VZCZCXRO9179
RR RUEHLMC
DE RUEHNM #0367/01 1401434
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 201434Z MAY 09
FM AMEMBASSY NIAMEY
TO RUEHAR/AMEMBASSY ACCRA 0514
RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 5049
INFO RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 0840
RUEHLMC/MCC WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 NIAMEY 000367 
 
AIDAC 
SIPDIS 
 
ACCRA FOR USAID/WA - HEALTH/POPULATION OFFICER 
DEPT PLEASE PASS TO PRM/POP AND USAID/AFR (POPULATION) 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAID SOCI KWMN NG
SUBJECT: NIGER: MINISTRY OF POPULATION AND SOCIAL REFORM 
OFFICIALS DISCUSS PLAN OF ACTION FOR FAMILY PLANNING WITH 
AMBASSADOR 
 
¶1.  Summary.  On May 12, 2009, at the request of Government 
of Niger (GON) Minister of Population and Social Reform 
(MP/SR) Boukari Zila Mamadou, Ambassador Allen met with MP/SR 
officials to discuss the GON's family planning action plan. 
The officials asked for United States Government (USG) 
support of its plan via the U.S. Agency for International 
Development (USAID).  Ambassador stated she would inform the 
relevant party at the USAID Mission in Accra about the 
meeting as the health portfolio is managed as a regional 
responsibility at the USAID Mission/Accra.  MP/SR has been 
meeting individually with ambassadors and United Nations 
System senior respresentatives accredited to Niger.  Minister 
Boukari plans to host, at a date to be determined, a 
roundtable on Niger's family planning action plan.  End 
summary. 
 
¶2. MP/SR officials provided an overview of the Ministry's 
family planning work since implementation of the 2007 plan of 
action.  They emphasized that the Ministry's efforts have 
been conducted in collaboration with primarily four other GON 
ministries (Health, Education, Women's Empowerment and 
Children's Protection, and Justice), as well as with 
traditional chiefs and local leaders.  Numerous statistics on 
Niger were provided, notably Niger's annual population growth 
rate of 3.3 percent, the low rate of contraceptive use 
(reported as 5 percent) nationwide, the high pregnancy rate 
for girls age 15-19 (reported as 199 per 1000), a youth bulge 
with 66% of the population below age 25, the high rate of 
early marriage for girls before age 15 (reported as one out 
of 2 girls), all contributing not only to widespread poverty, 
but also to a high mortality rate for women during child 
birth and severe health consequences for women and girls 
(e.g. fistula). 
 
¶3. MP/SR officials stated that the GON has set goals through 
year 2015 to help couples control family size and, as a 
result, improve quality of life for families.  Among the 
goals: 
 
-- a) increase contraceptive use each year through 2015 
-- b) raise at 15 to 20 percent the number of couples that 
practice spacing between births 
-- c) promote maternal breastfeeding for longer periods 
-- d) reduce the number of births per woman from 7 births to 
5 births 
-- e) reduce by one third (1/3) the number of early marriages 
-- f) reduce the population growth rate from 3.3 percent to 
2.5 percent 
-- g) promote girls' education. 
 
¶4. MP/SR officials noted that the Ministry solicits the 
support of local, religious and traditional leaders to help 
sensitize the local population about the benefits of family 
planning.  They highlighted the limited access to family 
planning services, information and facilities, especially in 
rural areas.  They stressed the need for more 
income-generating activities to empower women, as many women 
may want contraceptives, but have no means to purchase them. 
 
¶5. MP/SR officials emphasized that the Ministry of Justice 
needs to codify the rights of women and children.  They 
suggested that donor partners' technical assistance is needed 
to implement the GON action plan, noting robust engagement by 
USAID from 1992-1998.  They regretted technical support from 
USAID has been lacking since the USAID Mission closed in 1998 
following the coup d'etat. They expressed interest in 
obtaining more technical support from USAID and hope for 
USAID participation in a roundtable the Ministry expects to 
host (date to be determined) to discuss demographics and 
family planning. 
 
¶6. Ambassador thanked the MP/SR officials for the 
demographics overview and emphasized the need for the GON 
message on family planning to be coherent and consistent. 
She remarked that while MP/SR officials promote the 
importance of family planning, the GON's most's senior 
official recently made remarks at a groundbreaking ceremony 
to the effect that Niger has plenty of land area to 
accommodate a growing population.  She said it's not helpful 
to have the person at the helm speaking counter to the 
efforts of MP/SR officials and donor partners. 
 
¶7. Ambassador suggested that it may be useful for the 
Ministry to work with local media, especially television and 
radio, to sensitize the population about the benefits of 
 
NIAMEY 00000367  002 OF 002 
 
 
family planning. She cited as effective a recent media 
campaign (Note: USG funded) conducted in local languages by a 
local NGO to combat trafficking in persons (TIP).  She echoed 
the MP/SR officials' concerns about the limited availability 
of family planning resources, particularly in rural areas. 
She commended the MP/SR push for the Ministry of Justice to 
strengthen legal instruments to protect women and children, 
such as codifying their rights. 
 
¶8. Ambassador closed by stating that USAID is not structured 
the way it was in past decades, that there is a smaller 
number of missions and that larger missions, such as the one 
in Accra, have regional responsibilities covering a dozen or 
more countries.  She remarked that much of the field work is 
implemented by nongovernmental organization partners with 
oversight from USAID.  She added that President Obama and 
Secretary Clinton have stated the USG's intent to increase 
the number of USAID personnel, but said she did not know 
whether that would lead to the provision of a health officer 
in Niger. 
 
¶9. MP/SR officials liked the idea of a media campaign, said 
they had actually discussed such a possibility within the 
Ministry, having taken note of the TIP campaign.  They 
reminded Ambassador about the February 2008 national forum on 
demographics and reproductive health, attended by GON 
officials, religious leaders, civil society groups and 
women's organizations.  They reported that a committee was 
formed to track several recommendations, such as the one 
calling for the Ministry of Justice to codify the rights of 
women and children, and expressed dismay at the slow progress 
on a number of recommendations.  The MP/SR officials provided 
the Ambassador a copy of the national forum general report 
together with the 2007 family planning action plan.  The 
Ambassador stated she would make known to USAID officials the 
Ministry's desire for technical support in the family 
planning area.  She asked that MP/SR communicate to the 
Embassy as early as possible the roundtable date and related 
information, to ensure sufficient time for the Embassy to 
inform USAID/Accra. 
ALLEN