By Christabel Addo, GNA
Accra, Dec 20, GNA - Africans in the Diaspora are calling for the full recognition of their contribution towards global development, and the urgent need to be accorded equal opportunities and respect of their rights.
Various speakers made the call at the opening of a two-day Parliamentary dialogue with the Diaspora, which was organised by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Accra.
They emphasised the contributions of the Afro-descendant population and called for a strategic engagement for their full inclusion in global discourse.
Mr Harold Robinson Davis, the Regional Director for Latin America and the Carribean Regional Office (LACRO) in his opening address, said "we need full rights for all Afro-descendants population, to ensure that they have the same opportunities as their counterparts globally".
He lamented that for several decades Afro-descendants in Latin America NAND the Caribbean continued to be left behind, in terms of access to education and healthcare among other barriers, while their women faced 36 per cent high rate of violence than their counterparts in other parts of the world.
He said the meeting should create a new set of leadership to ensure new rights for the Afro-descendant population.
Prof. Ahmed Reid, the Chairman of the Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent urged Parliamentarians to adopt and enforce non-discriminatory legislations to enhance the development of the marginalised.
The dialogue, which was on the theme "Year of Return-Achieving the demographic dividend: the role of Parliamentarians," provided a unique opportunity to engage parliamentarians in a dialogue on the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD25) and related issues and leverage on the expertise and experience the Diasporan community provided in health, population and development.
Dr Abdul-Rashid Hassan Pelpuo, the Member of Parliament for Wa Central constituency and Chairman of the Parliamentary Caucus on Population and Development, spoke about Ghana's purpose to welcome all Diasporan Africans to their roots and would spare no opportunities to protect them and tell the world of the unity that existed between them.
He called for strategies to mobilise domestic funding to address health issues relating to Sexual and Reproductive Health rights especially for women and girls including Family Planning.
He narrated Ghana's efforts in providing free access to health for all through the National Health Insurance Scheme, for children aged zero to 18plus and from 70 years and above.
Dr Pelpuo hoped that the meeting would develop a roadmap to address the critical barriers to Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights.
GNA
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