DECLARATION OF THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO ON POPULATION AND DEVELOPMENT AT THE ICPD 25 SUMMIT, Nairobi 12–14 NOVEMBER 2019
Commitment description:1. His Excellency, Mr. Félix Antoine TSHISEKEDI TSHILOMBO, Head of State, President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, whose forward-looking vision for the harmonious development of our country has launched an Accelerated Presidential Programme for Reducing Poverty and Inequalities, which focuses particularly on strengthening human capital. 2. Mindful of the progress made over the last 25 years and the strategic priorities that will need to be addressed over the coming years to complete the ICPD Programme of Action and achieve the desired results of the 2030 Agenda, as well as the African objectives that we wish to achieve by 2063, the DRC is committed to: Ø Increasing access to health for all, including reproductive health, in order to further reduce mortality rates in the country. Know the causes of mortality by using a more modern register of deaths to modernize the death registration system. Ø Continuing to promote gender equality with a view to effectively eradicating gender-based violence, increasing investment in girls and adolescents, including vulnerable people and those living with disabilities; Ø Strengthening actions aimed at improving education for young people, especially girls; Ø Improving the business climate to create conditions conducive to sustained, sustainable and inclusive economic growth; Ø Making reliable and quality demographic data available by conducting the second General Population and Housing Census in order to plan development policies and programmes. 3. The delegation of the DRC expresses its sincere thanks to the sister republic of Kenya for the warm welcome and to all of the traditional partners, especially the United Nations organizations, in particular the United Nations Population Fund, for organizing this conference.
Achieve universal access to sexual and reproductive health as a part of universal health coverage (UHC)(3) Zero preventable maternal deaths and maternal morbidities, such as obstetric fistulas, by, inter alia, integrating a comprehensive package of sexual and reproductive health interventions, including access to safe abortion to the full extent of the law, measures for preventing and avoiding unsafe abortions, and for the provision of post-abortion care, into national UHC strategies, policies and programmes, and to protect and ensure all individuals’ right to bodily integrity, autonomy and reproductive rights, and to provide access to essential services in support of these rights.
