Flexible funding from Ireland allows UNFPA to provide support for the health and protection of women and girls in Ukraine and around the world

UNITED NATIONS, New York – The Government of Ireland has signed on to provide UNFPA, the UN sexual and reproductive health agency, with €4 million (US$4.6 million) in core funding for 2022. This contribution empowers the agency with predictable and flexible financing to positively transform the lives of women and girls.

This latest core contribution is the largest Ireland has provided to UNFPA, and is an increase of €500,000 on recent years. Core resources are vital to UNFPA’s work. They allow the agency to focus on impact and results for women and girls, especially in fragile contexts, and to respond effectively to emergencies such as those in Ukraine or Afghanistan.

Ireland stands for the health and protection of women and girls everywhere, particularly in humanitarian crises, where needs are continuing to grow. Ireland has long partnered with UNFPA to strengthen its humanitarian response, promote gender equality and maternal health, and eliminate gender-based violence and harmful practices against women and girls, such as female genital mutilation.

Separately, in addition to the €4 million un-earmarked contribution for 2022, Ireland has disbursed €1.5 million to support UNFPA’s humanitarian response in Ukraine and neighboring countries.

‘“Ireland’s partnership with UNFPA reflects our shared determination to improve the lives of women and girls around the world,” said Colm Brophy, Ireland’s Minister for Overseas Development Aid. “This is both the right thing and the smart thing as we strive for a genuinely better world because when women succeed, societies succeed.”

Between 2018 and 2020, Ireland’s contributions to UNFPA helped the agency to prevent over 1,000 maternal deaths and close to 400,000 unintended pregnancies, and provided essential services to 16,000 women and girls subjected to violence.

The latest agreements are a continuation of UNFPA and Ireland’s successful collaboration. With such flexible funding, UNFPA is well-equipped to achieve its mandate of ending unmet needs for family planning, preventable maternal deaths, and gender-based violence and harmful practices, while addressing countries’ unique needs.

“With the contribution from Ireland to our flexible resources, we are enabled to rapidly respond to crises and save women’s and girls’ lives,” said Ian McFarlane, UNFPA Director of the Division of Communications and Strategic Partnerships. “It’s the support of our partners at core like Ireland that make our lifesaving work in 150 countries possible and ensure we leave no one behind.”