UNFPA, in collaboration with government ministries and development partners, hosted the celebration of World Population Day on the 11th July at Canossa Community School in Dili. The ceremony was attended by several speakers including UNFPA Representative, Mr. Pornchai Suchitta, the Director General of the Ministry of Health, H.E. Mr. Agapito da Silva Soares,Reverend Padre Jose Tacain of SVD and the First Lady, H.E. Isabel Ferreira who delivered the keynote speech.
World Population Day is celebrated annually to bring attention to population and development issues and our theme this year is ‘Universal Access to Reproductive Health Services’. The First Lady, in her speech, raised concerns about the lack of access to reproductive health services for Timorese women, noting that only 21% of pregnant women have access to health services. One in 44 Timorese women may die as a result of complications from pregnancy or childbirth and the First Lady called for urgent action to be taken to reduce the high mortality rates by promoting access to health services.
Over 60 students from Canossa School attended the ceremony and the First Lady launched an information and photography exhibition to educate and inform young people who are entering their reproductive years about the issues and risks they face. The exhibition will be open for a week from 11-18 July. Timor-Leste has a young population where nearly 40% of the population estimated to be below the age of 25, and statistics show that young people are at greater risk of unplanned pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections including HIV. The exhibition covers a wide array of topics like Family Planning, Adolescent Reproductive Health, and Gender-based violence. The aim of the exhibition is for Timorese youth to have the necessary and correct information to make informed decisions concerning their sexual and reproductive lives so that they are able to make the right choices. After the viewing of the exhibition, two youth ambassadors conducted an information session to provide the other students with vital information on different reproductive health areas such as HIV prevention and Adolescent Reproductive Health. This was followed by a fun and engaging game and quiz where their knowledge was tested. The winners received prizes and it was a fun and enjoyable experience for all who took part.
Timor-Leste has a high rate of fertility where on average, a Timorese woman will have 5.7 births during her lifetime and there’s a shortage of healthcare professionals so when complications arise, it can often be fatal. Mr. Pornchai stressed that ‘Reproductive Health is not just a concept with long meaning but suffice to say, it is a human right,’ He pledged that UNFPA will continue to support the Timorese government to ensure that pregnant women will deliver safely and will not die of obstetric complications and women and young people are empowered to demand their rights to have access to quality reproductive health information and services.
