DJIBOUTI, 6 December 2017 - Approved by the UNICEF Executive Board in last September, the new program of cooperation between the Government of Djibouti and UNICEF covering the period 2018-2022 was presented today to national stakeholders and partners. This new program, which is the result of a collaborative process with the Government, pays special attention to the most disadvantaged and vulnerable children and communities.
"Significant progress has been made over the past years in Djibouti. Child mortality has been reduced by half over the past decade. Djibouti is one of the few countries that have met the millennium development goal related to improved water. While a number of challenges remain, this program will allow us to accelerate efforts to address them," said Mohamed Ali Hassan, General Secretary of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation on this occasion.
The vision of the new program is to realize children's rights to survival, development and protection through access to quality social services and the adoption of healthy and protective behaviors. It will revolve around (i) child survival and development, (ii) education and adolescent development, and (iii) child protection and social inclusion.
"UNICEF is committed to strengthening its support for Djibouti, based on the priorities set by the Government and taking into account the United Nations System's recently approved programming framework," said Djanabou Mahondé, UNICEF Representative in Djibouti.
The focus will be on delivering a package of high-impact interventions on child survival and development, with a focus on the first 1,000 days of a child's life; expanding formal and non-formal learning opportunities for children and adolescents; and ensuring that vulnerable children and adolescents have access to integrated child and social protection services. These interventions will integrate cross-sectoral components on early childhood development, adolescent programming and social and behavioral change activities.
"UNICEF will continue its upstream work to support the Government to create a national legislative and policy environment that promotes children's rights. We will also sustain our support to downstream work by prioritizing the geographic areas where the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children and populations live and are less well served by basic social services," continued Mahondé.
The current flow of migrants and refugees due to events occurring in the region as well as the impact of climate change - against the background of a drought that has plagued the country for a decade - will also be addressed by the programme.
The new programme covers five years (2018-2022) and close to US$25 million are required for its implementation. "UNICEF is appealing for solidarity to help mobilize these resources to ensure that no child is left behind in Djibouti," concluded Mahondé.
For more information on the new programme of cooperation, click Partnerships for children: UNICEF and the Government of Djibouti programme of cooperation 2018-2022
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