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A Blight on Humanity’s Conscience
Statement by UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem on the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict Sexual violence in conflict is a threat to our collective security... Read more

Bending the Arc of History Towards Justice
Statement by UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem on the Fight Against Systemic Racism and Discrimination We are living through turbulent, trying times. This is a moment of suffering for many... Read more

Pandemic impacts on ending-FGM efforts
Hope for Girls and Women runs two safe houses in Serengeti and Butiama Districts, Mara Region, Tanzania, for girls who are fleeing female genital mutilation (FGM). In spite of the criminalization of... Read more

The pandemic is exacerbating menstruation-related challenges for girls in Zanzibar
Maira,* a female teacher at a government school in Zanzibar, says that menstrual hygiene is still a big challenge for girls. “Most of our female students come from poor families; many of them cannot... Read more

Poverty and taboo, stumbling blocks to menstrual health for girls in Zanzibar
Afaafa* (19 years) had her first period almost six years ago. She remembers her mother took her from their home in Mwembe njugu (near Zanzibar Town) to Makadara, where her mother’s best friend Bi.... Read more

End gender inequality! End health inequities! End fistula now!
Statement by UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem on the International Day to End Obstetric Fistula, 23 May 2020 Last November, the world convened in Nairobi to celebrate the tremendous gains... Read more

Pandemic or not, efforts to end obstetric fistula must not stall
Nuriat Koku Mtumbi remembers that day in March well. “It was raining heavily and Adimu* had delivered her baby on her way to our facility. She was shielding herself under a tree, but her mother... Read more

Celebrating midwives, unsung heroes on the front lines of the COVID-19 crisis
Statement by UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem on the International Day of the Midwife, 5 May 2020 As the world battles COVID-19, women continue to get pregnant and babies are still being... Read more

Protecting midwives as the defenders of women’s rights in the times of COVID-19
On 5 May, the International Day of the Midwife honours the life-saving work of midwives everywhere – but this year the celebrations arrive on a more sombre note. Today, UNFPA Tanzania applauds and... Read more

New UNFPA projections predict calamitous impact on women’s health as COVID-19 pandemic continues
More than 47 million women could lose access to contraception, leading to 7 million unintended pregnancies in the coming months. New York, USA, 27 April 2020 - As the COVID-19 pandemic rages on, the... Read more