This archive report was first published on 30 August 2019.
On July 24, 2019, Cabinet Secretary Amb. Ukur Yatani addressed a press conference at the NSSF Building office in Nairobi, following his appointment as Acting Treasury Cabinet Secretary.
However, the focus of the press conference shifted to the alarming rise in HIV and AIDS infections among teenage girls in Africa, as highlighted by the United Nations Population Fund Executive Director, Natalia Kanem.
According to a 2018 Unicef report, approximately 30 teenagers aged 15-19 are infected with HIV and AIDS every hour globally, with two-thirds of these new infections occurring among girls.
Speaking at the Tokyo International Conference on African Development in Yokohama, Japan, Kanem emphasized the need to accelerate the potential outlined in the Cairo Programme of Action.
She also shed light on the pressing issues to be discussed at the upcoming International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in Nairobi, including the high rate of teenage pregnancies and the need for universal health coverage.
Acting Treasury Cabinet Secretary Ukur Yatani acknowledged the challenges faced by the conference organizers, including financing and planning issues.
“Universal health coverage is one of our key pillars, which will enable us to eliminate poverty and establish a legacy of prosperity,” Yatani said.
