UNFPA to grant Congo 1.9b FCFA to support gender policy

Brazzaville, Congo (PANA) - The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has granted about 1.9 billion CFA francs to Congo to support the gender policy of the government, an official source in Brazzaville told PANA here Monday.

An agreement to this effect was signed in Brazzaville between the UNFPA Representative in Congo, David Lawson, and the Congolese Minister for the Promotion of Women and Integration Development, Jeanne Françoise Lékomba Loumeto.

"The signing of this agreement is an expression of the excellent cooperation between the Congolese government and UNFPA. It is an agreement that governs the operational modalities of our cooperation. This money is the largest sum allocated in the history of our cooperation," said Lawson.

It is also planned to support the implementation of the law on parity in elective, administrative and political positions of Congolese women.

Both sides planned to sustain their efforts for the training of young single mothers, the fight against teenage pregnancy, support for indigenous women as well as the fight against sexual violence.

In 2010, UNFPA supported the implementation of the national gender policy, particularly in capacity building for the empowerment of vulnerable women and girls through training in income-generating activities and support to rural women.
-0- PANA MB/TBM/SMD/BOS 21Feb2011