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Empowered girls can change the world, say UNFPA head and Ashley Judd
Young people are an engine for progress, but their potential future will go unfulfilled if they are not empowered, said UNFPA Executive Dr. Director Babatunde Osotimehin and actress and activist Ashley Judd, at the…
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In region assaulted by Boko Haram, women, young people key to stability
Niger, Nigeria
Thousands of people have been killed and millions displaced in the Lake Chad Basin region, the result of a relentless and ongoing campaign of violence by Boko Haram insurgents.
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Historic new Global Goals unanimously adopted by United Nations
World leaders today unanimously adopted a historic set of global goals on eliminating poverty, achieving gender equality, and securing health and well-being for all people, at the opening of the three-day Sustainable…
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Family planning vital in post-quake Nepal
Nepal
When Nepal's devastating April earthquake struck, Tanka Kumari Bishankhe's home was badly damaged, and the family planning card she used to track her contraceptive injections disappeared in the chaos. Unable…
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Violence, inequality plague women in conflict-ravaged Yemen
Yemen
Violence against women was a grave problem in Yemen even before the outbreak of conflict. The current humanitarian disaster is only worsening conditions for women .
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HIV-positive youth leaders push for better access to care in Latin America
El Salvador
Joel Barrera will never forget the moment he was diagnosed as HIV-positive. “It was one of those days that marks a before and after in your life,” he told UNFPA.
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Support centre offers care, hope to refugees from South Sudan
Every once in a while, Joyce Dabor is jolted from sleep by memories of the day she was separated from her children. It was the day they finally escaped the bloody conflict in South Sudan. She was pregnant at the time,…
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In Cambodia, family planning offers a path away from poverty
Cambodia
“My parents had many children, and they couldn’t afford to send us to school,” said So Pumngea, 24, in Cambodia’s rural Kratie Province. “Before, families had to stay poor.” But today, Ms. So has a powerful tool to help…
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Women’s football defies stereotypes, inspires change in Cameroon
Cameroon
“Football is not only for men,” said Monique, 18, the captain of her girls’ football team, during a recent UNFPA-supported tournament. She and her teammates are trailblazers in their district, Mokolo, in Cameroon’s…
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Yemen conflict takes massive toll on health systems
Yemen
Mustafa's daughter, Bushra, was born dangerously premature. With no incubator available, she died. The conflict in Yemen has taken a massive toll on the country's health system.
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Girls' rights are a priority, say UN chief and UNFPA head
Nigeria
“I am proud to be a girl.” These were the bold closing words of a drama performed for United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon and UNFPA’s Executive Director Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin. It is a sadly uncommon…
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Stemming the tide of violence: From abuser to reformer
Cambodia
Ry Chan, a gentle father in his mid-30s, was once an abuser. He believed that “a woman deserves to be beaten when she commits a mistake,” he regretfully told UNFPA in his home in Cambodia’s Kampong Leng District.
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