Dr Uzodinma Adirieje: February 2021

Sunday 7 February 2021

INVITATION TO A WORKSHOP ON COVID-19 AND HIV/AIDS

While the world was still battling to overcome the HIV/AIDS pandemic now in its fifth decade, it found itself struggling to provide vaccines for COVID-19; and is succeeding. So, how has COVID-19 affected the responses to HIV and AIDS, among individuals, and in families/homes, communities, countries, regions, and global world?

Afrihealth Optonet Association is a civil society network and think-tank of about 600 (Six Hundred) organizations across Africa, The Caribbean, and the global South for Systems Strengthening in Health [including HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria]; Energy, Climate Change and Environment; Nutrition and Food Security; and Gender, Good Governance, Democracy, Human Security, Rights and Dignity; Human Capital Development; promotion of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). AFRIHEALTH is committed to the propagation of ‘Health’ as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being through Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and health systems strengthening, especially in the areas of the SDGs, diseases prevention, provision of care, and impact mitigations using partnerships, advocacy, research/evidence-generation, capacity development, outreaches, and monitoring and evaluation as strategies; focusing on rural and poor urban communities, vulnerable and disadvantaged populations; and exploring the interlinkages between Health, Energy and Environment, Nutrition and Food Security, and Gender, Good Governance and Human Rights. AFRIHEALTH promoted the establishment of the Nigeria UHC Advocacy Group (NUHCAG) and is a member of the Health Care Financing and Investments Technical Working Group (TWG) for UHC at the Federal Ministry of Health in Nigeria. It is a member of Women-Major-Groups, NGO-Major-Groups, and Together-2030. Afrihealth has a Consultative Status at the United Nations ECOSOC; and had successfully implemented the ‘Sustainable Citizens Participation in Nigeria’s Niger Delta’ Project on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) funded by the United Nations Democracy Fund during 2017-2018. It also participated in the ‘Roll-out of the Malaria Matchbox Equity Assessment among Internally Displaced Persons/Women and Refugees in Adamawa, Gombe, Taraba, and Yobe states, 2020’, funded by the Global Fund; among others.

Afrihealth Optonet Association [CSOs Network] invites you to a workshop.

TOPIC: Effects of COVID-19 Pandemic on HIV/AIDS Response

When: Friday, Feb 12, 2021 12:00 PM West Central Africa

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZArdeyrrDspE9YJuy5vPQbEC8x77D-iAW7m

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Welcome!

Dr. Uzodinma Adirieje

CEO and Global Coordinator

Afrihealth Optonet Association [CSOs Network] – with consultative status at UN ECOSOC

Plot 520, Federal Housing Authority Estate, Airport Road, Lugbe; P.O. Box 8880, Abuja; Nigeria

1 Taiwo Close, Toronto Junction; MCC Rd, Uratta, P.O. Box 1484, Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria

Twitter: @uaadirieje; https://twitter.com/uaadirieje

Email: afrepton@gmail.com

Instalgram: @druzoadirieje; https://www.instagram.com/druzoadirieje/

Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/uzoadirieje;

Skype: druzoadirieje, druzoadirieje2015@gmail.com;

Zoom: druzoadirieje2015@gmail.com

LinkedIn: https://ng.linkedin.com/pub/dir/Dr.+Uzodinma/Adirieje

Phone, Telegram & WhatsApp: +234 803 472 5905

Telegram (HEFOSS link): https://t.me/joinchat/HQnG4hL5xbTZaMHgCdhIBA

Website: www.afrihealthcsos.org

Weblog: http://druzodinmadirieje.blogspot.com/

Saturday 6 February 2021

FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION IS A GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS: END IT NOW

On this International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/FGC); Afrihealth Optonet Association condemns the continuous practice of this harmful act of FGM anywhere in the world, by whosoever, for whatever reason. FGM is global, but so is the movement to end it.

Because female genital mutilation (FGM) or Female Genital Cutting (FGC) is inflicted on and affects women and girls in several continents. Afrihealth Optonet Association declares that there must be a global strategy and international cooperation to end this human rights abuse by 2030. Eradicating FGM worldwide by 2030 is one of the commitments that all 193 UN member states agreed to when they signed onto the Sustainable Development Goals in 2015. Sometimes the scale of the problem can feel overwhelming, but it is important to remember that we are not alone in our fight to end the practice and that important work is being done around the world.

An estimated 55 million girls under the age of 15 in 28 African countries have experienced or are at risk of experiencing FGM, which remains prevalent in parts of West, East, Central, and Northern Africa. This, despite the fact that laws against FGM are most common in the African continent where 28 countries have specific anti-FGM laws or legal provisions.

The move to end FGM in Africa has over the years gained traction on the continent with state and non-state actors at the international, regional, and national levels coalescing around actions designed to address this harmful practice.

These efforts have seen African governments commit to the global goal of ending FGM by 2030 in addition to launching a continental drive aimed at promoting and accelerating the collective abandonment of FGM at the community level through the development and enforcement of comprehensive anti-FGM laws; increasing and allocating resources to end FGM, and strengthening partnerships geared towards this.

Similarly, women’s rights defenders in Africa have banded together and are playing their part in contributing to the anti-FGM movement by holding states to account and exposing gaps that continue to put women and girls at risk of FGM. While some of them have been working under the auspices of the Solidarity for African Women’s Rights (SOAWR) and galvanizing action at the regional and national levels, others such as Hope Beyond Foundation in Kenya have been leading the campaign at the community level.

As recognition of the global prevalence of the practice increases, activists from across the continent are leading the now global movement to end female genital mutilation. In 2020, Burkina Faso submitted a resolution at the UN Human Rights Council on behalf of the group of African States calling on governments globally to take "comprehensive, multisectoral and rights-based measures to prevent and eliminate female genital mutilation".

We declare the FGM is avoidable gender-based violence (GBV) that brings ALL PAINS and no gain and must be totally eliminated/stopped the world over.

Say 'NO' to GBV. End FGM now.

Our 'Civil Society for Elimination of GBV' project, seeks to end FGM/FGC by 2030. We call for total commitment by governments, the United Nations system, International and local development partners, civil society organizations, businesses, development partners, civil society organizations, business, faith-based groups, communities, men, women, girls, boys, parents and relations to escalate actions and commitment to end FGM everywhere on the planet.

...Dr. Uzodinma Adirieje.

Programs Director/CEO,

CS4EGBV Project/Afrihealth Optonet Association [CSOs Network]

email: cs4egbv@gmail.com

Phone/Whatsapp/Telegram: +2348034725905

SAY 'NO' TO FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION/CUTTING

Excellencies,