Press releases
Press release
New High-Level Commission will ensure promises made at Nairobi Summit are kept as COVID-19 pandemic threatens to turn back the clock for women’s health and rights
17 September 2020
A new High-Level Commission of advocates, experts and activists was established today to help commitments to women’s health and rights made at the November 2019 Nairobi Summit on ICPD25 stay on track, even during the COVID-19 pandemic, which is blocking access to essential services, such as family planning and antenatal care.
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COVID-19: Germany commits additional €30 million to uphold women’s sexual and reproductive health
15 July 2020
UNITED NATIONS, New York/BERLIN, Germany - UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency, is pleased to announce that the Government of Germany has increased its flexible funding by…
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Confronting the silent and endemic crisis of harmful practices
30 June 2020
Every year, millions of girls are subjected to practices that harm them physically and emotionally, with the full knowledge and consent of their families, friends and communities, according to the State of World Population 2020, released today by UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency.
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UNFPA calls for urgent funding to protect health and safety of women and girls affected by Syria crisis
29 June 2020
29 June 2020, NEW YORK, USA – Millions of Syrian women and girls continue to suffer from gender-based violence (GBV), harassment and increasingly restricted access to life-saving sexual and reproductive health services, warns UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency, ahead of tomorrow’s Syria conference in Brussels, Belgium. As the conflict enters its 10th year, UNFPA is appealing for urgent funding to meet critical reproductive health and protection needs of women, adolescent girls and young people affected by the Syria crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic. The total funding requirements amount to $137 million for inside Syria and neighbouring countries.
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UNFPA announces appointment of new Deputy Executive Directors for Management and Programme
24 June 2020
UNFPA, The United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency, welcomed today the appointment of Ms. Diene Keita and Mr. Ib Petersen as new Deputy Executive Directors for Programme and for…
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UNITED NATIONS POPULATION FUND AND PREZI LAUNCH #YOUTHAGAINSTCOVID19 VIDEO CAMPAIGN TO INFORM AND EMPOWER YOUNG PEOPLE
20 May 2020
Prezi, a leading visual communications software company, and UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency, have launched a joint COVID-19 awareness campaign to encourage and equip young people to lead the charge against the pandemic. UNFPA and Prezi are teaming up with global youth organisations to encourage young people to take action by staying informed and doing their part to flatten the curve of the infection – and urging their peers to do the same.
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Urgent funding needed to protect health and safety of women and girls in Yemen amidst COVID-19
06 May 2020
More than 48,000 women could die from complications of pregnancy and childbirth in Yemen, the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, due to severe funding shortages and the possible closure of reproductive health facilities, amidst rising risks posed by COVID-19. To save lives, UNFPA is calling for urgent funding of $59 million to provide lifesaving reproductive healthcare and women’s protection services until the end of 2020. An additional $24 million is needed for the COVID-19 response to protect health workers and women and girls accessing reproductive health services in the conflict-affected country.
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UNFPA study shows limits on women’s reproductive decision-making worldwide - one quarter of women cannot refuse sex
01 April 2020
NEW YORK, USA - Approximately a quarter of women cannot refuse sex or make their own decisions about accessing proper health care, a major international study has found. UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency, today released groundbreaking new research revealing how far the world has come in allowing women and girls to make informed decisions about their reproductive rights.
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UNFPA sounds the alarm on dire situation facing women and girls in Syria, as conflict enters its 10th year
16 March 2020
UNFPA expresses increasing concern about the women and girls trapped in the escalating humanitarian situation in Syria, especially in the north-west, as the conflict enters its 10th year.
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UNFPA launches humanitarian aid appeal to urgently reach 48 million women and youth
06 February 2020
UNFPA needs $683 million to urgently provide life-saving reproductive health and protection services in 57 conflict-affected countries.
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New partnership between UNFPA, Center for Women’s Global Leadership aims to end gender-based violence
19 December 2019
UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency, today signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Center for Women’s Global Leadership (CWGL) from Rutgers University to work towards eliminating all forms of gender-based violence. The agreement will support the organizations’ goals of achieving sexual and reproductive health for all, promoting gender equality and protecting human rights.
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Nairobi Summit on ICPD25 ends with a clear path forward to transform the world for women and girls
14 November 2019
The Nairobi Summit on ICPD25 concluded today in the Kenyan capital, with partners making bold commitments to transform the world by ending all maternal deaths, unmet need for family planning and gender-based violence and harmful practices against women and girls by 2030.
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