Faith-based organizations forum was conducted in Minsk, Belarus

11-09-2009, 15:02

On 31 August – 2 September, a meeting was hosted in Minsk, Belarus by the United Nations Population Fund, aimed to identify good examples and share information and lessons learned to end gender-based violence and advance maternal health.

Fifty religious leaders and representatives of faith-based organizations (FBOs) from Europe and Central Asia were confronted with the grim fact that every minute, one woman dies giving birth and 20 more suffer injury, infection or disease, despite the fact that 80 per cent of all maternal deaths are preventable. They also concluded that regardless of almost universal antenatal care coverage and the high percentage of deliveries attended by skilled health personnel in many countries of the region, progress towards reducing maternal deaths has been very slow.

Dr. Borys Vornyk, UNFPA Assistant Representative in Ukraine, was heading the Ukrainian delegation. Rev. Andrii Nagirniak, Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Vice-President of International Charitable Foundation “Caritas Ukraine”, Rev. Ivan Didenko, Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Moscow Patriarchate, Director of  All-Ukrainian Church Charitable Foundation “Faith.Hope.Love.”, Mr. Pavlo Lapin, Interfaith HIV/AIDS Resource Centre, Director, Ms. Elena Kalnitska, International Women Jewish Organization “Project Kesher”, Director of Ukrainian Office, were invited to present the experience of the UNFPA CO in Ukraine in the framework of the joint projects in Ukraine.

Emphasizing the importance of partnering with faith-based organizations, Ms. Thea Fierens, UNFPA Regional Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, said: “Partnerships are not a one-way direction, partnerships work in two directions. We gain strength from partnerships when we really realize them and act accordingly. We can learn a lot from one another, by sharing knowledge and experience.”

The participants committed to establishing connections among faith, modern medicine and community education. They also emphasized that the role of religious leaders in preventing violence within families, and mobilizing communities to use available health services, cannot be ignored, as many people seek religious leaders — and not only medical experts — for advice on social, medical and psychological issues.