UNDP organises MDG training workshop

Akosombo (E/R), May 20, GNA – Mr Paschal Wab-Lumor, a development studies student at the Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research of the University of Ghana, has hailed the objectives of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

He noted that the successful implementation of the MDG's depends on technical and pragmatic solution in the context of holistic people-centered development strategy.

Mr Wab-Lumor said volunteerism and awareness creation as well as advocacy should be the focus point in achieving the MDG's.

He made this known at a workshop on MDGs organised by the UNDP in collaboration with Africa 2000 Network Ghana and Youth Bridge Foundation, two non-governmental organisations forTV3 Ghana's Most Beautiful 2011contestants in Akosombo in the Eastern Region.

The three- day workshop was aimed at training the beauty queens to become youth ambassadors to educate the public and create awareness on the MDG's in a bid to contribute to the achievement of the goals.

The workshop was the second in the series to educate and sensitise the participants on the status of MDG achievements in Ghana.

Mr Wab-Lumor said the MDG's aims at eradicating extreme poverty and hunger, achieve universal primary education, promote gender equality and empower women, reduce child mortality, improve maternal health, combat HIV and AIDS, malaria and other diseases.

It also aimed at ensuring environmental sustainability and develop global partnership for development.

He noted that, Ghana has been able to attain maximum results in the MDG's one, two, three, six and eight, but lots of work needs to be done in order to attain MDG's four, five and seven.

Mr Wab-Lumor observed that all the eight goals are related and so if one is attained, the possibility of attaining the seven others is high.

He urged the participants to take advantage of the opportunity given them to be ambassadors of the MDG's and take up the mantle to help attain the goals.

Mr Kordzo Sedegah, Economic Specialist of the UNDP said the sixth goal indicated that the number of adults infested with HIV and AIDS had increased, whiles female were the most affected.

He said HIV and AIDS prevalence amongst pregnant women had increased.

Mr Kordzo Sedegah said practicing safe sex, especially among the most vulnerable, reducing mother-to-child transmission, promoting voluntary counselling and testing and increasing the use of Anti Retroviral Drugs for persons living with HIV and AIDS were some of the measures being taken by stakeholders to reduce the spread of the disease.

He noted that stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV and AIDS, lack of efficient monitoring and accountability on spending on HIV and AIDS related programmes, human resource constraints, weak coordination of the national response were some of the challenges facing the fight against HIV and AIDS.

GNA