UN Secretary-General reappoints Dr. Natalia Kanem as UNFPA Executive Director

UNITED NATIONS, New York – The United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, has reappointed Dr. Natalia Kanem as the Executive Director of UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency, for a second term of four years.

He noted his appreciation of UNFPA’s powerful advocacy to advance the sexual and reproductive health and rights agenda, to address population dynamics, and to empower youth, as well as UNFPA’s focus on accountability and effective management, and its commitment to delivering transformative results in both development and humanitarian settings.

“I am proud to lead this extraordinary organization and privileged to work side by side with an incredible team, as well as our dedicated partners and supporters, to transform the lives of millions of women, girls and young people, empowering them to govern their bodies and shape their futures,” said Dr. Kanem.

“We have our work cut out for us if we are to deliver on our collective vision by 2030 of a better and more equal future for women and girls, with our three zeros as our north star –  zero unmet need for family planning, zero preventable maternal deaths and zero gender-based violence and harmful practices.

Our aims are ambitious, but our commitment is unwavering, and we will continue to march forward to make good on our promise to every 10-year-old girl — that she won’t be left out or left behind, that she can live her life healthy and free of harm, and that she will have the power to control her destiny."

 

UNFPA Media Contact:

For media and interview enquiries, please contact: Zina Alam, +1 929 378 9431, zialam@unfpa.org.