On the occasion of the High-Level Political Forum and the United Nations Population Award ceremony, UNFPA, in collaboration with the UN Office for Partnerships, is convening the high-level side event “From Legacy to Lasting Change: Ending Obstetric Fistula by 2030.” It will be held on 9 July from 1:30 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. EDT at the UN Headquarters in New York.
The event comes at a moment of urgent need to accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals. It will bring together UN Member States and partners to reflect on the root causes of obstetric fistula, take stock of the progress achieved and identify the concrete actions needed to end it within this decade.
This event will recognize Professor Serigne Magueye Gueye’s lifetime of pioneering work to advance the prevention and treatment of obstetric fistula, and will look ahead: How do we transform decades of progress into the final push to eliminate obstetric fistula by 2030?
Since 2003, the UNFPA-led global Campaign to End Fistula and partners have facilitated more than 153,000 fistula repair surgeries and expanded access to prevention, treatment, rehabilitation and reintegration services in more than 55 countries across Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. Every case of obstetric fistula is preventable – and treatable. The world has the knowledge and tools to end fistula. The challenge now is sustaining the political will, investment and partnerships to reach every woman and girl who still needs care.
