<p>UNITED NATIONS, New York – UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, welcomes the conclusions of the 47th session of the Commission on Population and Development, which reaffirmed the groundbreaking and forward-looking Programme of Action of the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD).</p>

<p>UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, welcomes the decision by the Philippines Supreme Court to uphold the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 2012, which allows women, especially the poor and marginalized, access to reproductive health information and services, including family planning and sexuality education.</p>

"The ICPD Programme of Action changed forever how we perceive population and development. It moved population policies and programmes from a focus on numbers to a focus on individuals – women and men, girls and boys. And in so doing, it ensured that our collective goals included all people, particularly the most marginalized and vulnerable women and girls", said UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin in his opening remarks to this historic session of the Commission on Population and Development.

UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin addressed the High-Level Debate on ICPD Beyond 2014 on 4 April. In his speech he stressed that this is a crucial time in the evolution of the global development agenda.

<p style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"> <font size="3"> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;Times New Roman"">UNITED NATIONS, New York — UNFPA, The United Nations Population Fund, welcomes the agreement by the 58^th Session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) that clearly reaffirms the international community’s commitments to gender equality and the empowerment and human rights of women and girls.</span> </font> </p>

We all remember when the headlines, nearly half a century ago, warned of an imminent population explosion. Governments were scrambling to find the solution and their answer was to limit population growth, especially in the developing world. In 1994, we found what then seemed like an unlikely answer to dealing with changing population dynamics: women.

<p>As we commemorate International Women’s Day and celebrate the many achievements of women and girls, we should also remember that for far too many, the ability to live a healthy, productive life free from violence, to fully enjoy their rights, remains an aspiration.</p>

<p>UNITED NATIONS, New York -- UNFPA Executive Director, Babatunde Osotimehin, addressed the morning session of the 5th meeting of the Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals.</p> <p> </p>

<p>Millions of girls around the world are still threatened by genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C), despite a century of efforts to put an end to it. In the 29 countries in Africa and the Middle East where the practice is concentrated, more than 125 million girls and women have been cut.</p>

<p>In his statement to the Executive Board, Dr. Osotimehin laid out the priorities for UNFPA in the year ahead. Topics discussed in his statment include the ICPD beyond 2014 and MDG post 2015 process, thematic areas such as gender equality and women's empowerment, health, adolescents and youth, governance and accountability.</p>

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Vienna World Conference on Human Rights, which sparked a renewed effort to promote and protect for all people all human rights under the vision that these go hand in hand with development. Full enjoyment of sexual and reproductive health and rights can mean the difference between life and death for hundreds of thousands of women and adolescent girls

<p>It is with deep sadness that I learned of the death of former South African President and anti-apartheid stalwart, Nelson Mandela.  The world has lost a true statesman, a leader and a pragmatic visionary.</p>