In this Opinion piece published in The Hill'sCongress Blog, the Executive Director of UNFPA argues that high rates of adolescent pregnancy in the developing world, caused by lack of access to information and contraceptives, as well as social norms favouring early marriage and childbearing,  perpetuate a vicious cycle. Too many adolescent girls  – married and unmarried – become pregnant at too young an age, abandon their education and do not contribute their full potential to their local and national economies.

<p> <span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning:18.0pt;mso-bidi-font-weight:bold">An estimated 2 to 3 million women and girls in developing countries are living with obstetric fistula, a condition that has been</span> <span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">virtually eliminated in industrialized nations.</span> </p>

In this piece published by Inter Press Service in advance of the Women Deliver conference, UNFPA's Executive Director talks about family planning and maternal health as two key vectors for lifting developing nations out of poverty.

In this Opinion piece, published by the British medical journal, The Lancet, UNFPA's Executive Director talked about the results of this year's Commission on the Status of Women, which resulted in several ground-breaking measures to prevent violence against women and support the survivors of such violence.

In this Opinion piece, published by CNN, UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin talks about the important role men can and must play in lifting the obstacles that prevent women from access voluntary family planning, one of the most cost-effective ways of improving health.

<p>On this International Day of the Midwife, UNFPA and the International Confederation of Midwives, celebrate the work of midwives in contributing to the miracle of birth—and for the myriad other things they do every day to contribute to the wellbeing of mothers and children around the world.</p>

<p>UNFPA Executive Director Babatunde Osotimehin delivers opening remarks on the forty-sixth session of the Commission on Population and Development.</p>

In this Opinion piece, published by the <a href="http://www.trust.org/item/20130423173457-otldb/" target="_blank">Thomson Reuters Foundation</a>, UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin calls attention to the violation of the human rights of adolescent girls due to the persistence of child marriage and other harmful practices.

<p>In a statement to mark the start of the countdown of the last 1,000 days to achieve the Millennium Development Goals in 2015, UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin noted successes to celebrate as well as the urgency for ramping up our work, resources and actions.</p> <p> </p>

<p>UNFPA welcomes the historic agreement by the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, which clearly reinforces the international community’s commitment to strengthen efforts to eliminate and prevent all forms of violence against women and girls.</p> <p> </p>

On the occasion of International Women's Day, UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin reaffirms the agency's commitment to expanding its efforts to bring an end to gender-based violence, which remains a major health and human rights concern.

<p>On the occasion of International Women's Day, I want to take this opportunity to renew the commitment of UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, to strengthening and expanding our efforts to do everything we can to bring an end to gender-based violence.</p>