07 September 2010 - Press Release
ISLAMABAD – Thousands of pregnant women uprooted by floods face heightened risk of death and disability unless relief efforts can be scaled up quickly to meet their needs, UNFPA warned today.
Nearly 500,000 of the 21 million flood-affected Pakistanis are pregnant, UNFPA estimates.
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31 August 2010 - Dispatch
NEW YORK — Each spring, the halls of UNFPA come alive with youthful energy as a new crop of Special Youth Fellows come on board. And then, four and a half months later they leave, to take experiences and capacities gained back to the UNFPA offices in their respective countries.
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30 August 2010 - Dispatch
NEW YORK — When she first addressed her Executive Board nearly a decade ago, Executive Director Thoraya Ahmed Obaid highlighted three basic challenges facing UNFPA: ensuring a financially stable Fund, strengthening its institutional capacity, and addressing the social and cultural context of programme development and delivery.
Her final statement to the board today examined progress in those three areas, and went into detail about many other issues.
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30 August 2010 - Statement
Today, in my final statement to the Executive Board I will be as frank as I have always been with you. I will tell you what I perceive to be the successes, shortcomings and challenges that remain for UNFPA in ensuring accountability and driving the ICPD agenda forward.
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27 August 2010 - Dispatch
LEON, Mexico — The idea that governments must invest more in young people been repeated in forums and panels throughout the World Youth Conference this week. But why is this so important? And what specific investments will generate the most traction?
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26 August 2010 - Feature Story
RIOBAMBA, Ecuador — When fifteen-year-old Maria Victoria Urquizo tends to the potato-field in front of her brother’s house in the indigenous community of Guanilchig, she has a stunning view of the majestic, snow-capped Chimborazo—Ecuador’s highest mountain. At 3,500 meters above sea level, the morning air in this Western range of the Andes is crisp.
The sunlight reflects the bright colours of the traditional indigenous textiles Maria wears, but the story she tells is dark.
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26 August 2010 - Dispatch
LEON, Mexico — “Culture cannot change unless you stand up and say something,” said Thabo Sephuma, a 29-year-old South African who has lived in five different countries and encountered discrimination first-hand. “Having access to basic [reproductive health] services is an issue,” he said.
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25 August 2010 - Statement
I have two messages for you today. My first message is that NOW is the time to invest in young people. Now is the time, not sometime in the future. My second message is that NOW is the time to promote dialogue and understanding across cultures and generations, to advance human rights for all people, both young and old.
I say now is the time because young people are not just the future; they are very much the present.
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