<p>KATHMANDU—Reducing maternal deaths should be a higher priority for South Asian governments, agreed parliamentarians, policy makers and journalists from the region at a conference here today on reproductive health advocacy.</p>

<p>UNITED NATIONS, New York—Investing in women and girls during the global financial crisis will help set the stage for economic recovery and reduce inequality and poverty, according to Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, Executive Director of UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund.</p>

<p>WASHINGTON—On the eve of the 20th anniversary of World Population Day, the World Bank and UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, warned that family planning and other reproductive health programmes vital to poor women had fallen off the development radar of many low-income and donor country governments and international aid agencies.</p>

<p>COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — The Australian Government will donate $383,400 (AUD 500,000) to support efforts by UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, to meet the health needs of thousands of women displaced by the conflict in northern Sri Lanka.</p>

<p>PESHAWAR, Pakistan —Growing numbers of pregnant women uprooted by conflict in the North-West Frontier Province are receiving essential medical care at facilities set up by UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund.</p>

<p>DOHA, Qatar — The International Seminar on Family Networks Population Ageing, the first of its kind to focus on developing countries, concluded by recommending urgent global action to ensure positive ageing for older persons, especially in poor nations.</p>

<p>ISLAMABAD/UNITED NATIONS — Pakistani women uprooted by fighting in the Swat Valley have critical health needs that relief operations must urgently address, says UNFPA.</p>

<p>UNITED NATIONS — UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, has been selected by the international fashion retailer H & M (Hennes & Mauritz AB) as one of the contribution recipients of its 2009 Fashion Against AIDS campaign.</p>

<p>COLOMBO — At least 3,000 pregnant women have fled the fighting in northern Sri Lanka in recent days and some 350 of them will give birth in the next month, according to estimates by UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund. With health services increasingly challenged by the influx of internally displaced persons, UNFPA is stepping up its support for the health and safety of women and girls affected by the conflict, particularly those who are pregnant.</p>

<p> <b>YANGON</b> — In the year since <span>Cyclone Nargis struck Myanmar, thousands of women affected by the deadly storm have benefited from reproductive health services supported by UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund.</span> </p>

<p> <b>COLOMBO</b> — Women and girls uprooted by the conflict in northern Sri Lanka need assistance to maintain their health and dignity, UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, said today. The Fund is collaborating with district health authorities to provide personal hygiene supplies to displaced people in Vavuniya district.</p>

<p> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 </xml><![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 9]><![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-style-parent:""; font-size:11.0pt;"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-"Times New Roman";} </style> <![endif]-->JERUSALEM— <span>A new survey examining living conditions in Gaza during the recent Israeli military offensive reveals that the conflict has prevented four in ten pregnant women who needed pre- or post-natal care during the crisis  from receiving such services.<br/> </span> </p>