Hodeidh, August 6, 2006

Hans Obdeijn, UNFPA representative, and Roelof C. Buffinga, deputy Dutch ambassador accompanied by Dr. Arwa Alrabe'e, deputy minister of Public Health and Population paid a visit to Hodeida and the governorate of Haja to receive a new shipment of health related commodities. The shipment is part of cost sharing agreement in which contraceptives are funded by the Royal Netherlands Embassy and procured by the UNFPA to cover national requirements for the year spanning from 2006 to 2007.

The overall cost of this latest shipment is nearly three million dollars, including a budget for transportation of the goods to public health facilities at the central, governorate and district level managed by the Ministry of Public Health and Population. The agreement also calls for utilizing public-private partnerships to distribute goods to public facilities in order to cost-save.

During the visit to Hodeida, Obdeijn held talks with the governors of Hodeida and Haja, Health Directors Generals (DG), and other officials to thrash out issues related to UNFPA working projects in these governorates such as reproduction healthcare (RH) and midwife training.

Mohammed S. Shamlan, governor of Hodeida , and Mohamed Al-Harasi, governor of Haja, thanked both the UNFPA and the Netherlands for their support. Both of governors briefly reviewed the health situation in Yemen and the needs of their respective governorates. Additionally, they explained further steps that have been taken to empower women in their governorates.

Delegates held a press conference at Hodeida 's harbor where the importance of the shipment to Yemen was stressed. Obdeijn noted that Yemeni women have the right to access to contraception, skilled health care at the time of birth, and quality emergency obstetric care.