The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Joint Programme on the Elimination of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) annual programmatic report presents quantitative and qualitative results from 18 focus countries (Burkina Faso, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Indonesia, Kenya, Mali, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Somalia, Sudan, Uganda and Yemen). It includes lessons learned under an annual selected theme as well as an analysis of results to inform prioritized actions moving forward. The annual report supports accountability and strengthens implementation, coordination and partnerships with all relevant actors, within focus countries and beyond. 

The target audience includes all programme staff and frontliners working in various domains of human rights, education, health, religion, legal/judiciary, sexual and reproductive health, child protection, social programmes, development and development aid, within governmental and non-governmental institutions, civil society and the private sector. The report is also useful for those who design, implement, monitor and evaluate FGM-related interventions.   

2024 marked a critical juncture, with growing, systematic and persistent pushbacks against FGM elimination. These were closely linked to a broader backlash against gender equality and women’s rights. Perpetrators of FGM justify its continuation under the guise of freedom and rights to adhere to social and gender norms, tradition, culture or religion. Some call for its medicalization as a “safety measure”. Partnerships that forge strong alliances and advocacy and organized movement-building are essential to counter arguments and movements that are against the elimination of FGM. 

Last year stood as a pivotal moment with just six years remaining to achieve the zero goal in 2030 provision, and support for survivors, all while fostering a significant shift in societal attitudes and practices. However, the trends in the global decline of FGM prevalence demanded significant acceleration to reach elimination within that time frame. With this background, the theme of this annual report is: "Accelerating Action: Strengthening alliances and addressing pushback against ending FGM". The theme underscores the urgent need to expedite and scale up actions, forge stronger coalitions and counter resistance with unwavering commitment – more than ever before. The report both affirms progress and issues a call to action, "from pushback to push forward". It urges stakeholders to transform challenges, drive sustainable changes and speed up progress towards a future free from FGM.

Women-led organizations, especially at the local and grass-roots level, have in-depth understanding of the challenges that women and girls face and vital resources on how to advance their rights. They are critical to shifting policies, legislation and institutional structures that perpetuate FGM. In 2023, the Joint Programme supported the integration of 8,817 grassroots and community-based organizations within coalitions and networks working for the elimination of FGM. It engaged more than 111,781 front-line workers at the community level from 241 implementing partners across 17 target countries. 

The Joint Programme, alongside its partners, remains committed to continuing to enhance strategic partnership with and the engagement of women-led organizations and feminist movements to leverage their influence, capabilities and contributions to the achievement of short-, medium- and long-term outcomes, towards ending FGM by 2030. The Joint Programme builds on the vision that local solutions can accelerate the elimination of FGM at the subnational and national levels. The 2023 Annual Report for the UNFPA-UNICEF Joint Programme on the Elimination of Female Genital Mutilation includes snapshots of 17 focus countries.

In 2022, the UNFPA-UNICEF Joint Programme on the Elimination of Female Genital Mutilation achieved significant milestones. This annual report focuses on "reimagining resilience" to address the impact of the polycrisis on gender equality and women's empowerment. The report highlights the launch of Phase IV (2022-2030) of the Joint Programme, which emphasizes promoting girls' agency, achieving transformative change through social movements, strengthening partnerships with women-led organizations, expanding global influence, and leveraging public-private partnerships for FGM elimination. 

Despite challenges posed by the polycrisis, the Joint Programme delivered impressive results across 17 countries. By centering adolescent girls' agency, voice, and leadership, and scaling up partnerships with grassroots women- and youth-led organizations, the Joint Programme furthered its commitment to addressing gender equality and fostering resilience against FGM. Innovation and technology were harnessed to overcome obstacles and develop new solutions to tackle FGM.