United Nations Population Fund

News on Youth leadership & participation

30 June 2020
News
Illustration shows a woman with a rose over her mouth against a red background. There is a hand showing the words stop, danger, child, innocent and other terms.
Five things you didn’t know about practices that harm girls
UNITED NATIONS, New York – Every day, hundreds of thousands of girls around the world are harmed physically or psychologically, with the full knowledge and consent of their families, friends and communities. And without... Read more
25 June 2020
News
Young people wearing protective gear pose in front of donated supplies for hygiene kits.
Youth mobilize to support Egypt’s front-line health workers
CAIRO, Egypt – “Every morning we meet with the intention of packing as many kits as we can, to be delivered to the health workers who are working hard to protect us,” 22-year-old Ammar told UNFPA. Ammar is a volunteer... Read more
22 June 2020
News
Girls join hands, showing they are working together. They are wearing orange skirts with the UNFPA logo.
Teachers and mothers join forces to keep girls in school in Malawi
LILONGWE, Malawi – Isaac Zatha, the headmaster of Chapita Primary School in the Malawian district of Salima, spent years watching his girl students disappear from class when they were married off or became pregnant. “... Read more
12 May 2020
News
UNFPA is working with authorities in Pakistan to upgrade an app that provides emergency assistance to people at risk of violence, including women with disabilities. © UNFPA Pakistan
Pandemic heightens vulnerabilities of persons with disabilities
UNITED NATIONS, New York/FRANCISTOWN, Botswana, RAWALPINDI, Pakistan – Even under normal circumstances, persons with disabilities face discrimination, high rates of gender-based violence, and exclusion from services and... Read more
4 March 2020
News
Young people in Myanmar face a variety of risk factors for depression and other mental health disorders, including exposure to conflict and humanitarian crisis. © UNFPA Myanmar
Better suicide prevention and mental health care needed among Myanmar’s most vulnerable
YANGON, Myanmar – Globally, a person dies from suicide every 40 seconds, and it is estimated that for every death, 20 others have attempted to take their own lives. The vast majority of suicides take place in low- and... Read more
3 January 2020
News
Survivors and advocates Nachaki, Rosillah and Eunice speak with advocate and psychotherapist Leyla Hussein at the Nairobi Summit on ICPD25. (L-R) Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Pratt/Too Young to Wed.
From child brides and FGM survivors to leaders on a global stage
NAIROBI, Kenya/UNITED NATIONS, New York – Monicah, 13, was astonished to learn that female genital mutilation (FGM) is not just an issue just within her community, in Kenya’s rural Samburu County. “I realized it we are... Read more
23 December 2019
News
The world has seen both peril and promise in the last 10 years.
A look back at the 2010s: A decade of voices and choices
UNITED NATIONS, New York – As another decade draws to a close, the world is preoccupied with perils on the horizon. Climate change is beginning to ravage communities everywhere. The global displacement crisis has... Read more
10 December 2019
News
Ms. Banda reads the inscription on her award, which comes from members of her community: “Thank you our fierce fighter, Memory." Image from video feed.
Young voices demand to be heard: Celebrating young activists on Human Rights Day
UNITED NATIONS, Geneva – Memory Banda, 23, knows how to change the world: by refusing to stay silent.  Ms. Banda grew up in Malawi in an area where child marriage, sexual violence and early pregnancy were common. “In my... Read more
1 December 2019
News
Chifundo Tindo now trains other people to provide stigma-free comprehensive sexuality education. © UNFPA
“If you love me, know my status”: Safeguard Young People helps young people cast off HIV stigma
LILONGWE, Malawi – Chifundo Tindo lived with HIV for years before learning, at age 14, about her status. It had been a closely guarded secret since she was a child, even as her sister made sure she took her... Read more
26 November 2019
News
Child marriage is widely seen as a way to secure care for daughters, who are often viewed as an economic burden. In this way, the practice both arises from and perpetuates gender inequality. © UNFPA Regional Syria Response Hub
“Life became a cage”: Syrian girls shed light on conflict, vulnerability and cycle of abuse
DAMASCUS, Syria – “Growing up, I felt as though my wings were slowly clipped against my will, and life became a cage from which there was no escape,” said Amal*, a Syrian adolescent from Qamishli. “An entire world... Read more

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