Anti-discrimination champion from India and global network of population scientists receive the 2025 United Nations Population Award

UNITED NATIONS, New York, 11 July 2025 – The laureates of the fortieth edition of the United Nations Population Award are Ms. Varsha Deshpande, Founder, Dalit Mahila Vikas Mandal of India in the individual category, and the International Union for the Scientific Study of Population (IUSSP) in the institution category. 

Ms. Varsha Deshpande is a pioneering women’s rights activist with more than 35 years of experience working on gender-based violence, discrimination and gender. She founded the Dalit Mahila Vikas Mandal in 1990 to advance women’s rights and gender justice. She tirelessly works to empower grassroots women by building their vocational skills, connecting them to vital resources and services, and fostering their financial independence. 

At the helm of Dalit Mahila Vikas Mandal, Ms. Deshpande has spearheaded numerous programmes, including ones addressing child marriage through the empowerment of adolescent girls and engagement with men and boys; safeguarding the rights of women in the informal sector; and promoting joint property registration to boost women's access to assets. She is a respected member of various statutory bodies established by the Government of India and state-level governments, and has provided instrumental support for the law aimed at preventing gender-biased sex selection in India.

The International Union for the Scientific Study of Population (IUSSP), founded in 1927, has played a pivotal role in advancing population science and policy. It has been instrumental in addressing critical population challenges, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, by fostering collaborative research, building capacity among early-career and mid-career demographers, and providing platforms for knowledge exchange. 

The IUSSP helped establish regional population associations in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, and tackles key global issues relating to reproductive health, gender, migration, climate change, and the linkages between population dynamics and sustainable development. IUSSP’s work bridges the gap between research and policy, and ensures that population issues remain at the forefront of global development agendas.

About the UN Population Award

Each year, the Committee for the United Nations Population Award honors an individual and/or institution in recognition of outstanding contributions to population and reproductive health issues and solutions. The Award was established by the General Assembly in 1981, in resolution 36/201, and was first presented in 1983. It is now in its fortieth year. It consists of a gold medal, a diploma and a monetary prize. The Committee for the United Nations Population Award is composed of a quorum of 8 UN Member States, with United Nations Secretary-General and UNFPA Executive Director serving as ex-officio members. Nominations for the award are accepted through 31 December of each year. UNFPA serves as its Secretariat. 

For more information, please contact: media@unfpa.org 

About UNFPA

UNFPA is the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency. UNFPA's mission is to deliver a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person's potential is fulfilled. UNFPA calls for the realization of reproductive rights for all and supports access to a wide range of sexual and reproductive health services, including voluntary family planning, quality maternal health care and comprehensive sexuality education.