Damascus- 11 February 2017
Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy Executive Director of UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, Natalia Kanem has arrived in Damascus today on a 4-day visit to Syria, accompanied by UNFPA’s Director for the Arab region, Luay Shabaneh.
The visit aims to support UNFPA’s operations in Syria, including by reiterating the organization’s commitment to responding to the needs of women and adolescent girls primarily through its partnerships with UN agencies, and international and local entities, such as the health institutions, the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) and the Syrian Family Planning Association (SFPA).
“This is the first high-level visit by a UNFPA official to Syria during the Syria crisis,” said Massimo Diana, UNFPA’s representative in Syria. “Working in Syria has many challenges, but we are here to stay by the thousands of women and girls whom we reach through our programs,” he added, referring to numerous services in maternal and reproductive health, and in the field of preventing and responding to gender-based violence as well as supporting and promoting youth empowerment and participation as critical for effective social reconciliation, cohesion and resilience of communities across Syria.
UNFPA and its partner organizations in Syria run programs through which Syrian women received 1,300,000 services related to reproductive health and 270,000 services that respond and seek to prevent gender-based violence in 2016. Moreover, it offers women survivors of gender-based violence services, including medical examination, psychosocial support, and legal services through 18 UNFPA-supported safe spaces in Damascus, Homs, Hama, Aleppo, Daraa, Al -Sweida, and Tartous
“Reproductive health often falls off the radar during big humanitarian emergencies, and` women who face gender-based violence often feel alone even within their communities. We are the organization whose niche expertise is precisely these two sensitive issues. We work closely with women and young girls on empowering them, responding to their needs and advocating for their rights,” added Diana.
For further info:
Please contact, Ms. Kinda Katranji
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Communication Officer, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Damascus, Syria Mob. +963 935 88 44 11, Tele: +963 11 612 6870 / 1, Fax: +963 11 611 3783 |
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