Statements and speeches
Statement
Statement by UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin on the death of former South African President Nelson Mandela
05 December 2013
<p>It is with deep sadness that I learned of the death of former South African President and anti-apartheid stalwart, Nelson Mandela. The world has lost a true statesman, a leader and a pragmatic visionary.</p>
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Zeroing in on the Needs of Women and Young People – World AIDS Day 2013
01 December 2013
Today, as we mark World AIDS Day, we can point to significant progress in the global response to the epidemic on the road to reaching the goals of zero new infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths.
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International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women
25 November 2013
Violence against women and girls is a violation of their fundamental human rights, an affront to human dignity and a serious threat to their health and well-being.
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The High Price of Childhood Pregnancy
07 November 2013
As the United Nations Population Fund's (UNFPA's) The State of World Population 2013: Motherhood in Childhood report succinctly puts it, "When a girl becomes pregnant, her present and future change radically, and rarely for the better."
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Act Now, Act Big to End Sexual Violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
06 November 2013
UNITED NATIONS (IPS) — Imagine an orphanage where over 300 children born out of rape have been abandoned because of the shame and stigma associated with sexual violence. What does the future of these children hold? The story of sexual violence in conflict is as old as war itself. It knows no boundaries – location, ethnicity, religion, or age.
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The State of World Population 2013: Motherhood in Childhood
30 October 2013
<p>In his remarks during the launch of UNFPA's "The State of World Population 2013", Dr. Osotimehin highlights the aim of this year's report to call for actions that empower girls, uphold their basic human rights, and put them on an equal footing with boys.</p>
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Let's End Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting in Our Generation
22 October 2013
Millions of girls around the world are still threatened by genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C), despite a century of efforts to put an end to it. More than 125 million girls and women have been cut in almost 30 countries in Africa and the Middle East. The good news is that these trends can be reversed, and we see encouraging signs of that.
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Keep Women and Girls at the Heart of Development
11 October 2013
As world leaders reviewed progress towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) at the UN General Assembly last month, some observers rightly reminded us that we still have a long way to go. This is particularly true for efforts to save women's and girls' lives and to fulfill their reproductive rights – the aim of MDG 5 on maternal and reproductive health.
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Innovating for Girls’ Education
11 October 2013
"Tomorrow is today aged 10, and it’s a girl. Change her life, change the world," UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin says in his statement on the International Day of the Girl Child.
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The Future We Want: What Older Persons Are Saying
01 October 2013
Today, we celebrate the International Day of Older Persons under the theme, “The Future We Want: What Older Persons Are Saying”. Indeed, with 841 million older persons in the world in 2013, representing almost 12 per cent of the world’s population, we can no longer afford not to listen to what they are saying.
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Joint Statement on Achieving The Health MDGs
25 September 2013
Joint Statement by WHO, UNFPA, UNAIDS, UNICEF and the UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy for Financing the Health MDGs and for Malaria on the Occasion of the 68th General Assembly of the United Nations.
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Building Better Lives through a Population and Development Agenda
18 September 2013
Half a century ago, the world was warned of the imminent explosion of "the population bomb." There were fears that humanity would suffer mass starvation. And that societies would plunge into turmoil - because of overpopulation.
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