UNITED NATIONS, New York, 8 July 2026 – The laureates of the forty-first edition of the United Nations Population Award are Professor Serigne Magueye Gueye, an obstetric surgeon from Senegal, in the individual category, and the Fondation Bonne Action Umugiraneza of Burundi, in the institution category.
For decades, Professor Serigne Magueye Gueye has dedicated his career to helping women recover from obstetric fistula – a devastating childbirth injury that can leave women incontinent, isolated and shunned by their communities. Alongside treating patients himself, he has trained surgeons from more than 45 countries across sub-Saharan Africa, helping expand access to life-changing care for women across the region.
His commitment extends well beyond the operating theatre. To reach people who might otherwise go without care, Professor Gueye converted his own home into a health centre, founding the Aristide Mensah Health Center in Yeumbeul, a suburb of Dakar. He was also one of the first clinicians to champion fistula treatment across West Africa, helping bring attention to a condition that is almost entirely preventable – and treatable – with timely access to quality maternal health care. Through his work as a surgeon, teacher and advocate, he has helped restore the health and dignity of countless women.
The Fondation Bonne Action Umugiraneza works to improve access to health care, education and social support for some of Burundi's most vulnerable women, children and families. Its programmes seek to expand access to essential services and address the barriers that contribute to poor health, inequality and gender-based violence.
In 2022, the Fondation opened the Polyclinique Umugiraneza in Gitega Province, bringing specialist medical services, including paediatrics, emergency care and fertility services, closer to rural communities. It has also supported life-saving surgery for children born with severe congenital conditions, provided care for women living with obstetric fistula, and established the "Socle du Savoir" school, which combines education, nutrition and awareness of the risks of early pregnancy to its students, as well as providing refuge and support services for survivors of gender-based violence.
About the UN Population Award
Each year, the Committee for the United Nations Population Award honours an individual and/or institution in recognition of outstanding contributions to population and reproductive health issues and solutions. The Award was established by the General Assembly in 1981, through resolution 36/201, and was first presented in 1983. This year marks the forty-first presentation of the Award. It consists of a gold medal, a diploma and a monetary prize.
The laureates are selected by an intergovernmental Committee composed of United Nations Member States. UNFPA serves as the Secretariat to the Committee. Nominations for the award are accepted through 31 December each year.
For more information, please contact: media@unfpa.org
About UNFPA
UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, is the sexual and reproductive health agency of the UN, working to uphold the rights and choices of women, girls and young people across more than 150 countries and territories. It reaches millions of women, girls and young people with essential health services, protection from violence, and with vital information about their bodies and rights. It also helps governments plan for changing population needs so people can thrive today and in the future, regardless of fertility trends.
