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The year 2019 marks 25 years since the landmark International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) held in Cairo in 1994. The Nairobi Summit on ICPD25 held from 12-14 November 2019, in the Kenyan capital, brought together global partners around the world to accelerate the promise of ICPD. Countries, including Sri Lanka, made bold commitments to transform the world by ending all maternal deaths, unmet need for family planning and gender-based violence and harmful practices against women and girls by 2030. 

Sri Lanka's Country Commitment was read by Dr. Chithramalee De Silva, Director (Mental and Child Health) of the Family Health Bureau, Ministry of Health, Nutrition, and Indigenous Medicine, Sri Lanka. 

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Sri Lanka's Commitment at the Nairobi Summit on ICPD25: 

The Government of Sri Lanka, along with development partners and stakeholders, will be committed to keep the promise to accelerate the programme of action for ICPD with the following commitments:

  1. We are committed to reduce our maternal mortality ratio to the SDG goal of 20 per 100,000 LB by 2030 and priorities are set to address the cause specific mortality and regional disparities. Coverage and quality improvement in health care and expansion of emergency obstetric care specifically targeting for vulnerable and marginalized women will be attended to achieve zero preventable maternal mortality.
     
  2. Unmet need for family planning accounts for 20% of maternal deaths, and currently the country is experiencing social and religious threats for the National FP program. Hence the government will take actions to strengthen the Family Planning program with adequate financing for advocacy, capacity building, community empowerment and making safe commodities available across the country.
     
  3. New legal enactments will be made available to ensure Reproductive Health rights are protected in all ethnic groups, socially disadvantaged populations, adolescents and youth. Country will ensure that SRH needs of special population groups are equally addressed.
     
  4. A separate national budget line with adequate budgetary allocation will be formulated for Reproductive Health to support implementation at national and sub national levels by 2020. We will sustain and continue the budgetary provisions to already existing priority areas such as humanitarian response and crisis management.
     
  5. Sexual and reproductive health education in schools, and adolescent and youth friendly health services will be further strengthened with the partnership of Ministry of Health, Education, Vocational Training and Youth Affairs.
     
  6. Primary Health care will be further strengthened for elimination of Gender based violence while care provision for survivors will be expanded through Mithuru Piyasa Centres and safe homes. Multi-sectoral approach to address GBV will be strengthened with the partnership of Government, NGOs and community groups.
     
  7. Ensuring quality and timely information for monitoring of reproductive health services is a country priority; further encourage conducting research in priority areas. Electronic web-based information systems will be expanded with networking and data sharing among stakeholders.
     
  8. Services for prevention and control of Reproductive Organ Malignancies will be further expanded with new interventions and technologies.
     
  9. The country is progressing towards elimination of mother to child transmission of HIV and Syphilis with strong partnership of the Government, development partners and key population groups.
     
  10. Sri Lanka is fully aware of the potential of women and youth to harness in sustainable development and strongly committed to get their contribution to country’s economic and political decision making process.

We will work on both national and international obligations and pledge our fullest support to implement the ICPD-25 Nairobi Statement based on the national development agenda.  

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Follow the discussion on Twitter: #NairobiSummit #ICPD25 
Learn more: nairobisummiticpd.org