Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09NIAMEY367
2009-05-20 14:34:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Niamey
Cable title:  

NIGER: MINISTRY OF POPULATION AND SOCIAL REFORM

Tags:  EAID SOCI KWMN NG 
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RR RUEHLMC
DE RUEHNM #0367/01 1401434
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 201434Z MAY 09
FM AMEMBASSY NIAMEY
TO RUEHAR/AMEMBASSY ACCRA 0514
RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 5049
INFO RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 0840
RUEHLMC/MCC WASHDC
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 NIAMEY 000367 

AIDAC
SIPDIS

ACCRA FOR USAID/WA - HEALTH/POPULATION OFFICER
DEPT PLEASE PASS TO PRM/POP AND USAID/AFR (POPULATION)

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAID SOCI KWMN NG
SUBJECT: NIGER: MINISTRY OF POPULATION AND SOCIAL REFORM
OFFICIALS DISCUSS PLAN OF ACTION FOR FAMILY PLANNING WITH
AMBASSADOR

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 NIAMEY 000367

AIDAC
SIPDIS

ACCRA FOR USAID/WA - HEALTH/POPULATION OFFICER
DEPT PLEASE PASS TO PRM/POP AND USAID/AFR (POPULATION)

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAID SOCI KWMN NG
SUBJECT: NIGER: MINISTRY OF POPULATION AND SOCIAL REFORM
OFFICIALS DISCUSS PLAN OF ACTION FOR FAMILY PLANNING WITH
AMBASSADOR


1. Summary. On May 12, 2009, at the request of Government
of Niger (GON) Minister of Population and Social Reform
(MP/SR) Boukari Zila Mamadou, Ambassador Allen met with MP/SR
officials to discuss the GON's family planning action plan.
The officials asked for United States Government (USG)
support of its plan via the U.S. Agency for International
Development (USAID). Ambassador stated she would inform the
relevant party at the USAID Mission in Accra about the
meeting as the health portfolio is managed as a regional
responsibility at the USAID Mission/Accra. MP/SR has been
meeting individually with ambassadors and United Nations
System senior respresentatives accredited to Niger. Minister
Boukari plans to host, at a date to be determined, a
roundtable on Niger's family planning action plan. End
summary.


2. MP/SR officials provided an overview of the Ministry's
family planning work since implementation of the 2007 plan of
action. They emphasized that the Ministry's efforts have
been conducted in collaboration with primarily four other GON
ministries (Health, Education, Women's Empowerment and
Children's Protection, and Justice),as well as with
traditional chiefs and local leaders. Numerous statistics on
Niger were provided, notably Niger's annual population growth
rate of 3.3 percent, the low rate of contraceptive use
(reported as 5 percent) nationwide, the high pregnancy rate
for girls age 15-19 (reported as 199 per 1000),a youth bulge
with 66% of the population below age 25, the high rate of
early marriage for girls before age 15 (reported as one out
of 2 girls),all contributing not only to widespread poverty,
but also to a high mortality rate for women during child
birth and severe health consequences for women and girls
(e.g. fistula).


3. MP/SR officials stated that the GON has set goals through
year 2015 to help couples control family size and, as a
result, improve quality of life for families. Among the
goals:

-- a) increase contraceptive use each year through 2015
-- b) raise at 15 to 20 percent the number of couples that
practice spacing between births
-- c) promote maternal breastfeeding for longer periods
-- d) reduce the number of births per woman from 7 births to

5 births
-- e) reduce by one third (1/3) the number of early marriages
-- f) reduce the population growth rate from 3.3 percent to
2.5 percent
-- g) promote girls' education.


4. MP/SR officials noted that the Ministry solicits the
support of local, religious and traditional leaders to help
sensitize the local population about the benefits of family
planning. They highlighted the limited access to family
planning services, information and facilities, especially in
rural areas. They stressed the need for more
income-generating activities to empower women, as many women
may want contraceptives, but have no means to purchase them.


5. MP/SR officials emphasized that the Ministry of Justice
needs to codify the rights of women and children. They
suggested that donor partners' technical assistance is needed
to implement the GON action plan, noting robust engagement by
USAID from 1992-1998. They regretted technical support from
USAID has been lacking since the USAID Mission closed in 1998
following the coup d'etat. They expressed interest in
obtaining more technical support from USAID and hope for
USAID participation in a roundtable the Ministry expects to
host (date to be determined) to discuss demographics and
family planning.


6. Ambassador thanked the MP/SR officials for the
demographics overview and emphasized the need for the GON
message on family planning to be coherent and consistent.
She remarked that while MP/SR officials promote the
importance of family planning, the GON's most's senior
official recently made remarks at a groundbreaking ceremony
to the effect that Niger has plenty of land area to
accommodate a growing population. She said it's not helpful
to have the person at the helm speaking counter to the
efforts of MP/SR officials and donor partners.


7. Ambassador suggested that it may be useful for the
Ministry to work with local media, especially television and
radio, to sensitize the population about the benefits of

NIAMEY 00000367 002 OF 002


family planning. She cited as effective a recent media
campaign (Note: USG funded) conducted in local languages by a
local NGO to combat trafficking in persons (TIP). She echoed
the MP/SR officials' concerns about the limited availability
of family planning resources, particularly in rural areas.
She commended the MP/SR push for the Ministry of Justice to
strengthen legal instruments to protect women and children,
such as codifying their rights.


8. Ambassador closed by stating that USAID is not structured
the way it was in past decades, that there is a smaller
number of missions and that larger missions, such as the one
in Accra, have regional responsibilities covering a dozen or
more countries. She remarked that much of the field work is
implemented by nongovernmental organization partners with
oversight from USAID. She added that President Obama and
Secretary Clinton have stated the USG's intent to increase
the number of USAID personnel, but said she did not know
whether that would lead to the provision of a health officer
in Niger.


9. MP/SR officials liked the idea of a media campaign, said
they had actually discussed such a possibility within the
Ministry, having taken note of the TIP campaign. They
reminded Ambassador about the February 2008 national forum on
demographics and reproductive health, attended by GON
officials, religious leaders, civil society groups and
women's organizations. They reported that a committee was
formed to track several recommendations, such as the one
calling for the Ministry of Justice to codify the rights of
women and children, and expressed dismay at the slow progress
on a number of recommendations. The MP/SR officials provided
the Ambassador a copy of the national forum general report
together with the 2007 family planning action plan. The
Ambassador stated she would make known to USAID officials the
Ministry's desire for technical support in the family
planning area. She asked that MP/SR communicate to the
Embassy as early as possible the roundtable date and related
information, to ensure sufficient time for the Embassy to
inform USAID/Accra.
ALLEN