08 February 2012 - Statement
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We at UNFPA continue to emphasize that people and the principle of equity must be kept at the centre of sustainable development. It means recognizing the need to invest in women and young people and promoting human rights. It means increasing equity to build a world of opportunity for all," said UNFPA Executive Director, Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin, at CDU/CSU Conference on sustainable development in Berlin.
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06 February 2012 - Statement
"On the International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting, I call on the global community to join us in this critical effort. Together, we can end FGM/C in one generation and help millions of girls and women to live healthier, fuller lives, and reach their potential," states UNFPA Executive Director, Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin, in his message on 6 February 2012.
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06 February 2012 - Press Release
UNITED NATIONS, New York— Almost 2,000 communities across Africa have abandoned female genital mutilation/cutting in 2011. This brought the total number of communities renouncing the practice to 8,000 over the last few years, according to new findings by UNFPA and UNICEF, the United Nations Children’s Fund.
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02 February 2012 - Feature Story
GADARIF, Sudan — When Ahfad University for Women in Omdurman began offering a course in community development in the 1990s meant for mature, illiterate women farmers, the main goal was to expand the students’ role in the economic life of their communities. But over the years, many such courses have expanded to touch on more intimate subjects, including reproductive health, early marriage and even female genital mutilation/cutting, a longstanding tradition in the area.
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02 February 2012 - Feature Story
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — In a ceremony of poetry, drama and music, the Buremudaytu and Argoba districts in the Afar region officially abandoned female genital mutilation/cutting earlier this month. The event– attended by government and religious leaders, clan elders, former circumcisers and other community officials – was a remarkable achievement in an area where an extreme form of FGM/C (see box below) was almost universally practiced for centuries. The districts of Amibara, Awash Fentale and Gewane officially stopped cutting in December 2010.
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01 February 2012 - Statement
"UNFPA’s main focus in 2012 is on implementing the revised Strategic Plan and ensuring that we consistently deliver high-impact country programmes with sharp focus, renewed energy and increased efficiency and relevance," stated UNFPA Executive Director Babatunde Osotimehin at the UNDP/UNFPA/UNOPS Executive Board First Regular Session 2012.
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01 February 2012
UNITED NATIONS, New York – The next three years are critical for the global development agenda, UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin declared today at the UNFPA Executive Board's first formal session of the year.
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31 January 2012 - Feature Story
PATA, Senegal -- As Senegal edges closer to becoming the first African country to fully abandon the practice of female genital mutilation/cutting, younger women are supporting campaigns to change social norms surrounding the practice. In Pata, a village in the Kolda region of southeastern Senegal near the Gambian border, a celebration in November drew a huge crowd to formally announce the decision of 69 communities in Kolda to stop cutting.
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