On 25 May, 2008, a one-day event themed “religious leaders needs to be proactive in population, RH and gender issues” took place at the International Islamic Center for Population research and studies.   The event is part of the continuous efforts of UNFPA to sensitize vital partners as the faith institutions in order to gain their support in promoting healthier life approaches among the population.   

His Eminence Grand Mufti of Egypt, Sheik Aly Goumaa, inaugurated the event together with UNFPA representative Dr. Ziad Rifai, and Dr. Gamal Abul El-Sorour, Director of the Center, in the presence of  more than 20 eminent religious scholars, where afterward the discussions revolved  around four subjects namely; roots and reasons of hostility of some religious leaders towards some international organizations; consensus and the differences of the RLs on some population policies, gender, and reproductive/sexual health issues and  reasons behind these differences  and ways to overcome these differences for the benefits of people. The third and fourth subjects were what religious leaders can do in efforts for supporting discussed issues and identifying needs of the religious leaders in order to engage them in the efforts in the field.

The wealth of knowledge and diversity of the participant’s background allowed for a range of different issues to be covered such as family planning, women’s empowerment, girls’ education, early marriage, and maternal health. The meeting concluded with recommendations included proposed activities and assurances that content provided was in line with Islamic teachings. 

For more information please contact:
Ms. Mona El-Ghazali,
National Programme Officer
el-ghazali@unfpa.org
202-25772253 / 25770115