News

Commission on the Status of Women: A Breakthrough for the Health and Rights of Women and Girls

The agreed conclusions of the 57th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women in March, 2013 promise to protect women and girls from violence and to initiate legislative and policy changes that will improve sexual and reproductive health and uphold reproductive rights. The Commission is a global policy-making group that meets annually to set worldwide standards and to create policies to promote sex equality and women's empowerment. The March session of the Commission focused on the elimination of all types of violence against women and girls. more

Inaugural Day to End Fistula Highlights Progress, Challenges

UNITED NATIONS, New York, 20 May 2013—Countries around the world will mark the first-ever International Day to End Obstetric Fistula, 23 May, with a variety of events to raise awareness of this neglected health and human rights challenge.
 
One of the most serious injuries of childbirth, more

In Fiji, UNFPA Chief Stresses Women's Empowerment, Girls Education

SUVA, Fiji —  If alarming rates of violence against women are to be effectively addressed, the status of women needs to be elevated.  UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin emphasized the fundamental, often unacknowledged, contributions of women – to families, communities and economies – during the launch of the  Pacific Regional ICPD Review report. The persistence of alarming rates of gender-based violence is one of the critical issues in the region. more

Minority Midwives at the Centre of Viet Nam’s Strategy to Reduce Maternal and Child Deaths

HA NOI—In an effort to make childbirth safer for ethnic minority women, who typically give birth at home, Viet Nam has trained 1,000 minority midwives from 30 provinces. Chamaléa Thi Thue, from the Rac Lay ethnic group, is one of them. more

VIA Screening Turns a New Page in Preventing Cervical Cancer in the Maldives

MALE’, the Maldives--To better prevent and treat cervical cancer, the Ministry of Health and UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, have begun to promote a new methodology to detect the virus responsible. more

Strengthening Birth and Death Registration

19 April 2013, BANGKOK - At the first-ever Global Summit on Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) that concluded today in Bangkok, governments, UN and development agencies made a global Call to Action to ensure that important life events such as births and deaths as well as the causes of death are registered for every person. more

Myanmar Tests Procedures for Its 2014 Census

YANGON—The Myanmar Government with support from UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, undertook a pilot census exercise from 30 March to 10 April to prepare for a nationwide census in 2014, the country’s first in 30 years. more

Addressing emerging challenges of fertility decline: Key to maintaining the country's sustainable development

Ha Noi, 27 March 2013 - During the past 50 years, many East Asian countries have witnessed a remarkable decline in Total Fertility Rates (TFR) from a high level of 5 or more children per woman in the period 1965-1970 to below the replacement level of 2.1 children per woman in the period 2005-2010. The countries where fertility declined need to foresee the consequences and start preparing for policy response to address the challenges of fertility decline. These key findings were presented today in Ha Noi at the workshop on “Sharing International Experience in Fertility Decline", co-organized by the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Viet Nam. more