented at the national, regional and district levels to assess strategies and the extent to which the programmes and projects were implemented at the various levels.

He expressed regret that Ghana achieved 50 per cent of the MDG 5, target instead of the instead of 75 per cent reduction of maternal mortality.

“As we move from MDG to post-2015 goals, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), it is necessary we share lessons as stakeholders to strategise and meet the SDGs related to women and children and make progress. Together in partnership, we can re-engineer and move Ghana further.”

Ms Dorothy Onny, Director of Research Statistics and Information Management of the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development expressed gratitude to UNFPA, Ghana for partnering government to implement most of the United Nations goals.

Ms Onny however, expressed worry that some of the MDGs especially Goals 4 and 5 were not met and, therefore, called on UNFPA to help in meeting the SDGs, adopted in September at the 70th UN General Assembly.

Ms Christine Evans-Klock, UN Resident Coordinator commended the stakeholders for the tremendous strides made in reducing maternal mortality though it could not get to the ultimate and urged stakeholders to continue sharing their experiences to enrich the total output of improving the lives of women and achieving the SDGs.

The partners mounted exhibition desks on some of the programmes undertaken over the past months.