Message by Minister Jeanne Simeon on World Population Day |11 July 2017

‘We need to invest more to accelerate the empowerment of all women and girls in issues of sexual and reproductive health’

The Ministry of Family Affairs is urging all the population of reproductive age to fully utilise the facilities and services available to meet their sexual and reproductive health needs for better health and socio-economic outcomes.

A special note to the young people is to use all facilities and services to the maximum, so as to be more empowered for better informed decision on their sexual and reproductive health.

This comes in a message from the Minister for Family Affairs Jeanne Simeon on the occasion of the World Population Day being celebrated today.

The full text of Minister Simeon’s message reads:

“Today, we join the international community in commemorating World Population Day, under the theme ‘Family Planning: Empowering People, Developing Nations’. This is an occasion to enhance awareness of population issues, including their relationship and interconnectedness to the environment and development.

“For a small country like Seychelles, population is not just about numbers. It is above all about people; their quality of life, their living conditions and the services that are available to them. This is why we believe in people-centred policies that recognise the rights and dignity of each Seychellois citizen. It is why we believe in the principles of social justice, fairness and equality.

“This year’s World Population Day, coincides with the Family Planning (FP) Summit, the second meeting of the FP2020 initiative, which will bring together leaders and advocates from around the world to commit to expanding access to modern forms of contraception to an additional 120 million women worldwide, with a special focus on the most marginalised and vulnerable.

“This year’s theme, reminds us of the critical role of education and health not just in our personal well-being but also in national development. This is why, as a country, we will continue to invest in education, reproductive health information and family planning services because they are the means of empowering our population.

“Today, through voluntary family planning, couples and individuals of reproductive age in Seychelles are able to decide freely and responsibly as to when they want to have children and the number of children that they want. They have access to reproductive health information, education and services through various policies and programmes. This has been a significant factor in our quest for sustainable development and family well-being as it is widely recognised that voluntary family planning saves the lives of mothers and infants by allowing women to better space and limit their pregnancies.  It improves health outcomes, strengthens the financial wellbeing of families, and helps achieve national health and socio economic goals.

“With developments in health services, our country has made considerable progress with regards to the national sexual reproductive health indicators with steady decline in fertility rate, maintenance of low maternal mortality ratio, decrease in infant deaths and lower HIV prevalence among women, compared to men. However, we must not remain complacent as we are faced with challenges such as unplanned pregnancies, teenage risky practices, increase in illicit drug and alcohol use among pregnant mothers, diversity in HIV/Aids transmission especially among those at risk including the young people.

“We need, thus, to continue to improve our existing systems through ongoing education and training, and strengthening of sexual and reproductive health education in schools and in workplaces. We need to invest more to accelerate the empowerment of all women and girls and the involvement of men and boys in issues of sexual and reproductive health. This will require joint efforts and a multi-sectoral approach as well as shared engagement and commitment of all individuals based on the philosophy of ‘Health by All’ which recognises the role that personal responsibility plays in a person’s own health status.

“As we commemorate the day, the Ministry of Family Affairs urges all the population of reproductive age to fully utilise the facilities and services available to meet their sexual and reproductive health needs for better health and socio-economic outcomes. A special note to the young people is to use all facilities and services to the maximum, so as to be more empowered for better informed decision on their sexual and reproductive health.

“The ministry will continue to work with all stakeholders in a spirit of partnership and co-operation, because we remain committed to the vision that empowering people is key to development, to alleviating poverty and to attaining gender equality in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

“I wish every individual and family health and success in their personal lives and a Happy World Population Day.”