UNFPA, United Nations Population Fund, is the sexual and reproductive health agency of the UN. It works to uphold the rights and choices of women, girls and young people across more than 150 countries. UNFPA aims to ensure that every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe, and every young person can fulfil their potential.
The challenges are immense: Almost half of all pregnancies are unintended, one in three women faces physical or sexual violence, and every two minutes a woman or girl dies from causes related to pregnancy or childbirth – most of them preventable. UNFPA tackles these issues head-on, reaching millions of women, girls and young people every year with vital information about their bodies and rights, essential health services, and protection from violence.
Only when every person can access accurate information, quality care, and the freedom to make choices about their bodies safely and with dignity can they realize their full potential – and help shape a better future for all.
Our mission is:
To deliver a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe, and every young person's potential is fulfilled.
Our history
UNFPA began in 1967 as the United Nations Trust Fund for Population Activities, created in response to growing global concern about demographic change and the promise of new family planning technologies. Four years later, UNFPA was recognised as a permanent entity within the UN system, funded through voluntary contributions from Member States. Eventually, the official name was changed to United Nations Population Fund, but the abbreviation UNFPA was retained.
The International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairo in 1994 – convened by UNFPA and the United Nations Population Division – was a turning point in the global conversation around demography. The outcome document of this conference, the ICPD Programme of Action, affirmed that population was not the problem, but that rights and choices were the solution. Backed by this global consensus, UNFPA has become a passionate defender of sexual and reproductive health and rights, provider of sexual and reproductive health services, and champion of dignity and bodily autonomy.
Today, UNFPA is the UN sexual and reproductive health agency, ensuring rights and choices for all.
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