UNFPA-UNICEF Joint Programme on the Elimination of Female Genital Mutilation

UNFPA and UNICEF have jointly led the largest global programme to accelerate the elimination of female genital mutilation (FGM) since 2008. In close collaboration with governments, grassroots community organizations and other key stakeholders, the Joint Programme harnesses the complementary expertise of both UNFPA and UNICEF, as well as the latest social science research, to prevent female genital mutilation across the 17 countries where the programme operates.

News

Women leaders in Djibouti speak out against gender-based violence and harmful practices

Peer educators from the UNFPA Elle et Elles network, launched in Djibouti in 2021 to provide support and training for female leaders advocating for women's health and rights. © UFNPA Djibouti

25 April 2024

29 April 2024

Statement

Statement by UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem on efforts to repeal the ban on female genital mutilation in the Gambia

17 April 2024

News

A travelling theatre in Guinea-Bissau sparks conversations and changes minds about gender-based violence

Members of Guinea-Bissau’s National Ballet, the Nossa Patria Amada, perform a dance scene at a local market in Bissorã, in the Oio region, to raise awareness against gender-based violence. © UNFPA Guinea-Bissau/Pierre Bussiere

29 February 2024

News

From recovery to resilience: Zeynab's story after the earthquakes in Northwest Syria

Thanks to a UNFPA safe space, Zeynab has learned a range of new livelihood skills and is getting back on her feet financially and psychologically following the traumatic earthquakes of February 2023. © Muhannad Barbori/Ihsan Organization.

21 February 2024

News

Somali survivors of female genital mutilation advocate to change minds – and lives

UNFPA and UNICEF’s Joint Programme on the Elimination of Female Genital Mutilation works with grassroots activists to encourage communities to abandon the practice. © UNFPA Somalia

26 February 2024

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Updates

UK announces £4.25 million (c. $5.3 million) for UNFPA’s humanitarian response in the occupied Palestinian territories to support women and girls

25 Feb 2024

The new UK contribution will enable UNFPA to provide more critical reproductive health supplies to Gaza. © UNFPA/Bisan Ouda

What is the Joint Programme on the Elimination of FGM?

UNFPA, in partnership with UNICEF, leads the largest global programme to accelerate the elimination of female genital mutilation (FGM) in 18 countries in Africa and Asia: Burkina Faso, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Indonesia, Kenya, Mali, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Sudan, Somalia, Uganda and Yemen.

The Joint Programme’s interventions are designed and implemented in close collaboration with governments, national and grassroots community organizations, and other key stakeholders. They are evidence-based and draw on technical support from UNFPA and UNICEF.

The Joint Programme, launched in 2008 and now in its fourth phase (2022–2030), focuses on fostering accelerated, collaborative action across all levels (grassroots, communities, subnational, national, regional and global) and all relevant sectors (social, education, health, religious, economic, political). This collaborative and multifaceted approach aims to shift underlying social norms within affected communities through movement building and strengthening of systems in partnership with governments, non governmental organizations and the private sector.

Why Get Involved?

FGM is a violation of human rights and is never safe, with immediate health risks that can span a lifetime, including chronic pain, infections, increased risk of childbirth complications and psychological trauma.

Ending this harmful practice is an achievable Sustainable Development Goal to safeguard and protect the 68 million girls and women at risk. Your involvement can take many forms, from advocacy and policy making to providing financial support or implementing interventions on the ground. By participating in this global movement, you can contribute to ending FGM and creating a world where every girl and woman lives free from violence and discrimination.

Top 10 achievements so far

1,137,740 girls aged 0 to 14 years were protected from undergoing FGM
2 million women and girls have initiated conversations on FGM elimination
50 million people made public declarations to abandon FGM
19,809 communities established surveillance systems to protect girls from undergoing FGM
250 million individuals were reached by mass media messaging on FGM
20,000 grassroots organizations have been integrated into coalitions and networks working on the elimination of FGM
112,000 community and frontline workers from 241 implementing partners were engaged in interventions that aim to end FGM
Close to 7 million girls and women received FGM related prevention and protection services
14,827 health service delivery points have at least one health worker trained to provide FGM-related services
1,953 arrests were made as part of enforcing FGM legislation

Where we work

Explore snapshots of the 18 focus countries. Each snapshot offers a brief synopsis of the context, including drivers, prevalence, attitudes and progress in eliminating FGM, and a list of key programme partners. The snapshots also highlight key programmatic achievements and an activity showcasing how Phase IV of the programme operates at the field level.

The designations employed and the presentation of material on the map do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNFPA concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Due to coding limitations, the wording across the indicators is standard, both in the global page and the individual country pages. The wording is applied homogeneously to all reporting offices and is by no means an endorsement or statement of recognition of sovereignty. A dotted line represents approximately the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir agreed upon by India and Pakistan. The final status of Jammu and Kashmir has not yet been agreed upon by the parties.

A dispute exists between the Governments of Argentina and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland concerning sovereignty over the Falkland Islands (Malvinas).

The boundaries and names shown and the designations used on this map do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the United Nations.

2017 Annual Report of FGM Joint Programme: Performance Analysis for Phase II

This companion booklet to How to Transform a Social Norm showcases key results achieved by the UNFPA-UNICEF Joint Programme on Female…

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How to Transform a Social Norm

How to Transform a Social Norm is a reflection on Phase II (2014-2017) of the UNFPA-UNICEF Joint Programme on Female Genital…

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2012 Annual Report of FGM Joint Programme: Accelerating Change

This report documents activities of the Joint Programme in its fifth year of implementation in 15 African countries: Burkina Faso, Djibouti, Egypt,…

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2010 Annual Report of FGM Joint Programme: Accelerating Change

This report documents progress during the third year of the Joint Programme.

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2011 Annual Report of FGM Joint Programme: Accelerating Change

The 2011 report shows that the pace of abandonment of female genital mutilation and cutting (FGM/C), is accelerating in the fourth year of the UNFPA-…

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Partnerships and funding

Partnerships are at the heart of the UNFPA-UNICEF Joint Programme’s strategy to eliminate FGM. The Joint Programme partners comprise a diverse set of multisectoral stakeholders representing governmental institutions, national and international organizations, civil society organizations, grassroots organizations, women's groups, youth-led initiatives, academia and frontliners, all working in tandem to end this practice. These partnerships are at global, regional, national and subnational levels working to create an enabling environment for change, ranging from policy-making to community-level and grassroots interventions, building a world where girls and women are safe, empowered and free to live their lives without the threat of FGM.

The Joint Programme’s funding partners provide the financial support to sustain and scale up initiatives that aim to accelerate and catalyze social-norm change. In the current fourth phase, the Joint Programme is generously funded by the Governments of Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, Norway, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, the United States of America and the European Union. However, there is a need to mobilize additional financial resources and scale up interventions to be able to realize the global target of eliminating FGM by 2030.

Funds received by the Joint Programme in 2023

Donor Amount in US $

Belgium $1,095,290.25

Canada $3,713,761.53

European Union $688,033.29

France $149,413.02

Germany $953,389.83

Iceland $200,000.00

Italy $2,305,492.33

Luxembourg $925,269.22

Norway $1,122,124.56

Spain $877,192.98

Sweden $11,442,392.00

United Kingdom $799,031.48

United States $5,000,000.00

Total $29,271,390.49

News

Raising the voices of survivors to create a generation free from female genital mutilation in Ethiopia

Zekia is advocating against female genital mutilation among her community and at school in the Dalocha district, in Ethiopia’s Central region. © UNFPA Ethiopia/MOPIX Production

08 February 2024

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UNFPA-UNICEF Joint Programme on the Elimination of Female Genital Mutilation

Women leaders in Djibouti speak out against gender-based violence and harmful practices

30 years of fighting for female empowerment

A legacy of progress, a future of promise

Statement by UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem on efforts to repeal the ban on female genital mutilation in the Gambia

A travelling theatre in Guinea-Bissau sparks conversations and changes minds about gender-based violence

From recovery to resilience: Zeynab's story after the earthquakes in Northwest Syria

Somali survivors of female genital mutilation advocate to change minds – and lives

UK announces £4.25 million (c. $5.3 million) for UNFPA’s humanitarian response in the occupied Palestinian territories to support women and girls

UNFPA-UNICEF Joint Programme on the Elimination of Female Genital Mutilation