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Bamako, December 9, 2016: From the 28th to the 30th of November 2016 at Azalaï Hotel Salam in Bamako, a technical workshop for the appropriation and planning of the activities of the project "Empowering adolescents and girls through education in Mali" was held in the hopes of supporting Mali attain its goal of achieving quality education through the joint project UNESCO-UNFPA-UN Women.
The opening ceremony was chaired by the Minister of National Education, who had at his side Ms. Mbaranga Gasarabwe, Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General of MINUSMA and Resident Coordinator of the United Nations System in Mali, Hervé Huot-Marchand, UNESCO Representative, Mrs. Josiane Yaguibou Representative of UNFPA, Dr Maxime Houinato, Representative of UN Women. There were also some fifty officials from the five Ministries involved in the project (National Education, Employment and Vocational Training, Promotion of women, children and the family, health and hygiene, youth and civic construction), civil society and the private sector members, representatives of the Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) from both the Headquarters in Seoul and the regional office in Dakar, technical and financial partners, UNESCO’s regional office for Education in Dakar, UNESCO’s Institutes in Hamburg (UIL) and Addis Ababa (IICBA), the Malian National Commission for UNESCO and the UNESCO Office in Bamako.
In her message to the participants, Ms Mbaranga Gasarabwe welcomed the colleagues, sisters, brothers and friends who have come a long way from South Korea, Ethiopia, Germany, Senegal and other place, to actively participate in the technical workshop and to recall that this activity of ownership and planning is part of the implementation of the project "Empowering young women and adolescents in Mali" for the Period 2016-2020. Ms Mbaranga Gasarabwe also recalled that the project was financed to the tune of US $ 5,000,000 by the Republic of Korea through its international cooperation agency (KOICA).
She warmly thanked the Republic of Korea for its excellent collaboration, it’s confidence in the United Nations system and its support for the development of Africa in general and Mali in particular, through the financing of this project that intends to empower adolescent girls and young women through education in Mali. The main objectives of which will be: (a) strengthening the quality of basic education, (b) strengthening sexual and reproductive health education, water and hygiene, (c) strengthening awareness of the importance of gender equality and the education of adolescents and young women by decision-makers and communities, (d) strengthening the use of data and knowledge management to address the concerns of adolescents and young women for empowerment.
According to the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for MINUSMA, the project meets in its goal and its objectives, the attainment of several Sustainable Development Goals, namely SDG 4: Quality Education, 5: Equality between 6: Clean Water and Sanitation for All, 10: Reduced Inequalities and 17: Partnerships for Achieving Sustainable Development Goals.
She reiterated the commitment of the United Nations system to support the Government's efforts in effectively mobilizing the technical, material and financial resources needed to implement the 2030 agenda and expressed her thanks to sister agencies of the United Nations system UNESCO, UNFPA and UN Women, who have spared no effort to make this project a reality for the benefit of adolescent girls and young women in Mali and who will be key partners in the implementation of this joint project.
Finally, she expressed her sincere thanks to the Minister of National Education and his colleagues in Employment and Vocational Training; The Promotion of Women, the Child and the Family; Health and Public Hygiene; And Youth and Civic Construction, all of whom have supported this project and helped it see the light of day and benefit the millions of teenagers and young women who so desperately need our support in order to exercise their right to quality education and access to basic social services.
The Minister of National Education, for his part, recalled the main objectives of the project while highlighting the obstacles related to access to education for girls and adolescents in Mali. Low enrollment and literacy rates, early marriages, exposure to infections, limited access to information, and increased physical vulnerability.
Finally, he recalled that we must continue and strengthen the integration of the issue of the empowerment of girls and adolescents into public policies in order to better meet their needs and help them become active members of their communities.
At the end of three intense days of work, the various actors and participants were able to appropriate the project in detail and plan the operational activities for the year 2017.
Links :
UNESCO : http://en.unesco.org/
UNFPA : http://www.unfpa.org/fr
ONU Femmes : http://www.unwomen.org/fr
Contacts :
M. Hervé Huot-Marchand
Head of office/Representative
UNESCO-Bamako
Email : h-huot-marchand@unesco.org
Tel : + 223 20 23 34 92/93
M. Elmehdi Ag Muphtah
Programme Coordinator
UNESCO-Bamako
Email : e.ag-muphtah@unesco.org
Tel : + 223 23 34 92/93