As part of activities to leverage on Ghana’s ‘Year of Return’ which has seen some half a million diasporas’ of African ancestry relocate to or visit Ghana, UNFPA in collaboration with the Government of Ghana is hosting a parliamentary dialogue with the Diaspora at the Swiss Spirit Alisa Hotel in Accra.  The two-day event is being held under the theme: ‘Year of return-achieving the demographic dividend: the role of Parliamentarians’, and is seeing the participation of Members of Parliament from the Ghanaian Government as well as from the Diaspora.

Honourable Professor George Gyan-Baffour, Ghana’s Minister for Planning, in his welcome address commended UNFPA’s work with the Ghanaian Government to advance the tenets put forth by the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) Programme of Action which places Family Planning and Reproductive Health at the forefront of population and development issues in Ghana and by extension the African Continent. He continued by highlighting that such programmes are aimed at expanding knowledge and building interlinkages on issues of gender, SRHR, and youth.

“Focusing on these issues is a key driver of developmental growth, thus it is relevant to put structures and resources in place to tap into them.”

He concluded by thanking all the present for their participation, especially the diasporas for choosing Ghana; and wished them fruitful deliberations.

The rest of the day was characterised by speeches, video messages, presentations and panel discussions from members of Parliament and experts from Ghana and the Diaspora. Notable among these was a submission from Mr. Harold Robinson Davis, the Regional Director for UNFPA’s Latin America and Caribbean Regional Office (LACRO). He emphasized the need to raise awareness on data on high-poverty levels, low educational achievements and the barriers in accessing quality healthcare that Afro-descendants are faced with, as part of ensuring rights for all. He also reiterated the importance of recognizing that the Global Sustainable Development Goals are built on the foundation of instruments such as the ICPD, the Beijing Conference in and the Millennium Development Goals. Thus, local and global government commitment and cooperation are essential to bridge the gaps in reaching those furthest left to promote the agenda of ensuring dignity and rights for all.

The participants also had an opportunity to interact with the Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Honourable Aaron Michael Oquaye, during a courtesy call they paid to the Parliament House.