29 December 2023

We look back on 2023, acknowledging the tragedies that have marked the year -  natural, climate and human-made crises which compound UNFPA’s mission. However, our resolve, and that of our partners and the women and girls we serve, is immovable. 

We also celebrate what’s possible when women and girls can fulfil their rights. From unleashing first fashion collections and claiming economic and bodily autonomy; finding innovative ways to help girls complete their education; delivering babies safely on land and sea; and reaching women in crisis with compassion.

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UNFPA started out the year as it does every year - with dedication and drive to ensure rights and choices for all. Yhdiha, 17, (right) is pictured with a friend at Chami Health Center, Mauritania. © UNFPA/Gaia Squarci
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In January 2023, a newborn receives phototherapy for a skin condition at the Richard Toll Hospital in Senegal, which is supported by UNFPA. © UNFPA/Gaia Squarci
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A woman looks over a scene of destruction in Jinderis, Syria, following the devastating earthquakes that struck Türkiye and Syria in February 2023. © UNFPA/Karam Al-Masri
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In Idlib, Syria, UNFPA-supported teams reached women and girls in rural areas, including those already displaced by war. Teenagers, Kholoud and Salwa, look through the contents of their dignity kits in tented accommodation. © UNFPA/Karam Al-Masri
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In Şanlıurfa, Türkiye, Hayfem receives a health check from a mobile team following the earthquakes which made the family homeless. Hayfem and her husband and five children are sleeping in their van. © UNFPA Türkiye/Eren Korkmaz
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In March, Kateryna celebrated daughter Sophia’s first birthday, which also marked just over 12 months since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Kateryna went into labour while sheltering in a basement. © UNFPA Ukraine/Serhii Korovayny
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In Spring in Uganda, girls entered the classroom with new bags equipped with a solar panel to power a torch so students can light their studies when there’s no electricity at home. It’s the initiative of engineer Mary, 22. © UNFPA Uganda/Jadwiga Figula
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The State of the World’s Population 2023 report featured AI-generated images. The growth of AI and the world’s population are both often debated with anxieties on one hand and opportunities on the other. © UNFPA/ARTificial Mind/Cecilie Waagner Falkenstrøm
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In Cabo Delgado, Mozambique, a baby is born by Caesarean section at a UNFPA mobile clinic. Mobile teams travel by land and sea in the country’s northernmost province to reach women and girls with life-saving services. © UNFPA Mozambique/Mbuto Machili
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Yasmin, 26, (left) pictured with her family in their shelter after Cyclone Mocha hit Kutupalong camp, in Cox’s Bazar in May 2023. Yasmin acted on the cyclone warning to usher women and families into UNFPA safe spaces. © UNFPA Bangladesh/Fahim Hasan Ahad
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The Nova Kakhovka dam collapsed on 6 June 2023, devastating areas along Ukraine’s Dnipro river. Overnight, a UNFPA-supported team, which was set up to support survivors of the war, pivoted to become search and rescue workers. © UNFPA Ukraine/Danil Pavlov
Bulengo camp for internally displaced people (IDPs). © UNFPA DRC/Junior Mayindu
Esther Okunia, 46, is a humanitarian midwife trained by UNFPA. © UNFPA DRC/Junior Mayindu

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is facing one of the world’s most complex and protracted crises. An estimated 6.2 million people are displaced. Survivors of sexual violence say they largely feel forgotten after decades of what seems like a never-ending war. UNFPA is present in IDP camps and surrounding areas to support women and girls.

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A poster on the wall at Chandrathilaka, a women’s centre, in Kandy, Sri Lanka in July 2023. The centre economically empowers women and girls, including young mothers and survivors of gender-based violence. © UNFPA/Patrick Rose
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In August, UNFPA’s ‘Bodyright’ campaign took to the catwalk during Fashion Week in Costa Rica. Bodyright wants to end online abuse and digital violence. Pictured, Elton Ilirjani modelling the messages on the runway. © Freddy Hernández
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During the summer, budding fashion designers in Kenya and Ghana were hard at work. A partnership between PRADA Group and UNFPA taught professional skills to young women and helped reduce gender inequalities. © UNFPA Kenya/Cara Productions
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In Mandani, Sudan, health visitor, Awatef Othman Hassan, sees around 25 displaced women a day, including pregnant women and new mothers - all of whom have fled the fighting in Khartoum. Ikhlas (left) gave birth with UNFPA support. © UNFPA Sudan
A woman in a flood-damaged home in Gandula, Libya. © Moises Saman/Magnum Photos/UNFPA
A newborn is cared for at a UNFPA-supported maternity ward. © Moises Saman/Magnum Photos/UNFPA

Libya bore the catastrophic brunt of Storm Daniel on 11 September 2023 as floodwater swelled and dams burst, submerging parts of Derna and surrounding areas. 

Thousands died and in some cases entire families were wiped out by the torrent. UNFPA-supported mobile medical teams, maternity wards, psychosocial teams and safe spaces worked to mitigate the impact on survivors. 

Designs by graduates of the ‘Fashion Expressions’ project came to life on the runway in Accra.
© UNFPA Ghana/Sibs Consult/Gideon Adonteng
© UNFPA Ghana/Sibs Consult/Gideon Adonteng
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More than 100,000 ethnic Armenians in Karabakh crossed the border into Armenia after hostilities escalated in late September. © UNFPA Armenia/Aspram Manukyan
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© UNFPA Armenia/Aspram Manukyan
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“Imagine you build your own house, look after your family your entire life, and become homeless at 74. I have nothing left,” says Melania who fled conflict in Karabakh. © UNFPA Armenia/Aspram Manukyan
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A 6.3 magnitude earthquake hit Afghanistan’s western region on 7 October 2023. Most of those who died were women and children as they were at home while men were out at work. Subsequent earthquakes followed. © UNFPA Afghanistan/Arlene Alano
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On 11 October 2023, a woman in Gaza City carries her children through the street following an Israeli airstrike. © Mohamed Zaanoun/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

The Israeli Government declared a state of war on the occupied territory on 8 October 2023 following Hamas’ deadly attack. The relentless attacks in Gaza have created a situation described as “hell on earth” by UN spokespeople and others. As the war continues, grieving families and children remain at risk, not only from air strikes, but also from hunger and disease from poor sanitation.

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Earlier in the year, when Peru’s Piura district flooded, Miryam Coello was cut off from services. Thanks to a mobile midwife team, Miryam feels more prepared for childbirth. © UNFPA/Factstory/Enrique Castro-Mendivil
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After an initial earthquake, registering a magnitude of 6.4 in Nepal’s western Karnali province on 3 November 2023, over 350 aftershocks followed, forcing people to sleep outside in freezing overnight temperatures. © UNFPA Nepal
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UNFPA-supported teams reached women and girls with critical services and supplies in rural Jajarkot. © UNFPA Nepal
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Destruction of Khan Yunis in the south of Gaza on 24 November 2023. Nowhere in Gaza is safe and the UN calls for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire. © UNFPA Palestine/Bisan Ouda
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A father tenderly holds his newborn’s tiny fingers at a camp in Khan Yunis. Parents across Gaza live in daily fear that they or their children may be killed. © UNFPA Palestine/Bisan Ouda
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A woman mourns the death of her father in an Israeli airstrike in Khan Yunis. © Samar Abu Elouf
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A newborn baby clings to life with the help of an incubator at Nasser Hospital, Gaza. © UNFPA Palestine/Bisan Ouda

As the year ends with war and worry affecting many people’s lives, UNFPA urges donors to fully fund humanitarian appeals that put women and girls’ needs front and centre.

Effectively supporting women and girls is critical to a successful humanitarian response, in ensuring all members of society are reached and that rights are respected in a crisis. Additionally, a crisis must not be a reason to divert regular funding for sexual and reproductive health and rights.

Every woman and girl, everywhere, must be free from violence and have autonomy over her body and the decisions that affect her. Investing in women and girls is investing in a more positive future.

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