The activities for this year 2016 have effectively started through the signature of the Annual Work Plans with Implementing Partners; namely the Ministry of Economy and Planning, the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the Ministry of Population, Social Protection and the Advancement of Women, the Ministry of Public Health, INSTAT, SALAMA, Marie Stopes Madagascar, ASOS, SALFA, the National Association of Midwives and the Faculty of Medicine of Antananarivo. 

An official ceremony was held, during which Mr. General RAVELOARISON Herilanto, Minister of Economy and Planning, Mr. Jean Anicet Andriamosarisoa, Minister of Youth and Sports, Mrs. Onitiana Realy, Minister of Population, Social Protection and of the Promotion of Women and Mr. Mamadou DICKO, Representative of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Madagascar, officially signed the Annual Work Plans of these respective Ministries. Similarly, the annual business plans of organisations such as ASOS, SALFA and the Faculty of Medicine of Antananarivo were also signed during this event. 

UNFPA will invest up to USD 3,500,000 for this year 2016 of the following four components; maternal and newborn health, family planning and securing reproductive health commodities, adolescent sexual and reproductive health, gender and population and development. The Malagasy government also contributes to the implementation of the plan. The activities of the action plan will have as programmatic priorities; (i) improving access to sexual and reproductive health services, (ii) increasing youth access to information and sex education, (iii) preventing/responding to gender-based violence, ( (iv) collect, operate, analyze and disseminate data for the population. Efforts will be concentrated in the districts of the Atsimo Andrefana, Vatovavy Fitovinany and Androy regions. 

These work plans are in the second year of implementation. implementation of the seventh UNFPA cooperation programme with the Malagasy government. A programme of cooperation which, it should be recalled, is aimed at reducing poverty targeting women and young adolescents, particularly those living in remote rural areas through, inter alia, reducing maternal and neonatal mortality while taking into account of the socio-cultural factors in the country.