$1.4 billion is needed for sexual and reproductive health services in crisis countries
This funding will be used to provide life-saving reproductive health services and critical gender-based violence prevention programs to more than 45 million people.
The call comes as an estimated 11 million pregnant women will need emergency support by 2025.
Record the displacement and destruction
UNFPA recalls that global crises have forced 122.6 million people to flee their homes this year. Women and girls make up half of those affected, and natural disasters and climate shocks take their toll.
For example, the risk of pregnancy and childbirth becoming life-threatening, and incidents of rape and other gender-based violence escalating sharply.
Furthermore, the proliferation of crises and growing needs has been met without sufficient funding, creating a staggering resource gap of 75% in 34 countries. As a result, millions of women and girls lack access to essential services, often leading to life-threatening – and sometimes fatal – consequences.
Invest in women and girls
“With this call for funding, we are calling on the international community to invest in the health and dignity of women and girls in crisisand help build a future free from fear and violence,” said Dr. Natalia Kanem, Executive Director of UNFPA.
Listen to our recent interview with Dr. Kanem, who discusses the UN agency’s mission:
UNFPA aims to advance two key priorities by 2025 – strengthening local and national response capacity and enhancing emergency preparedness, as well as increasing the proportion of human funding leadership for local and women-led organizations from 35% to 43%.
It will also enhance early response capacity by expanding the placement of critical supplies at various hubs around the world, to ensure quick and effective action when a crisis occurs.
Despite unprecedented access and funding challenges, UNFPA reached more than 10 million people with reproductive health services in 2024 and supporting gender-based violence prevention and response services for 3.6 million people across 59 countries affected by the crisis.
The agency also deployed a network of thousands of midwives and medical teams to humanitarian zones, equipped more than 3,500 medical facilities to provide life-saving care, and established more than 1,600 safe spaces for women and girls.
