Oman- UNFPA office stresses on importance of birth spacing

Date

7/14/2016 12:43:54 AM

(MENAFN- Muscat Daily) Muscat-

Celebrating World Population Day, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) GCC sub-regional office in Oman announced it is helping the government arrest a decline in birth spacing.

Birth spacing refers to maintaining at least an 18-month time frame between pregnancies. Doctors say it helps protect women's health and control the number of pregnancies.

However, UNFPA programme analyst Salah al Saleh said birth spacing in Oman has declined because contraception in Oman is not being used as widely as it was when the programme was first introduced in the 1990s.

He said the redeveloped birth spacing programme will need to make contraception better understood among the population.

Oman's fertility rate declined from 8.3 births per woman in 1980 to 3.72 in 2000, according to the World Bank. In 2012, the rate was 2.88 births per woman.

UNFPA works with the government on various programmes related to population. It does not implement programmes but provides technical expertise through its regional and international networks. It's especially focused on the youth and female empowerment, according to officials.

The office is currently helping the National Youth Committee develop an action plan for its activities.

UNFPA relies on funds from the UN as well as the Omani government.

The Oman office was established in 2006 and acts as the sub-regional office for the whole GCC. UNFPA has offices in Saudi Arabia and Qatar and non-resident status in UAE and Kuwait.

On Wednesday, the office celebrated World Population Day, which falls on July 11.

This year, UN officials are focusing on creating more opportunities for teenage girls.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said girls are held back from education, forced to marry early and are also the victims of abuse.

'While a boy's options and opportunities tend to expand when he becomes an adolescent, those of a girl often shrink,' he said in a statement.

According to him, teenage girls are less likely than teenage boys to start or finish secondary school. In developing countries, 30 per cent of girls are married before they reach the age of 18.

And girls under the age of 15 are victims of assaults.

'On this World Population Day, I urge all governments, businesses and civil society to support and invest in teenage girls,' he said. 'Everyone deserves the benefits of economic growth and social progress. Let us work together to ensure a life of security, dignity and opportunity for all.'

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