The East African Community (EAC) and the German Foundation for World Population (DSW) signed a regional health and population programmes support agreement. According to the statement from EAC Corporate Communications and Public Affairs Department, the deal aims at providing EAC countries with technical and human resource support to implement health and population programmes through the EAC Health Sector Unit. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two parties was signed on Monday at the EAC Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania. The EAC Deputy Secretary General of Finance and Administration, Dr. Julius Tangus Rotich and the Executive Director of the DSW, Renate Bahr, signed on behalf of their respective organizations. The statement says that Dr. Julius Tangus Rotich said that the deal comes at a time when the expanded Community needs a robust health and other population related programmes to spur both social and economic development in the region. It also pointed out that regional health issues are crosscutting and central to EAC development since the region is characterised by demographic features that are compounded by worsening reproductive health problems such as the HIV/Aids pandemic and increasing youth population. Renate Bahr said DSW’s main goal is to help people free themselves from poverty by providing support to Family Planning and Sexual and Reproductive Health projects in Africa and Asia. She also observed that investing in health, especially protecting the youth against unwanted pregnancies and HIV/Aids, is key which means investing in a better future for the development of the region. The agreement was signed with the consideration of national, regional, continental and international accords regarding health and population issues as well as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Health and population consideration put emphasis on maternal and child mortality reduction, increased access to quality reproductive health products and services, women’s empowerment, girls’ education and youth development through education. Ends
