UNFPA @ FFD4: Five reasons why investing in women and girls is more urgent than ever

UNITED NATIONS, New York – As the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FFD4) wrapped up in Seville, Spain, UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency, reflected on what it will take to navigate one of the most turbulent years for international development, and why investing in people, especially women and girls, is more urgent than ever.  

The year started with grim news: UNFPA’s top donor terminated more than 40 existing humanitarian projects, and announced its decision to deny the agency any future funding. Meanwhile, projections show that Official Development Assistance may drop by 17 per cent in 2025 alone. 

And yet, hope held strong in Seville. Over 50 heads of government attended the summit, and UNFPA made a powerful case: Investing in people, especially women and girls, must be at the heart of any financing strategy for sustainable, inclusive development. 

Here are five key takeaways from UNFPA at FFD4:

1. Investing in adolescent girls is one of the smartest moves policymakers can make

To unlock progress, we must invest in the health and education of adolescent girls.

Groundbreaking UNFPA research on the socio-economic impact of adolescent pregnancy across 15 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean revealed a staggering cost of up to US $15.3 billion per year.

At a side-event to discuss financing solutions, UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem highlighted the Zero Adolescent Pregnancies Movement for Latin America and the Caribbean, a multi-sector group that is developing pioneering approaches to financing. “Let’s be bold in putting adolescent girls at the centre of our development plans – and prioritize them in the global financing agenda,” she urged. 

2. Innovative financing can accelerate achieving the Sustainable Development Goals

Dr. Kanem underscored UNFPA’s efforts to move beyond traditional aid models. As a successful example of outcomes-based financing, she highlighted the $10 million Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health Development Impact Bond in Kenya. Reaching over 800,000 adolescent girls and young women with sexual and reproductive health and rights and HIV testing and treatment services so far, it is currently the largest health-related development impact bond in the world. 

“The Impact Bond is pivotal in breaking the cycle of poverty and vulnerability that many of these young girls face,” says UNFPA Kenya Sexual and Reproductive Health and Youth Programmes Advisor Kigen Korir. “By providing them with the knowledge and resources to make informed choices, these services empower girls to pursue their education and life aspirations without the interruption of unplanned pregnancies or health issues.”

3. Investing in SRHR is a win for the private sector, too 

The private sector has become a central actor in development financing, particularly when it comes to addressing the $224 billion global shortfall in funding for sexual and reproductive health and rights. UNFPA came together with Bayer, Global Citizen and the Governments of Spain and Sweden to underscore the importance of the private sector in ‘closing the gap’ and financing women’s reproductive health. 

UNFPA’s latest collaboration with Fordham University’s Responsible Business Centre unveiled new preliminary data and research that modelled how companies can make scalable investments in women’s health: If just 60 per cent of Standard & Poor's (S&P) 500 companies implement sexual and reproductive health and rights initiatives, the cumulative impact could reach $6.6 billion by 2030.

4. Violence against women and girls takes an enormous economic toll

Violence against women and girls remains one of the most pervasive human rights violations – and one of the most costly. Intimate partner violence alone costs the global economy $5 trillion, or 5 per cent of global GDP – roughly equivalent to the annual investment needed to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

“We must stop seeing gender-based violence as only a social issue or a private tragedy. It is a political failure and a direct threat to the resilience of economies and societies worldwide,” said Dr. Kanem. 

Yet investments remain far too low. “In 2022, only 0.2 per cent of global development assistance targeted gender-based violence prevention,” she noted. UNFPA called for a dramatic scale-up of domestic and international resources, pointing to the Spotlight Initiative and other joint programmes as promising models. 

5. Placing rights at the center: UNFPA and the Seville Platform for Action 

UNFPA also participated in a Seville Platform for Action event that aims to showcase voluntary, high-impact initiatives that respond to the persistent and emerging challenges in financing sustainable development. Among the initiatives spotlighted was the Zero Adolescent Pregnancy Movement, which gained visibility as a new model, helping to forge new alliances.

Ensuring access to sexual and reproductive health and rights is a cornerstone for sustainable, inclusive societies. Now more than ever, investments must be people centred, gender-responsive and rights based.