Press releases
Press release
UNFPA scaling up humanitarian assistance in Haiti to help survivors of earthquake
24 August 2021
UNITED NATIONS, New York, 24 August 2021 - UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency, is scaling up its humanitarian assistance in Haiti following the 7.2 magnitude quake that struck in the southern region of the country on the morning of 14 August. More than 2,100 people are reported to have been killed, and 12,000 injured, with hospitals, schools, churches, bridges, and roads reduced to rubble. Days after being rocked by the earthquake, conditions on the ground deteriorated further as Tropical Storm Grace swept across southern Haiti, bringing heavy winds and rainfall and triggering localized flooding and mudslides.
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Pioneering female police superintendent from Niger and General Directorate of Population for Oaxaca, Mexico, win 2021 UN Population Award
15 July 2021
UNITED NATIONS, New York, 15 July 2021 – Announced in a virtual ceremony today, the 2021 United Nations Population Award individual laureate is Commissaire Hassane Haousseize Zouera from Niger’s…
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Dr. Natalia Kanem welcomes renewed support from the United States Government in first meeting with U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield
07 June 2021
New York, 7 June 2021 – UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem today met with Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations. Today marks the first time the two leaders have met and comes in the wake of the Biden-Harris Administration’s pledge to restore support to UNFPA, the UN’s sexual and reproductive health agency.
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“What’s in my bag?” Supermodel, philanthropist, UNFPA Goodwill Ambassador Natalia Vodianova unpacks a ‘dignity kit’ to raise awareness about women’s health
28 May 2021
New York / Paris, 28 May 2021 - The Internet is awash in videos of celebrities sharing the contents of their luxury bags. Natalia Vodianova and UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency, have teamed up to show off a different kind of bag: a ‘dignity kit’ for women and girls that contains the essential supplies they need to manage their menstrual health in crisis settings.
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Women in Tigray need immediate support: Race against time to save lives
28 May 2021
New York, 28 May 2021 - In the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia, where conflict erupted last November, hundreds of thousands of women and adolescent girls remain in urgent need of life-saving health, protection and support services. Gross violations and abuses against civilians, including sexual violence, continue to be reported. The well-being of women and adolescent girls is further threatened by food insecurity, the spread of COVID-19, and a lack of fully functioning health facilities. To scale up the response, UNFPA is deploying more personnel, security reinforcements, and supplies to deliver life-saving services.
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New report sounds the alarm on global shortage of 900,000 midwives
04 May 2021
Fully investing in midwives by 2035 would avert roughly two-thirds of maternal, newborn deaths and stillbirths, saving 4.3 million lives per year. UNITED NATIONS, New York -- Millions of…
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Nearly half of all women are denied their bodily autonomy, says new UNFPA report, My Body is My Own
14 April 2021
Violations include rape, forced sterilization, virginity testing, female genital mutilation and more NEW YORK, 14 April 2021 - Nearly half of women in 57 developing countries are denied the right to…
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As crisis facing women in Venezuela deepens, UNFPA appeals for urgent funding to save lives and protect their rights
31 March 2021
More and more women and girls are facing the deadly consequences of the crisis that grips Venezuela. The health system is collapsing and international funding for sexual and reproductive health…
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As more than one million pregnant women face malnutrition in Yemen, UNFPA Executive Director appeals for peace and increased support
24 March 2021
Aden/Sana’a - The Executive Director of UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency, called for peace in Yemen and urgent funding for women’s health and protection as she…
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Ten years into the crisis, Syrian women and girls continue to face enormous challenges
16 March 2021
As the Syria crisis marks its 10th year, the situation is worse than it has been in years. Consistent trends of gender-based violence, a worsening economic situation, and COVID-19 have converged to…
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New UNFPA data reveals that nearly 12 million women lost access to contraception due to disruptions caused by the pandemic, leading to 1.4 million unintended pregnancies
11 March 2021
New York, 11 March 2021 - UNFPA, the UN sexual and reproductive health agency, released new data today indicating that nearly 12 million women in 115 countries lost access to family planning services…
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Urgent funding needed to provide protection and health services to millions of women in Yemen
01 March 2021
NEW YORK, USA - More than 100,000 women could die from complications of pregnancy and childbirth in Yemen, the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, due to severe funding shortages and the…
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