On Friday, the 15th of June, 2017, a Joint Programme “Improving Sexual, Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child, and Adolescent Health (RMNCAH) In Mozambique “ was signed between the United Nations Populations Fund (UNFPA) and the Department for International Development (DFID) of the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. From 2017 till 2020, with a total budget of US $29.5 million contributed by the DFID, three UN organizations, UNICEF, WHO and UNFPA, will implement the programme in order to support the Government to improve access to quality services and exercise rights for all. focusing on vulnerable groups by increasing the demand, use and quality of sexual, reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health (RMNCAH) interventions in Mozambique.
Within the framework of the RMNCAH Investment Case for smart, sustainable, and scaled actions, and in close collaboration with the Ministry of Health, this programme has identified a set of priority outputs and actions based on the comparative advantage of the UN to influence, build partnerships, and support equitable implementation in alignment with other partners contributing in the areas of RMNCAH. It is also a major opportunity, to catalyze the Global Financing Facility (GFF) funds in support of Every Woman Every Child Global Strategy and demonstrate the potential to better align all partners, for more effective and coordinated action for RMNCAH, even in the face of current challenges facing the nation.
The UN Joint Programme is based on the key principles of government ownership/leadership, flexibility and coordination. Governance arrangements include a Joint Programme Steering Committee supported by a Joint Programme Coordination Group with the wider health sector development assistance architecture. As per UN role division, UNFPA will act as the Administrative Agent and UNICEF will take on the role of Convening Agent for the Joint Programme support.
