Statements and speeches
Statement
Statement by UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem on the International Day of the Midwife 2023
01 May 2023
Every year on this day, we celebrate midwives for their unwavering commitment to saving lives and ensuring the health and wellbeing of women and newborn babies.
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Statement by UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem at the global launch of State of World Population 2023
19 April 2023
World population is radically re-ordering itself. In November, the human family surpassed 8 billion people – the largest population the world has ever known. At the same time, the global average fertility rate is the lowest in living memory.
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Closing remarks by UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem at the 56th session of the Commission on Population and Development
14 April 2023
May I congratulate you on the conclusion of the 56th session of the Commission on Population and Development. We saw considerable engagement from Member States, civil society and other partners, which reinforces the importance of the implementation of the ICPD Agenda for all stakeholders.
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Opening remarks, 56th session of the Commission on Population and Development high-level side event “Advancing the ICPD25 commitments in the context of sustainable development using a framework of sexual and reproductive health, rights and justice”
10 April 2023
The CPD is an invaluable opportunity to engage with Member States and reinvigorate support for the implementation of the ICPD agenda, which is crucial to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
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Opening remarks by UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem at the 56th session of the Commission on Population and Development
10 April 2023
Education! It is transformative – for individuals and their societies. It is the foundation for human capital development, and a powerful driver of economic growth.
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Statement by UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem on the Taliban’s decision to ban Afghan women from working with the United Nations
06 April 2023
UNFPA echoes the UN Secretary-General in strongly condemning the latest decision by the Taliban de facto authorities to ban Afghan women from working with the United Nations in Afghanistan. This…
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Statement by UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem on World Health Day 2023
04 April 2023
Every two minutes, a woman dies giving birth. As the clock counts down another year, 287,000 more women will meet the same tragic fate. Most of these deaths are preventable. They are not…
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Remarks by UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem Towards Eliminating Racism and Discrimination Against People of African Descent
29 March 2023
UNFPA is committed to improving the health, wellbeing and lives of Africans and people of African descent, including bodyright, bodily autonomy, sexual and reproductive health and rights, because data show clearly that Black women and girls everywhere are denied their health, their wellbeing and peace of mind, due to both racism and gender-based discrimination.
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Statement by UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem on the attempted criminalization of homosexuality
28 March 2023
Human rights are inherent to all human beings, and these rights are guaranteed for every person, regardless of gender or sexual orientation.
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Statement by UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem on International Women’s Day 2023
28 February 2023
Statement by UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem on International Women’s Day, 8 March 2023.
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World will miss target of ending FGM by 2030 without urgent action – including from men and boys
02 February 2023
Joint Statement by UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem and UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell on the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation 2023
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Statement of the Executive Director to the First Regular Session of the Executive Board 2023
02 February 2023
Statement of the Executive Director, Dr. Natalia Kanem, to the First Regular Session of the Executive Board, 2 February 2023.
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