18 February 2025, Gursum Woreda, SOMALI REGION: The “Family Planning for Women and Adolescents in Primary Health Care Centers” Project which will be supported by UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, in partnership with the Somali Region in the coming two years was launched today. The project will be funded by the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation with funding amounting to close to 92 million Birr. 

The project will support health workers, health facilities, and local organisations to strengthen the primary health care system for the delivery of family planning services targeting women and adolescents. The project is expected to reach over 200 thousand women and young people with essential reproductive health services. 

Speaking at the ceremony, H.E. Mr. Antón Leis, Director-General of the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation, said that “the Spanish Cooperation is firmly committed to strengthening Ethiopia’s Primary Health Care system, with a particular focus on family planning and sexual and reproductive health. Our collaboration with the Ethiopian Ministry of Health and UNFPA ensures that our interventions align with national health priorities and have a lasting impact on the most vulnerable communities.”

The contraceptive prevalence rate  in the Somali Region is under 4 percent, far below the national average of 41 percent. Many women and young people still face significant barriers in accessing sexual and reproductive health services, highlighting the urgent need for sustained efforts to expand access to the services.

“Access to quality family planning services is not just a health issue; it is a fundamental human right,” said Mr. Koffi Kouame, UNFPA Country Representative during the launching.  He added that the support of the project will be critical in addressing the barriers to access to family planning services and ensuring that every woman and young person has access to life-saving reproductive health services.

The project will play a transformative role in strengthening the primary health care system, in line with the Costed Implementation Plan for Family Planning and the Sustainable Development Goals. Over the past four years alone, UNFPA has supported close to half a million couples with contraceptive protection and strengthened 46 health facilities in the Somali Region. 

The project launching ceremony was attended by high level officials from the Gursum Woreda Administration of the Somali Region, the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation and UNFPA. 

For further information, please contact:  

●    Sahardid Mohamoud Abdi, UNFPA Regional Programme Officer, Somali Region; Mobile: +251915724743; E-mail: smohamoud@unfpa.org 
●    Abraham Gelaw, Communication Officer, UNFPA Ethiopia. Mobile: +251 911488627; E-mail: gelaw@unfpa.org