Statements and speeches
Speech
High-Level Panel Discussion: Honouring the Legacy of Dikembe Mutombo A Call to Action for Africa’s Health, Education, Sports and Quality of Life
16 January 2026
Dikembe Mutombo was known to the world as a legendary athlete – a champion on the basketball court. But for the people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and to the women and girls whose lives he touched, he was something greater than that. He was a healer, a bridge, and a man of profound humanity. I had the privilege of knowing Dikembe Mutombo. His remarkable legacy holds a special place in my heart.
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Statement by the Inter-Agency Standing Committee: Revoke planned international NGO ban, humanitarian leaders urge Israeli authorities
31 December 2025
We urge the Israeli authorities to reconsider their plan to ban many of the international NGOs operating in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT).
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Human rights – essential and endangered
10 December 2025
Around the world, we see progress in realizing human rights, including sexual and reproductive health and rights. These rights are foundational to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. Yet, progress has been uneven, and in some cases, it is being reversed.
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Making all spaces safe for persons with disabilities
03 December 2025
The full inclusion and safety of people with disabilities is indispensable to creating a more equitable world, free from harm, including in the digital realm.
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Amid disruptions and funding cuts, we must commit to an AIDS-free future, Statement by UNFPA Executive Director Ms. Diene Keita
01 December 2025
Progress on HIV prevention is the surest path to an AIDS-free generation. Medical and public policy breakthroughs have accelerated the possibilities for protecting against HIV infection and towards expanding rights and choices for people around the world. Groundbreaking new medications have broadened prevention options so people can choose what works best to safeguard themselves. More countries are beginning to embed HIV prevention in national health systems.
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Remarks by Ms. Diene Keita, UNFPA Executive Director, on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women
25 November 2025
It is an honour to be here with you to kick off the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence and to draw attention to the urgent issue of digital violence.
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Call to action: UNiTE to end digital violence against all women and girls
25 November 2025
Discrimination against women and girls, and violence as its gravest manifestation, remains alarmingly high in every sphere of their lives, across physical and digital spaces alike. Each year, 245 million women and girls aged 15 and older experience physical and/or sexual violence perpetrated by a current or former intimate partner.
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Girls belong online, not on edge: Unite against digital violence
25 November 2025
For many adolescent girls, technology and the online world shape their friendships, communities and daily lives in countless positive ways. It’s where they learn, create and explore the world around them.
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Contraceptives are essential and life-saving – and they are under threat globally
30 October 2025
Contraceptives save lives. For almost 50 years, global health authorities have recognized contraception as essential medicine. People want them, use them, and rely on them every day.
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Statement by the Inter-Agency Standing Committee on Sudan: A Call for Urgent International Response
29 October 2025
The disastrous humanitarian situation in Sudan continues to require urgent action.
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Statement on the reported massacre at El Fasher Maternity Hospital, North Darfur, Sudan by UNFPA Executive Director Diene Keita
29 October 2025
I condemn the shocking attack carried out at El Fasher Maternity Hospital in North Darfur, where at least 460 patients and their families were reportedly killed, after the seizure of the city by the…
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Statement by UNFPA Director of the Humanitarian Response Division, Shoko Arakaki on the Situation for Women and Girls in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
21 October 2025
New York, October 21, 2025 - I have just returned from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where I visited Kinshasa and Goma to witness firsthand the realities facing women and girls caught in one of the world’s most neglected humanitarian crises — one marked by displacement, protection, health, and food/nutrition challenges. Throughout the visit, I reaffirmed our collective commitment to their health, rights, and protection.
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