MAPUTO, Dec. 16 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) and the non-profit Plan International on Monday signed a memorandum of understanding to join efforts to promote and protect the rights of women and girls in Mozambique.
The cooperation aims to focus on the rights of women and girls primarily in emergency situations, according to Marie Laetitia Kayisire, UN Women's representative in Mozambique.
"The partnership will focus especially on violence and discrimination against women and girls and on climate related disasters," Kayisire said.
The organizations will develop economic recovery programs and strengthen mechanisms to combat violence against women in times of local emergency, Kayisire added.
According to Anne Hoff, country director for Plan International Mozambique, both sides want to join the commitment to do something concrete together, including co-research, collaborations and advocacy actions, as well as providing accurate data on the impact of natural disasters on women and girls.
In March and May, the country was hit by two cyclones that devastated infrastructure and killed more than 600 people, leaving thousands of women and children vulnerable.
