UNFPA News

18 June 2013 - Feature Story

Avoiding and Mitigating the Health Consequences of FGM/C in Ethiopia

AFAR REGION, Ethiopia — Ten-year-old Sadiya Abubakar had suffered for a long time. What should be a natural regular function – urination– had become an ordeal for her. Sadiya was infibulated when she was just seven days old. more

13 June 2013 - Dispatch

Responding to the Needs of Syrian Refugees in Lebanon

More than 450,000 refugees have crossed the borders from Syria into Lebanon as of the end of April 2013, according to estimates by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. These refugees — almost 80 per cent of whom are women and children — are taxing the resources of more than 1,000 host villages where they are staying. more
13 June 2013 - Dispatch

World Population to Increase by One Billion by 2025

UNITED NATIONS, New York — The current world population of 7.2 billion is projected to increase by 1 billion over the next 12 years and reach 9.6 billion by 2050, according to a United Nations report launched today, which points out that growth will be mainly in developing countries, with more than half in Africa. more
11 June 2013 - In the News

UN Agencies Encourage Enforcement of FGM/C Ban After Girl’s Death

LONDON — U.N. agencies have called for the prosecution of an Egyptian doctor after a 13-year-old girl died while undergoing female genital mutilation/cutting at a private clinic. Egypt banned FGM/C in 2008 but it is still widely practised there, sometimes by traditional cutters but also by medical staff operating in secret. more
10 June 2013 - Opinion

Let Us End Fistula In Our Lifetime

In this blog for the Huffington Post, the UNFPA Executive Director sketches out the grim, everyday reality faced by 200 million women living with obstetric fistula. "We cannot allow this grave injustice to continue," he concludes. more
06 June 2013 - Dispatch

Year in Review: Highlights of UNFPA's Work in 2012

NEW YORK — UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin yesterday presented the Fund’s 2012 Annual Report: Promises to Keep, to its Executive Board. The title refers to the 26 overarching commitments UNFPA made in 2012 to become more effective, to focus on its core mandate, to prepare for emerging challenges and to make a real difference in the lives of individual women and young people in developing countries. more
04 June 2013 - Dispatch

Tokyo Conference Reaffirms Support for Inclusive African Development

YOKOHAMA, Japan — Health improvements and a healthy workforce underpin social and economic growth. That was one of the messages of the Yokohama Declaration and Action Plan for 2013-2017, issued at the end of the Fifth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD V) held here last week. more
04 June 2013 - Press Release

Providing Safe Delivery for Displaced Women in Syria

DAMASCUS--- Sitting in her bed at the intensive care unit of the Obstetric University Hospital, Dania Kadra considers herself lucky to be alive and to have safely delivered her baby boy.  In December 2012, a missile slammed into the house of the pregnant 40-year old mother of three killing her husband and forcing her and her three children, parents and siblings to move from their rural home to a rented apartment in a suburb of Damascus. more
31 May 2013 - Dispatch

Ministers at Women Deliver Pledge to Ensure Universal Access to Family Planning

KUALA LUMPUR Women Deliver 2013 ended in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday with a pledge by participating government Ministers to ensure that sexual and reproductive health is central to the post-2015 development agenda.  Adopting a Call to Action at the end of a forum on “Meeting Our Commitments for Family Planning,” the Ministers said they would hold themselves accountable for achieving universal access to family planning, and would work to eliminate barriers to service delivery and commodities, especially for youth and vulnerable populations. more

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Latest publications

  • The Demography of Adaptation to Climate Change
    A flurry of extreme weather events, together with projections that grow more somber with every new scientific advance, have dramatically highlighted the need to respond more effectively to the threats already upon humankind.

  • Rising Up for Rights for Women and Girls
    In Senegal, the movement to end female genital mutilation/cutting is reaching the most remote places. On the sandy roads of the Fouta region and along the river, the information about the problems caused by the traditional practice circulates, inspiring people in dozens of villages to rise up in support of women’s and girls’ health.
     

  • Addressing Gender-Based Violence
    This brochure provides an overview of UNFPA's role in addressing gender-based violence, an enormous impediment to sexual and reproductive health, as well as a major human rights issue.