By CHIDA SAKALA –
THE Planned Parenthood Association of Zambia (PPAZ) has called on Government to help in mobilising funds to fight teenage pregnancies which is one of the objectives among the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
PPAZ executive director Edford Mutuma said the quest to eliminate teenage pregnancies needed support through fund mobilisation to help the country attain the SDG on reducing teenage pregnancies.
SDGs are a framework of 17 goals and 169 targets across social, economic and environmental areas of sustainable development which United Nations (UN) member countries have pledged to attain by 2030.
The SDGs succeeded the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that ran from 2000 to 2015.
Mr Mutuma said at a Press briefing in Lusaka yesterday where he shared the role of PPAZ in transforming the MDGs to the SDGs.
He said PPAZ wanted Zambia to attain the SDGs by 2030, as stipulated
“We want to ensure that by the year 2030, all harmful practices such as child, early and forced marriages are eliminated,” he said.
These vices, he said, meant that girls would not enjoy equal sexual and reproductive health rights.
Mr Mutuma said PPAZ also wanted to see that all people enjoyed full and productive employment and decent work.
He said there should also be equal access to all levels of education and vocational training for the vulnerable and persons with disabilities.
In order to achieve this, Mr Mutuma said, there was need for joint efforts among stakeholders such as the civil society, Government and the media.
He said the media should take part by ensuring that they informed the nation on the importance of the SDGs.
The media should increase publication of issues of SDGs to ensure maximum publicity.
Mr Mutuma said everyone had a responsibility to make sure that Zambia had a better social and economic status, hence the need to work together.