International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation

Some 200 million women and girls alive today have been affected by female genital mutilation, which is customarily done between infancy and age 15. There is no medically sound reason for what is recognized as a violation of human rights, and potential consequences range from mental health disorders and suicidal thoughts to sexual dysfunction and infertility – even death.  

Executive Board of UNDP, UNFPA and UNOPS: First regular session 2021

The Executive Board holds its first regular session of the new year. The UNFPA segment will be held on 3 February. Comprising representatives of 36 countries who serve on a rotating basis, the Executive Board ensures UNFPA remains responsive to programme country needs and supports the agency’s mandate of delivering a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe, and every young person’s potential is fulfilled.  

Global Launch of the UNFPA Supplies Partnership

UNFPA Supplies enters its third phase from 2021 to 2030 as the UNFPA Supplies Partnership, paving the way for a new decade of commitment to advancing family planning and maternal health and accelerating progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals. Join us on Monday, 14 December 2020 at 11:00 EST / 16:00 GMT for a virtual conversation featuring voices from across the Partnership, highlighting the sharpened strategic approach of the programme.  

Human Rights Day

It has been 70 years since the United Nations formally established 10 December as Human Rights Day, after adopting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights two years earlier. (Fun fact: At more than 500 languages, it is the most translated document in the world.) The Declaration lists 30 human rights, among them freedom, equality, liberty and security. 

Peace Through Music: A Global Event for Social Justice

United Nations Population Award Ceremony

The United Nations Population Award, which every year honours an individual and/or institution for outstanding contributions to population and reproductive health questions, was presented to the 2020 laureates during a virtual ceremony held on Thursday, 10 December 2020. This year's winners are HelpAge India, in the institutional category, and Her Majesty Gyalyum Sangay Choden Wangchuck, Queen Mother of Bhutan, in the individual category. 

Launch event: Humanitarian Action 2021 Overview

On Monday 7 December, UNFPA will launch its largest ever humanitarian appeal, its Humanitarian Action 2021 Overview. At a time when aid budgets are under increasing pressure, the appeal will highlight the needs and rights of women and adolescent girls in emergencies and appeal to the international community to invest in their health, protection and well-being.

International Day of Persons with Disabilities

Proclaimed in 1992 by the United Nations General Assembly, International Day of Persons with Disabilities is intended to promote the rights and well-being of those living with a disability. 

Peace Through Music: A Global Event for Social Justice

World AIDS Day

Observed since 1988, World AIDS Day calls for continued vigilance in the fight against HIV/AIDS, supporting those living with the disease and remembering the more than 35 million people lost to it. AIDS-related mortality has declined by 39 percent since 2010. Now a global pandemic has threatened progress and deepened inequalities in the fight.