Today, as we mark World AIDS Day, we can point to significant progress in the global response to the epidemic on the road to reaching the goals of zero new infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths.

Violence against women and girls is a violation of their fundamental human rights, an affront to human dignity and a serious threat to their health and well-being.

As the United Nations Population Fund's (UNFPA's) The State of World Population 2013: Motherhood in Childhood report succinctly puts it, "When a girl becomes pregnant, her present and future change radically, and rarely for the better."

UNITED NATIONS (IPS) — Imagine an orphanage where over 300 children born out of rape have been abandoned because of the shame and stigma associated with sexual violence. What does the future of these children hold? The story of sexual violence in conflict is as old as war itself. It knows no boundaries – location, ethnicity, religion, or age.

<p>In his remarks during the launch of UNFPA's "The State of World Population 2013", Dr. Osotimehin highlights the aim of this year's report to call for actions that empower girls, uphold their basic human rights, and put them on an equal footing with boys.</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. More than 125 million girls and women have been cut in almost 30 countries in Africa and the Middle East. The good news is that these trends can be reversed, and we see encouraging signs of that.

"Tomorrow is today aged 10, and it’s a girl. Change her life, change the world," UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin says in his statement on the International Day of the Girl Child.

As world leaders reviewed progress towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) at the UN General Assembly last month, some observers rightly reminded us that we still have a long way to go. This is particularly true for efforts to save women's and girls' lives and to fulfill their reproductive rights – the aim of MDG 5 on maternal and reproductive health.

Today, we celebrate the International Day of Older Persons under the theme, “The Future We Want: What Older Persons Are Saying”. Indeed, with 841 million older persons in the world in 2013, representing almost 12 per cent of the world’s population, we can no longer afford not to listen to what they are saying.

Joint Statement by WHO, UNFPA, UNAIDS, UNICEF and the UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy for Financing the Health MDGs and for Malaria on the Occasion of the 68th General Assembly of the United Nations.

Half a century ago, the world was warned of the imminent explosion of "the population bomb." There were fears that humanity would suffer mass starvation. And that societies would plunge into turmoil - because of overpopulation.

<p>UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin responds to <i>New York Times</i> editorial on "The Race to Improve Global Health".</p>