A global community of nations, united behind common goals that matter to everyone.
Nowhere is this spirit of multilateralism and mutual responsibility better embodied than in the core resources provided to UNFPA. Pooled together by many nations, core resources transform lives and improve sexual and reproductive health in 150 countries.
Now more than ever, core resources extend UNFPA’s reach, impact and agility. In humanitarian crises, where needs evolve fast, the flexibility of core resources saves lives. These funds express empathy and trust in our partnership, and the power of collective action.
We rise by lifting others
Historic gains have come from global collaboration. For example:
UNFPA has helped to cut maternal death rates by 40 per cent over the last two decades. Millions more women are alive today based on the willingness to invest in meeting their needs, country by country.
More girls stay in school as the share of adolescents giving birth has fallen by a third.
The number of women using modern contraceptives has doubled.
Overall, we are on the right track, having resolved many complex challenges over time. Yet an unevenness fractures our world. Social and political divides push people apart even as ecosystems, economic interdependence and digitalization weave us all more tightly together.
Amid crisis and uncertainty, only renewed momentum on issues that people everywhere care about – like the ability to make informed choices about their families – will help us heal and move beyond our divisions.
Core resources for UNFPA are vital to managing risks and triggering lasting gains. All UNFPA operations depend on them, including projects funded by earmarked resources.
Every core dollar meets agreed goals
Core funds express multilateral solidarity and shared responsibility in two ways: They connect different contributions to amplify and accelerate impact. And they help reach agreed global goals.
Every core dollar:
Funds completion of the vision of the internationally agreed Programme of Action of the 1994 Cairo International Conference on Population and Development as well as the global Sustainable Development Goals.
Aligns with UNFPA’s three transformative results: to end unmet needs for family planning, preventable maternal deaths and harmful practices such as gender-based violence.
Advances the UNFPA Strategic Plan endorsed by United Nations Member States.
UNFPA uses core resources to meet immediate needs, pursue promising innovations, bridge funding gaps and seed broader investments. They sustain partnerships and high standards of accountability. They maintain progress on sexual and reproductive health even in volatile or complex environments. And through constant, steady investment, they support shifts in social and health systems that protect and save not just a few lives but many – on the way to all.
One investment, both right and smart
The benefits of regular core investments in sexual and reproductive health accrue within communities and cross borders. They accelerate prosperity and underpin stable, peaceful societies, benefiting everyone in an interconnected world. In that sense, they are both the right move – and the smart one.
UNFPA deeply appreciates its core supporters and their lasting commitment, more so at a moment of many needs. In 2024, 90 partners provided $379 million in core resources.
Around 65 per cent of UNFPA core resources goes directly to programmes. The balance funds operations, including our country offices, as the backbone of programme delivery. All core resources are tracked based on robust international standards for oversight, transparency and accountability.
The impact of core resources is simple but profound: better health and human lives.
With core funding, UNFPA acts fast in sudden emergencies, protecting health and saving lives.
Conflict in Ukraine has seen premature births double in the front-line region of Kherson. Core funds have helped local hospitals establish maternity units in underground bunkers, a need once unimaginable but now a matter of survival. The units provide both safe conditions for delivery and psychological relief.
“It’s terrifying when explosions hit because first and foremost you fear for the life inside you. In every hospital room, we have an evacuation plan and signs on how to reach the shelter so if danger comes, we can get there quickly.” —Olena, pregnant with her third child
In Egypt, when earmarked funds were not immediately available to assist women refugees from Sudan and the Syrian Arab Republic, UNFPA used core resources to extend and sustain lifesaving services through the Women and Girls Safe Spaces. The services responded to gender-based violence and provided reproductive healthcare for over 70,000 people.
With core resources in Zambia, UNFPA stopped a crisis from escalating. When a cholera outbreak led to surging mortality rates, UNFPA mobilized 15 midwives to provide specialty care to pregnant women with the disease. The midwives reduced risks of dehydration and life-threatening complications; all treated women survived the outbreak.
In Somalia, core funds have built resilience to persistent crises driven by conflict and climate change. After UNFPA used core funds to help the Baxnano Health Facility offer high-quality sexual and reproductive health services to displaced women and girls, infant and maternal mortality rates among them fell. Deliveries in facilities rose by 40 per cent. Across the country, through a complementary effort, over 3,000 midwives trained by 15 midwifery schools provide skilled birth attendance. Established in part with core resources, this intervention has contributed to a one-third decline in the national maternal mortality rate.
With core funding, UNFPA has the flexibility to close gaps in sexual and reproductive healthcare, including those caused by shortfalls in domestic and international resources.
In the Syrian Arab Republic, national healthcare resources meet many immediate needs but do not stretch to cover strategic health system research and planning. UNFPA used core resources to develop a national midwifery strategy and assess unmet family planning needs. Both tools shaped national policies to strengthen reproductive health services. This expanded access to contraceptives and midwives for deliveries in areas with limited care.
"Seeing the confident and capable midwives deliver safe care has instilled hope in our community. Women who previously feared childbirth are now empowered to seek help. I often hear from them about how much their lives have changed for the better – how they can focus on their children’s education and their own careers." — A nurse who took part in the national midwifery strategy
Core resources for technical expertise and advocacy backed the inclusion of the HPV vaccine in standard healthcare for adolescents in Kosovo, covering 85 percent of girls in 2024, the year it was introduced. Core funds also assisted in integrating cervical cancer screening in standard healthcare, reaching over 20,000 women.
Improvements in the response to gender-based violence are taking shape in Equatorial Guinea based on the first comprehensive survey of factors that hinder survivors from reporting cases, made possible by core resources. A specialized programme in Venezuela has strengthened the response to gender-based violence among survivors with disabilities, a long-ignored concern. An initial cohort of over 100 public officials has already completed the course, which is formally integrated into the Human Rights School of the Ombudsperson’s Office, supporting sustainability.
Many non-core funding streams wane over time, making core funding a consistent lifeline for marginalized communities. UNFPA has kept family health centres operating in Afghanistan Paktia Province, for example, even after other support was phased out. Skilled midwives continue providing care that would otherwise be difficult if not impossible for local women to obtain.
In north-west Cameroon, where a humanitarian response to internally displaced populations has tapered off, UNFPA applied core resources to keep midwives on call for local communities. UNFPA has also maintained fistula repair services, which are chronically short of funds.
The 12 health centres of the impoverished and drought-stricken Atsimo Andrefana region of Madagascar provide essential reproductive health services. Core resources and a UNFPA partnership with the Ministry of Public Health made possible the safe delivery of more than 11,000 births and the training and deployment of nearly 1,200 midwives.
With core funding, UNFPA steps up responses to population shifts with major impacts on families and economies.
Core funding helped Morocco digitalize its Census. That makes the most important national source of population data more accurate, efficient and transparent in steering planning on issues from ageing to migration. Digitalizing the Census in Namibia included providing technology and expertise to improve data collection along with on-the-ground strategies to reach marginalized communities, such as people without homes.
UNFPA’s thought leadership makes an important contribution to the data and knowledge needed for governments and communities to design and implement rights-based policies and programmes.
“We cannot thank UNFPA enough for their unwavering support. Their commitment went beyond simply providing assistance; they were actively involved in the project as if it were their own.” —Nambian Statistician-General Alex Shimuafeni
In Djibouti, the World Bank funded field operations for the Census while UNFPA used core resources to provide complementary technical expertise and trained staff. Through UNFPA, the Census integrated health dimensions, such as maternal mortality and other key indicators. The data bolster ongoing efforts to strengthen the health system based on accurate calculations of population needs.
Core funds support inclusive responses to diverse population groups. They give UNFPA the flexibility to demonstrate value in countries that may be taking such steps for the first time. In the Maldives, core resources jumpstarted a pilot programme on healthy ageing called Hattah. The Government is now digitalizing it for national access.
In Yemen, with little attention paid to youth empowerment amid ongoing humanitarian needs, UNFPA used core funds to model the potential of youth training centres. Early success drew expanded donor investments in youth-friendly health clinics. Over 10,000 youth have gained new skills and over 15,000 have used the health services, which have been integrated into the national health system.
“What sets our approach apart is that our services are discreet and respectful. This has created a safe and welcoming environment where young people feel comfortable and valued. As a young doctor, I feel incredibly proud and fulfilled to be part of this impactful team, contributing to the well-being and health of my generation." — Dr. Iman, a psychological support officer
With core funding, UNFPA attracts and leverages larger sources of finance, domestic and international, public and private.
UNFPA used core resources to introduce a pilot training programme for young women in Angola. It developed entrepreneurship skills but also, in sessions on menstrual health, introduced discussion of culturally sensitive sexual and reproductive health topics. Seeing the merits of the programme, the provincial government of Luanda expanded it from dozens of young women to over 5,000. Finance from the Government of Norway took the programme a step further through integration into a national sexual and reproductive health initiative.
In the Quinara region of Guinea-Bissau, which has the country’s highest maternal mortality rates, UNFPA core resources and partnership with the Government and a European Union-funded maternal and infant health project deployed critical medical personnel, cutting death rates within two years. This success led to a 2.5 million euro allocation from the Global Fund to expand similar initiatives in three other regions with high maternal mortality.
In the Dominican, a combination of government and private sector finance with core UNFPA funds supported a decade-long process of improving reproductive healthcare at one of the main medical facilities. Steady gains in monitoring health outcomes and training staff have led to a remarkable 67 percent reduction in maternal mortality at the Nuestra Señora de La Altagracia University Maternity Hospital. It’s here that Crismailyn Tavarez, pictured, is preparing to give birth.
As part of a joint United Nations initiative in Rwanda, UNFPA used core funds for an innovative demonstration of how health posts could extend primary healthcare to underserved communities while remaining financially sustainable. Through effective management and strategies to build patient demand, 51 posts in 14 districts have provided reproductive, maternal and child health services to over 400,000 people. Rates of maternal delivery in facilities have risen from 10 to 48 per cent. Twenty facilities are already financially self-sufficient, and an initial core investment of $1.5 million has catalysed over $8 million from government, donor, private sector and other partners.
Core resources funded the achievement of maturity on all six levels of risk management defined by the United Nations High-Level Committee on Management, including culture, governance and organizational integration. Carefully calibrated risk management protects funding stability and reputational integrity, and bolsters operational resilience. It underpins zero tolerance for any form of fraud or wrongdoing, demonstrated by UNFPA’s 14th unqualified audit in 2024.
With core resources, an operationally independent audit and investigations office systematically and rigorously responds to reports of wrongdoing and monitors higher-risk offices and business processes. Core resources have strengthened evaluation capacities, including in humanitarian settings. A pioneering use of artificial intelligence in evaluation to deliver real-time, actionable insights has amplified continuous learning and adaptation. Evaluation results were pivotal in defining a fourth transformative result on demographic resilience in UNFPA’s Strategic Plan 2026–2029.
UNFPA applies core resources in upholding international principles such as gender balance in its workforce, with women holding 52 per cent of posts. Our comprehensive strategy to prevent sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment is considered “best in class” in its commitment to the safety of personnel and communities, and its focus on preparedness to safeguard high-risk populations in crises.
With core funding, UNFPA acts fast in sudden emergencies, protecting health and saving lives.
Conflict in Ukraine has seen premature births double in the front-line region of Kherson. Core funds have helped local hospitals establish maternity units in underground bunkers, a need once unimaginable but now a matter of survival. The units provide both safe conditions for delivery and psychological relief.
“It’s terrifying when explosions hit because first and foremost you fear for the life inside you. In every hospital room, we have an evacuation plan and signs on how to reach the shelter so if danger comes, we can get there quickly.” —Olena, pregnant with her third child
In Egypt, when earmarked funds were not immediately available to assist women refugees from Sudan and the Syrian Arab Republic, UNFPA used core resources to extend and sustain lifesaving services through the Women and Girls Safe Spaces. The services responded to gender-based violence and provided reproductive healthcare for over 70,000 people.
With core resources in Zambia, UNFPA stopped a crisis from escalating. When a cholera outbreak led to surging mortality rates, UNFPA mobilized 15 midwives to provide specialty care to pregnant women with the disease. The midwives reduced risks of dehydration and life-threatening complications; all treated women survived the outbreak.
In Somalia, core funds have built resilience to persistent crises driven by conflict and climate change. After UNFPA used core funds to help the Baxnano Health Facility offer high-quality sexual and reproductive health services to displaced women and girls, infant and maternal mortality rates among them fell. Deliveries in facilities rose by 40 per cent. Across the country, through a complementary effort, over 3,000 midwives trained by 15 midwifery schools provide skilled birth attendance. Established in part with core resources, this intervention has contributed to a one-third decline in the national maternal mortality rate.
With core funding, UNFPA has the flexibility to close gaps in sexual and reproductive healthcare, including those caused by shortfalls in domestic and international resources.
In the Syrian Arab Republic, national healthcare resources meet many immediate needs but do not stretch to cover strategic health system research and planning. UNFPA used core resources to develop a national midwifery strategy and assess unmet family planning needs. Both tools shaped national policies to strengthen reproductive health services. This expanded access to contraceptives and midwives for deliveries in areas with limited care.
"Seeing the confident and capable midwives deliver safe care has instilled hope in our community. Women who previously feared childbirth are now empowered to seek help. I often hear from them about how much their lives have changed for the better – how they can focus on their children’s education and their own careers." — A nurse who took part in the national midwifery strategy
Core resources for technical expertise and advocacy backed the inclusion of the HPV vaccine in standard healthcare for adolescents in Kosovo, covering 85 percent of girls in 2024, the year it was introduced. Core funds also assisted in integrating cervical cancer screening in standard healthcare, reaching over 20,000 women.
Improvements in the response to gender-based violence are taking shape in Equatorial Guinea based on the first comprehensive survey of factors that hinder survivors from reporting cases, made possible by core resources. A specialized programme in Venezuela has strengthened the response to gender-based violence among survivors with disabilities, a long-ignored concern. An initial cohort of over 100 public officials has already completed the course, which is formally integrated into the Human Rights School of the Ombudsperson’s Office, supporting sustainability.
Many non-core funding streams wane over time, making core funding a consistent lifeline for marginalized communities. UNFPA has kept family health centres operating in Afghanistan Paktia Province, for example, even after other support was phased out. Skilled midwives continue providing care that would otherwise be difficult if not impossible for local women to obtain.
In north-west Cameroon, where a humanitarian response to internally displaced populations has tapered off, UNFPA applied core resources to keep midwives on call for local communities. UNFPA has also maintained fistula repair services, which are chronically short of funds.
The 12 health centres of the impoverished and drought-stricken Atsimo Andrefana region of Madagascar provide essential reproductive health services. Core resources and a UNFPA partnership with the Ministry of Public Health made possible the safe delivery of more than 11,000 births and the training and deployment of nearly 1,200 midwives.
With core funding, UNFPA steps up responses to population shifts with major impacts on families and economies.
Core funding helped Morocco digitalize its Census. That makes the most important national source of population data more accurate, efficient and transparent in steering planning on issues from ageing to migration. Digitalizing the Census in Namibia included providing technology and expertise to improve data collection along with on-the-ground strategies to reach marginalized communities, such as people without homes.
UNFPA’s thought leadership makes an important contribution to the data and knowledge needed for governments and communities to design and implement rights-based policies and programmes.
“We cannot thank UNFPA enough for their unwavering support. Their commitment went beyond simply providing assistance; they were actively involved in the project as if it were their own.” —Nambian Statistician-General Alex Shimuafeni
In Djibouti, the World Bank funded field operations for the Census while UNFPA used core resources to provide complementary technical expertise and trained staff. Through UNFPA, the Census integrated health dimensions, such as maternal mortality and other key indicators. The data bolster ongoing efforts to strengthen the health system based on accurate calculations of population needs.
Core funds support inclusive responses to diverse population groups. They give UNFPA the flexibility to demonstrate value in countries that may be taking such steps for the first time. In the Maldives, core resources jumpstarted a pilot programme on healthy ageing called Hattah. The Government is now digitalizing it for national access.
In Yemen, with little attention paid to youth empowerment amid ongoing humanitarian needs, UNFPA used core funds to model the potential of youth training centres. Early success drew expanded donor investments in youth-friendly health clinics. Over 10,000 youth have gained new skills and over 15,000 have used the health services, which have been integrated into the national health system.
“What sets our approach apart is that our services are discreet and respectful. This has created a safe and welcoming environment where young people feel comfortable and valued. As a young doctor, I feel incredibly proud and fulfilled to be part of this impactful team, contributing to the well-being and health of my generation." — Dr. Iman, a psychological support officer
Core resources multiply funds
With core funding, UNFPA attracts and leverages larger sources of finance, domestic and international, public and private.
UNFPA used core resources to introduce a pilot training programme for young women in Angola. It developed entrepreneurship skills but also, in sessions on menstrual health, introduced discussion of culturally sensitive sexual and reproductive health topics. Seeing the merits of the programme, the provincial government of Luanda expanded it from dozens of young women to over 5,000. Finance from the Government of Norway took the programme a step further through integration into a national sexual and reproductive health initiative.
In the Quinara region of Guinea-Bissau, which has the country’s highest maternal mortality rates, UNFPA core resources and partnership with the Government and a European Union-funded maternal and infant health project deployed critical medical personnel, cutting death rates within two years. This success led to a 2.5 million euro allocation from the Global Fund to expand similar initiatives in three other regions with high maternal mortality.
In the Dominican, a combination of government and private sector finance with core UNFPA funds supported a decade-long process of improving reproductive healthcare at one of the main medical facilities. Steady gains in monitoring health outcomes and training staff have led to a remarkable 67 percent reduction in maternal mortality at the Nuestra Señora de La Altagracia University Maternity Hospital. It’s here that Crismailyn Tavarez, pictured, is preparing to give birth.
As part of a joint United Nations initiative in Rwanda, UNFPA used core funds for an innovative demonstration of how health posts could extend primary healthcare to underserved communities while remaining financially sustainable. Through effective management and strategies to build patient demand, 51 posts in 14 districts have provided reproductive, maternal and child health services to over 400,000 people. Rates of maternal delivery in facilities have risen from 10 to 48 per cent. Twenty facilities are already financially self-sufficient, and an initial core investment of $1.5 million has catalysed over $8 million from government, donor, private sector and other partners.
Core resources funded the achievement of maturity on all six levels of risk management defined by the United Nations High-Level Committee on Management, including culture, governance and organizational integration. Carefully calibrated risk management protects funding stability and reputational integrity, and bolsters operational resilience. It underpins zero tolerance for any form of fraud or wrongdoing, demonstrated by UNFPA’s 14th unqualified audit in 2024.
With core resources, an operationally independent audit and investigations office systematically and rigorously responds to reports of wrongdoing and monitors higher-risk offices and business processes. Core resources have strengthened evaluation capacities, including in humanitarian settings. A pioneering use of artificial intelligence in evaluation to deliver real-time, actionable insights has amplified continuous learning and adaptation. Evaluation results were pivotal in defining a fourth transformative result on demographic resilience in UNFPA’s Strategic Plan 2026–2029.
UNFPA applies core resources in upholding international principles such as gender balance in its workforce, with women holding 52 per cent of posts. Our comprehensive strategy to prevent sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment is considered “best in class” in its commitment to the safety of personnel and communities, and its focus on preparedness to safeguard high-risk populations in crises.
UNFPA core donors in 2024
UNFPA extends its deepest gratitude to our core donors for their generosity and continued commitment. Every dollar matters, because every life counts.
*2024 core contribution paid in prior years.
Albania
Algeria
Angola*
Armenia*
Australia*
Austria
Bangladesh
Belgium*
Bhutan
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bulgaria*
Burkina Faso*
Burundi
Canada
Chile
China
Costa Rica
Cyprus
Democratic Republic of the Congo (the)*
Denmark*
Dominican Republic (the)
Egypt
Eritrea*
Estonia
Eswatini*
Finland
France
Gabon*
Gambia (The)*
Georgia*
Germany
Guyana
Iceland
India
Indonesia
Iraq*
Ireland
Italy
Japan
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan*
Lao People’s Democratic Republic
Luxembourg*
Madagascar*
Malaysia
Mauritania*
Mauritius*
Mexico
Micronesia (Federated States of)
Morocco
Netherlands*
New Zealand*
>
North Macedonia
Norway
Pakistan
Panama*
Peru
Philippines*
Poland
Portugal
Qatar
Republic of Korea
Republic of Moldova (the)
Romania
Rwanda*
Serbia
Singapore
Slovakia
Slovenia
South Africa
Spain
Sri Lanka
Sweden*
Switzerland*
Tajikistan
United Republic of Tanzania (the)*
Thailand
Trinidad and Tobago*
Tunisia
Turkmenistan
Uganda
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland*
© UNFPA Ukraine
© UNFPA Egypt
© UNFPA Zambia
© UNFPA Somalia
