Stimulating innovation, stirring up creativity, finding synergies and ultimately achieving success to mention a few are among the importance of sharing knowledge and good practices. In this light, UNFPA Ghana with support from Canada and in partnership with its Implementing Partners (IPs) organized the 2020 Partners Learning Forum (PaLeF) on 9th November,2020 in Accra.
Held on the theme: “The Unfinished Business: Utilizing Shared Knowledge and Practices for Advancing ICPD in Ghana”, the event brought together IPs, Government officials, development partners, delegation from the Canadian High Commission, members of the diplomatic corps among others to interact and share good practices on how to advance the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) Programme of Action. The PaLeF aimed at planning, organizing, motivating and deploying people, processes and technology in order to achieve development and organizational results.
Welcoming participants to the 2020 PaLeF, Mr. Niyi Ojuolape, UNFPA Ghana Country Representative, explained the importance of knowledge management in achieving the key results in UNFPA’s programme delivery. Mr. Ojuolape further threw more light on how the Adolescent Girls Programme - funded by Canada- is a giant step in ensuring the potential of adolescent girls being fulfilled. These, in his words, “is a critical parameter for harnessing the demographic dividend in Ghana”.
Sara Nicolls, Head of Cooperation at the Canadian High Commission appreciated the hard work of UNFPA together with implementing partners in ensuring that adolescent girls have access to reproductive health information. This, she believes, “is critical to advancing gender equality and the empowerment of women and adolescent girls”.
Ms. Marian Kpapah, the Chief Director at the Ministry of Planning and Dr.Gilbert Buckle, the health advisor at the Canadian embassy reviewed the programme technically and in line with government’s policies and programmes as well as the Canadian strategies on empowerment of young people.
The PaLeF also featured an exhibition where 13 IPs shared their contributions to ensuring Ghana’s achievement of zero unmet need for family planning, zero maternal mortality and zero sexual and gender-based violence. Participating IPs included: Upper East, Brong Ahafo, Central, Volta and Ashanti Regional Coordinating Councils, Alliance for Reproductive Health and Rights (ARHR), International Needs, Ghana Health Service (GHS), National Youth Authority (NYA), Hopesetters Autism Center, Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DoVVSU), Purim African Youth Development Platform (PADYP) and Planned Parenthood Association of Ghana (PPAG).
