KABUL - To promote reproductive health, youth empowerment, gender equality and the access to and use of accurate data in the country, the Government of Afghanistan and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) signed a new five-year plan.

As part of the plan, UNFPA will invest US$82 million to support Afghanistan through a programme developed jointly with the Government and civil society organizations.

“UNFPA is proud to present this new country programme, tailored to the needs of Afghan people and aligned to Afghanistan's national priorities,” said Dr. Annette Sachs Robertson, UNFPA Representative for Afghanistan, at a press conference in Kabul.

“We are honoured to renew today our partnership with the Government and continue our work to deliver an Afghanistan where every pregnancy is wanted, every delivery is safe and every young person's potential is fulfilled,” she said.

The new plan focuses on promoting youth in national development policies, enhancing the capacity of law-enforcement bodies to respond to gender-based violence, improving the reliability of population data, and strengthening the ability of parliamentarians and academic institutions to use that data for policy development.