UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, commends world leaders on the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development – a significant achievement in the history of development. The implementation of this forward-looking and universal agenda can lift millions from poverty, save and transform the lives of billions of people, and protect our planet.

Nearly 60 million people are forcibly displaced by conflict, war and persecution, the largest number since the United Nations was created 70 years ago in the ashes of the Second World War. And due to climate change, the frequency and severity of natural disasters is increasing, with more than 400 disasters last year alone. Today on World Humanitarian Day, we express strong solidarity with the women, men, youth and children who are suffering from humanitarian emergencies worldwide.

Young people are driving change towards a better future for all in every corner of the world. They are leading global action on climate change, campaigning to end discrimination, speaking out to uphold democracy and the freedom of speech, connecting our world with innovations in information technology, and building peace in societies ravaged by war.

Women and adolescent girls also face much greater risk of abuse, sexual exploitation, violence and forced marriage during conflicts and natural disasters. One of the priorities of UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, is to empower and safeguard the well-being of women, adolescent girls, and young people and address their specific needs and concerns.

Today is World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. It’s an excellent opportunity for all of us to pause and consider the extent of the heinous crime of abuse of older persons. Millions of older persons around the world are abused, neglected or exploited. This abuse takes place in the home, in the workplace, and in institutions that are meant to care for the elderly. And what is worse, perpetrators are often close family members.

Statement of UNFPA on concerns about Myanmar's recently adopted Healthcare for Population Control Law.

Significant gains have been made in improving sexual and reproductive health and advancing reproductive rights since the 1994 Cairo International Conference on Population and Development. But many people, especially the poor and vulnerable, still lack access to quality sexual and reproductive health services, including life-saving emergency obstetric care. Women and girls living with fistula are among the most marginalized and neglected, and the persistence of fistula is a grave illustration of serious inequalities and the denial of rights and dignity.

Today, on the International Day of the Midwife, we stand in solidarity with midwives worldwide and thank them for the life-saving work they do.

On the anniversary of the abduction of the Chibok Girls from their secondary school in north-eastern Nigeria, Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin, Executive Director of UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, reiterated his call for the immediate and unconditional release of the 219 girls still missing, as well all other persons held against their will.

During the past 20 years, we have witnessed remarkable advances in promoting the human rights and dignity of women and girls and their full and equal participation in society. The International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairo, and the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing bolstered progress for women's rights to make their own choices about their bodies and their futures.

Female genital mutilation (FGM) violates the human rights and undermines the health and well-being of some 3 million girls each year. More than 130 million girls and women in the 29 countries in Africa and the Middle East where the practice is concentrated today have undergone some form of FGM – and the impact on their lives is enormous.