#united nations population fund
Text
Statement from UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem on World Health Day 2024.
End discrimination to ensure the right to health for all
On World Health Day, we celebrate the successes achieved since the adoption of the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) Programme of Action in Cairo, which placed sexual and reproductive health and rights at the heart of development.
Since Cairo, more women enjoy the right to health and are able to exert agency over their own bodies and fertility. More women have access to modern contraception, fewer women are dying in pregnancy and childbirth, and teen pregnancy rates have fallen.
Still, too many women and girls have been left out of that progress. Even as we accelerate efforts to fulfil the promise of the ICPD and the Sustainable Development Goals, healthier lives remain out of reach for far too many people, especially those from underserved communities.
Although the global average maternal mortality rate has declined significantly in the past three decades, a woman still dies every two minutes due to preventable pregnancy- and childbirth-related complications. Deaths occur at much higher rates in poorer countries: the lifetime risk of maternal death is 1 in 49 in low-income countries, compared to 1 in 5,300 in high-income countries.
Discrimination in all its forms contributes to poor maternal health outcomes. Even in better-off countries, maternal death rates are higher among communities that continue to confront racial and other prejudices in everyday life. UNFPA research finds women of African descent in the Americas are more vulnerable to mistreatment and neglect by health-care providers.
We can and must do better. It’s time to end the discrimination and exclusion that women, in all of their diversities, continue to experience when they seek sexual and reproductive health care.
Justice and equality will only be possible when our healthcare systems provide everyone with access to the respectful, compassionate and quality care they deserve.
Today and every day, let us uphold the right of all people to reach the highest possible standard of health, free from discrimination, coercion and violence. Let us champion sexual and reproductive health and rights for all as the path to a sustainable future where everyone can realize their potential.
0 notes
Text
Celebrate the extraordinary contributions of Afrodescendent women to the world.
“Women of African descent are part of an extraordinary legacy. They have led movements to end enslavement and uphold fundamental rights for themselves, and for their families and communities,” UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem says. “Afrodescendent women have never given up the quest for equality, justice and recognition. They are tireless advocates because they live the reality of intersecting forms of discrimination. In demanding their inalienable rights, they are contributing to more just and inclusive societies.”
#31 august#international day for people of african descent#Afrodescendent#United Nations Population Fund#UNFPA#Statements
0 notes
Text
UNFPA is part of a global movement to address gendered hate speech online.
Hate speech is in full attack mode, amplified by new technologies that spread divisive rhetoric across the globe. We all have seen the harm it does, sparking violence, exclusion, discrimination, inequality.
In response to growing xenophobia, racism, intolerance, misogyny, anti-semitism and anti-Muslim hatred, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres launched the UN Strategy and Plan of Action on Hate Speech in June 2019, defining hate speech as “any kind of communication in speech, writing or behaviour that attacks or uses pejorative or discriminatory language with reference to a person or a group on the basis of who they are – in other words, based on their religion, ethnicity, nationality, race, color, descent, gender or other identity factor.”
The action plan aims to enhance UN efforts to address root causes and drivers of hate speech and to enable effective responses to the impact of hate speech on societies, while implementing strategies in line with the right to freedom and expression.
Hate speech poisons minds. It is among the most virulent forms of misinformation, feeding on and fueling social polarization, driving us farther apart. Used for control and oppression, it can lead in the worst cases to mass murder and genocide. Misogynistic hate speech especially is proliferating, with technology providing cheap and easy means to spread hate speech far and wide. Online platforms provide few safeguards to stop it.
Online hate speech in particular might seem impossible to stop, but governments, civil society and individuals are taking action, including tapping the power of education, to fight back. Tackling the issue from an educational perspective involves strengthening educational policies and initiatives with specific measures to address and counter hate speech, helping people develop critical thinking and become active citizens who support peace and human rights.
We can all make online platforms safer. Technology companies must take all necessary steps to stop hate speech, including adopting safety features to limit misinformation and online violence and protect personal data. Safety improves when tech companies deliberately manage gender-specific threats and include women and girls in the design and development of technology. Governments and industry associations should set and enforce regulations to make technology safer. Individuals can stop the hate in their own online practices and call on others to do the same.
UNFPA is part of a global movement to address gendered hate speech online. It co-convenes the Advisory Group to the Global Partnership for Action on Gender-Based Online Harassment and Abuse, and issued the UNFPA Guidance on Safe and Ethical Technology for Gender-Based Violence and Harmful Practices.
For a deeply personal perspective, the UNFPA campaign The Virtual is Real focuses on digital violence – which includes online hate speech that serves to terrorize, dehumanize and silence – and features women who fought back.
Hate speech must not – and will not – win. But we all need to become involved, getting educated and speaking out firmly to counter this growing global scourge. “Hate is hate. We can’t excuse it. We can’t ignore it,” UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem says in this powerful video. “Hate is actions. Hate is words. Hate is words that become actions.” Say #NoToHate.
International Day for countering Hate Speech 2023, june 18th.
#hate speech online#global Movement#notohate#campaign#International Day for Countering Hate Speech#united nations population fund#UNFPA
0 notes
Text
Motherhood in childhood: The Untold Story.
Across the globe, there are encouraging signs of declining levels of motherhood in childhood (17 years and younger) and in adolescence (19 years and younger). Nevertheless, in many ways, the pace of decline has been alarmingly slow – often declining by only a fe w percentage points per decade – and has not kept pace with declines
in total fertility.
Key findings from this technical report on the most recent trends across low- and middle-income countries are shown in the Key Findings table.
With a fuller understanding of the timing, spacing and quantity of the adolescent childbearing process – and eventually their proximate and distal determinants – policy and programming can better frame and target their approaches.
Promising interventions include:
components of asset building for adolescent girls,
support for families and parents,
comprehensive sexuality education,
health service provision,
community and policy engagement.
This report’s findings on the prevalence of motherhood in childhood and repeat adolescent childbearing highlight that more needs to be done to design, implement and evaluate programmes that target the youngest starters and girls at risk of rapid and repeat adolescent births.
0 notes
Photo
UN and partners appeal for $116 million as hundreds of thousands flee Somalia to Ethiopia
Countries: Ethiopia, Somalia Sources: GOAL, Norwegian Refugee Council, UN Children's Fund, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, United Nations Population Fund, World Food Programme The humanitarian situation on the ground is dire, with moderate acute malnutrition observed in many children under five and in pregnant and nursing mothers. There is a high risk of disease outbreaks.
https://reliefweb.int/report/ethiopia/hundreds-thousands-flee-somalia-ethiopia-un-and-partners-call-urgent-funding
#Ethiopia#Somalia#GOAL#Norwegian Refugee Council#UN Children's Fund#UN High Commissioner for Refugees#United Nations Population Fund#World Food Programme#Education#Food and Nutrition#Health#Protection and Human Rights#Shelter and Non-Food Items#News and Press Release#ReliefWeb - Updates (Headlines)
0 notes
Link
Administrative & Finance Associate job vacancies in the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
#unfpa#Administrative & Finance Associate#united nations population fund#government job#Government job vacancies in Sri Lanka.
0 notes
Text
Languages: Français | Deutsch
Humanitarian aid programmes need to be even more focused on efforts to combat the rise in sexual and gender-based violence (GBV) in countries affected by crises, Natalia Kanem, executive director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), told Euractiv.
The risk of GBV sharply increases when conflict breaks out. Both for women in the affected area and those who become displaced. Unfortunately, the amount of GBV is also becoming increasingly prevalent in countries affected by crises, where the UNFPA is present, said Kanem.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo’s eastern region, which is once again in the midst of armed conflict, the rise is particularly alarming, she warns.
“We’re encouraging people to report and making it easier for them, but the volume of sexual violence is increasing,” said Kanem, emphasising that they do not know the true number of GBV victims, because of fear of reporting due to stigmatization.
Despite this, according to the UNFPA, GBV is one of the least funded areas in aid programmes.
continue reading
#world conflict areas#gender-based violence#United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)#underfunded#unfpa director
2 notes
·
View notes
Text
An opportunity for all of us to pause and consider the extent of the heinous crime of abuse of older persons.
World Elder Abuse Awareness Day is an excellent opportunity for all of us to pause and consider the extent of the heinous crime of abuse of older persons. Millions of older persons around the world are abused, neglected or exploited. This abuse takes place in the home, in the workplace, and in institutions that are meant to care for the elderly. And what is worse, perpetrators are often close family members.
#World Elder Abuse Awareness Day#Older persons#Elderly#Elder violence#elder abuse#15 june#statement#United Nations Populations Fund (UNFPA)
2 notes
·
View notes
Text
No paywall version here.
"Two and a half years ago, when I was asked to help write the most authoritative report on climate change in the United States, I hesitated...
In the end, I said yes, but reluctantly. Frankly, I was sick of admonishing people about how bad things could get. Scientists have raised the alarm over and over again, and still the temperature rises. Extreme events like heat waves, floods and droughts are becoming more severe and frequent, exactly as we predicted they would. We were proved right. It didn’t seem to matter.
Our report, which was released on Tuesday, contains more dire warnings. There are plenty of new reasons for despair. Thanks to recent scientific advances, we can now link climate change to specific extreme weather disasters, and we have a better understanding of how the feedback loops in the climate system can make warming even worse. We can also now more confidently forecast catastrophic outcomes if global emissions continue on their current trajectory.
But to me, the most surprising new finding in the Fifth National Climate Assessment is this: There has been genuine progress, too.
I’m used to mind-boggling numbers, and there are many of them in this report. Human beings have put about 1.6 trillion tons of carbon in the atmosphere since the Industrial Revolution — more than the weight of every living thing on Earth combined. But as we wrote the report, I learned other, even more mind-boggling numbers. In the last decade, the cost of wind energy has declined by 70 percent and solar has declined 90 percent. Renewables now make up 80 percent of new electricity generation capacity. Our country’s greenhouse gas emissions are falling, even as our G.D.P. and population grow.
In the report, we were tasked with projecting future climate change. We showed what the United States would look like if the world warms by 2 degrees Celsius. It wasn’t a pretty picture: more heat waves, more uncomfortably hot nights, more downpours, more droughts. If greenhouse emissions continue to rise, we could reach that point in the next couple of decades. If they fall a little, maybe we can stave it off until the middle of the century. But our findings also offered a glimmer of hope: If emissions fall dramatically, as the report suggested they could, we may never reach 2 degrees Celsius at all.
For the first time in my career, I felt something strange: optimism.
And that simple realization was enough to convince me that releasing yet another climate report was worthwhile.
Something has changed in the United States, and not just the climate. State, local and tribal governments all around the country have begun to take action. Some politicians now actually campaign on climate change, instead of ignoring or lying about it. Congress passed federal climate legislation — something I’d long regarded as impossible — in 2022 as we turned in the first draft.
[Note: She's talking about the Inflation Reduction Act and the Infrastructure Act, which despite the names were the two biggest climate packages passed in US history. And their passage in mid 2022 was a big turning point: that's when, for the first time in decades, a lot of scientists started looking at the numbers - esp the ones that would come from the IRA's funding - and said "Wait, holy shit, we have an actual chance."]
And while the report stresses the urgency of limiting warming to prevent terrible risks, it has a new message, too: We can do this. We now know how to make the dramatic emissions cuts we’d need to limit warming, and it’s very possible to do this in a way that’s sustainable, healthy and fair.
The conversation has moved on, and the role of scientists has changed. We’re not just warning of danger anymore. We’re showing the way to safety.
I was wrong about those previous reports: They did matter, after all. While climate scientists were warning the world of disaster, a small army of scientists, engineers, policymakers and others were getting to work. These first responders have helped move us toward our climate goals. Our warnings did their job.
To limit global warming, we need many more people to get on board... We need to reach those who haven’t yet been moved by our warnings. I’m not talking about the fossil fuel industry here; nor do I particularly care about winning over the small but noisy group of committed climate deniers. But I believe we can reach the many people whose eyes glaze over when they hear yet another dire warning or see another report like the one we just published.
The reason is that now, we have a better story to tell. The evidence is clear: Responding to climate change will not only create a better world for our children and grandchildren, but it will also make the world better for us right now.
Eliminating the sources of greenhouse gas emissions will make our air and water cleaner, our economy stronger and our quality of life better. It could save hundreds of thousands or even millions of lives across the country through air quality benefits alone. Using land more wisely can both limit climate change and protect biodiversity. Climate change most strongly affects communities that get a raw deal in our society: people with low incomes, people of color, children and the elderly. And climate action can be an opportunity to redress legacies of racism, neglect and injustice.
I could still tell you scary stories about a future ravaged by climate change, and they’d be true, at least on the trajectory we’re currently on. But it’s also true that we have a once-in-human-history chance not only to prevent the worst effects but also to make the world better right now. It would be a shame to squander this opportunity. So I don’t just want to talk about the problems anymore. I want to talk about the solutions. Consider this your last warning from me."
-via New York Times. Opinion essay by leading climate scientist Kate Marvel. November 18, 2023.
#WE CAN DO THIS#I SO TRULY BELIEVE THAT WE CAN DO THIS#WE CAN SAVE OURSELVES AND THE WORLD ALONG WITH US#climate crisis#united states#climate change#conservation#hope posting#sustainability#climate news#climate action#climate emergency#fossil fuels#global warming#environmentalism#climate hope#solarpunk#climate optimism#climate policy#earth#science#climate science#meteorology#extreme weather#renewable energy#solar power#wind power#renewables#carbon emissions#climate justice
33K notes
·
View notes
Text
In the week since the International Court of Justice ruled that the Israeli government is plausibly committing genocide and ordered it to prevent potential further acts of genocide, Israeli forces have only continued committing atrocities against Palestinians.
Buoyed by the staying support of American officials, Israeli forces have killed at least 874 Palestinians and injured at least 1,490 in Gaza since last week’s ICJ ruling, according to Palestinian Health Ministry figures from Saturday, January 27, to Friday, February 2. That’s not to mention other acts of Israeli violence in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem.The loss of life should not be dismissed as “collateral damage,” contrary to what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said.[...]
Backgrounding the atrocities in Gaza is the broader misery the entire population faces. The BBC noted that UNICEF’s biggest concern is the “estimated 19,000 children who are orphaned or have ended up alone with no adult to look after them.” CNN reported that Palestinians are eating grass and drinking polluted water amid famine conditions. The Guardian reported that 50-62 percent of all buildings in Gaza have likely been damaged or destroyed.
Earlier this week, a federal court affirmed the ICJ’s finding that Israel may be carrying out a genocide and warned the Biden administration to reconsider its unconditional support for Israel’s war effort. [...]
The Intercept asked Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., to comment on the court rulings that the accusations of genocide by Israel are credible. “I don’t accept that. I reject [the ruling of the International Court of Justice]. I don’t believe that is Israel’s intention: to commit genocide,” said Fetterman, who has emerged as one of Israel’s most staunch Democratic defenders, on Thursday. “I do believe that their goal is to neutralize or dislodge Hamas from that. And I believe that they certainly do not want to take the lives of any innocent Palestinians and I certainly don’t assign higher value to my children versus a Palestinian child. I mean, I wouldn’t want anybody to die throughout all this tragedy, and it’s just an awful situation.”
Within hours of the ICJ issuing its ruling last Friday, Israel alleged that 12 of 30,000 — 0.04 percent — employees of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East were involved in Hamas’s attack on October 7. The United States immediately suspended its funding of UNRWA, the largest provider of humanitarian aid in Gaza, spurring a cascade of other nations to follow suit.
Sky News later obtained an Israeli document that actually downgrades the allegation to 0.02 percent of UNRWA staff (six people) being involved in Hamas’s attack. Sky News reported that the documents, which allege further ties between UNRWA and Hamas “make several claims that Sky News has not seen proof of and many of the claims, even if true, do not directly implicate UNRWA.”
The contrast between the U.S. decision to pause funding based on unverified allegations and its unwillingness to reconsider its military funding of Israel, despite serious allegations of genocide, is stark.
Fetterman also said that he supports the suspension of funding to UNRWA. When asked why the standard of suspending funding while investigating serious allegations doesn’t apply to the Israeli government, Fetterman dodged the question.
Fetterman: Well, again, it — well, it’s not. We need a full investigation and find out just how much a part of it was about that and how much, you know, the old question: how much they knew and when they knew that.
The Intercept: So you’re saying that for Israel as well?
Fetterman: Yeah, OK, so good, all right, well good.[...]
Reporter Said Arikat confronted State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller on the tension Wednesday. “I’ll say with respect to the charges of genocide [at the International Court of Justice], we believe that they’re unfounded,” Miller said. “We continue to support Israel’s right to take action to ensure that the terrorist attacks of October 7th cannot be repeated, but we want them to do so in a way that complies with — fully with international humanitarian law.”
Miller was then asked about Israel receiving aid even as Israeli government officials call for the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians and maintain good standing in government.
“When the secretary traveled to Israel on his most recent visit,” Miller said, “he made clear that he thought it was important that the Israeli government speak out against those matters and those comments publicly and reiterate that it is not the policy of the Israeli government to force Palestinians from Gaza.”[...]
Two days after the ICJ ordered the Israeli government to prevent and punish incitements of genocide from public officials, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich were among 11 cabinet ministers and 15 coalition members of the Knesset who rallied at conference hosted by hundreds of settlers calling for the settlement of Gaza.
On Tuesday, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant reportedly told members of the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that after their military campaign ends, Israel will maintain military control of Gaza, so it can operate similarly to the way it does in the West Bank.
On Thursday, Smotrich said that allowing aid into Gaza contradicts the goals of Israel’s campaign, and that he spoke with Netanyahu, who supposedly assured him that things will change soon. Israeli ministers Benny Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot reportedly called to limit humanitarian aid as well. Meanwhile, at aid crossings, people in Israel have taken cue from their leaders, attempting to block aid trucks from entering Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of people — including the hostages held by Hamas — are at risk of starvation and malnutrition, every day since the ICJ ruling.
One clip even shows a right-wing activist telling an aid truck driver, a Palestinian citizen of Israel, that “I am the owner here, you are a slave here.”
2 Feb 24
4K notes
·
View notes
Text
Yemen have full jurisdiction to forbid entry into their seas, just as any nation. Yemen have the autonomy and authority to regulate their own waters— but the United States and United Kingdom had a violent response to Yemen preventing comercial shipping using a route through the Red Sea.
You can read more about the situation here:
President Joe Biden initiated the strikes without congressional approval, “This is an unacceptable violation of the constitution,” said Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, a Washington Democrat and the chair of the Progressive Caucus. “Article 1 requires that military action be authorized by Congress.” [Quote from X.com: https://x.com/repjayapal/status/1745602388524671351?s=46 ]
The President of the United States, who unquestionably greenlights funds to the Israeli State to genocide Palestinians, went against the US Constitution itself to declare a war on Yemen. The imperialists themselves confess to their own crimes; they do so proudly. The people who are responsible for our lives, are declaring wars and using money that should feed and house us to genocide a population all for power and resources and more money. We must unite, more than ever, we must stop having faith in our governments and have faith in one another and ourselves.
#Yemen#Politics#anti capitalism#anti imperialism#news#updates#united states#united kingdom#colonialism#imperialism
3K notes
·
View notes
Text
Peace Through Music.
Press Conference by Sheila E, American percussionist and singer, Ms. Natalia Kanem, Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), and Mr. Mark Johnson, founder of Playing For Change, on Peace Through Music: A Global Event for Social Justice.
1 note
·
View note
Text
Migrants' contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Family Remittances and Investment.
Technical meeting on "Migrants' contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Family Remittances and Investment" (in observance of the International Day of Family Remittances 2017 (A/RES/71/237)) co-organized by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the Population Division, Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), and the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF).
#panel discussion#International Day of Family Remittances#International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)#United Nations Population Division#United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA)#United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF)#Migrants#Remittances
0 notes
Link
The criminals are becoming increasingly exposed
#Canada#Ontario#teachers#unions#pensions#OTPP#money laundering#slush funds#WEF#United Nations#population control#deindustrialization#globalization
0 notes
Photo
World: A woman dies every two minutes due to pregnancy or childbirth - UN agencies
Country: World Sources: UN Children's Fund, UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, United Nations Population Fund, World Bank, World Health Organization A new report reveals alarming setbacks for women's health over recent years, as maternal deaths either increased or stagnated in nearly all regions of the world.
https://reliefweb.int/report/world/trends-maternal-mortality-2000-2020-estimates-who-unicef-unfpa-world-bank-group-and-undesapopulation-division-enarruzh
#World#UN Children's Fund#UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs#United Nations Population Fund#World Bank#World Health Organization#Health#Analysis#ReliefWeb - Updates (Headlines)
0 notes
Link
Strategic Communications and Advocacy Analyst, Administrative & Finance Associate, Procurement & Logistics Assistant job vacancies in the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
0 notes
Last Seen Blogs
