Remarks by UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem at the Virtual Media Briefing on The State of World Population 2022. 

At UNFPA, we remain committed to working alongside human rights defenders across the globe.

Once a victim of non-consensual sexual image sharing, Olimpia Coral Melo Cruz turned her trauma into a force for change. Today, her name isn't associated with a sex tape, but with a law that protects women and girls from online violence in her home country Mexico.

Virtual violence is violence. Online abuse is abuse. Women and girls have the right to feel safe in all spaces, wherever they are. Learn more.

Wherever violence against women and girls occurs, it is a violation of human rights. Every year, on November 25, the International Day to End Violence against Women and Girls, and through the UN Secretary-General’s UNiTE by 2030 to End Violence Against Women Campaign, UNFPA takes a stand against all forms of violence. This year, we are calling on people everywhere to stop violence in the digital realm.

The consequences of climate change spare no one. The devastating effects are widespread. During climate crises, gender-based violence increases. Rates of child marriage rise. Maternal and birth outcomes worsen. We must work together to end the climate crisis. 

Let's defend our shared planet and help protect the most vulnerable. Learn more.