The UNFPA 8th Country Programme was launched in the Benishangul Gumuz Region at a workshop held today. The region is one of the two operational regions which UNFPA added when it embarked on its four-year 8th Country Programme which will be implemented until 2020. The Country Programme will be executed in 9 districts in the Region. 

Making remarks on the occasion, Ato Shiferwa Chelibo, Head of the Bureau of Finance and Economic Development of the Region, said the UNFPA programme is aligned to and will contribute much to the priorities identified by the Region in the reduction of maternal mortality and harmful traditional practices. He underscored the need to use the resources allocated by the programme wisely for the realization of the envisaged outcomes.

Dr. Awoke Tassew, Assistant Representative of UNFPA, said on his part that UNFPA will be working with the Regional Government and civil society organizations in the implementation of the Country Programme in the Region. He noted that UNFPA will be employing modalities such as woreda convergence in the interest of wise use of the resources allocated in the Country Programme to support various interventions.

The workshop also served as a platform to give training to representatives of sector offices involved in the implementation of the Country Programme. Training was given on Result Based Management, Programme Implementation Manual, and Harmonized Approach to Cash Transfer.

Representatives of the Bureau of Finance and Economic Development, Bureau of Health, and Bureau of Women and Children Affairs drawn from the operational districts of the Country Programme in the region participated in the two-day workshop.