🌍 Eight decades ago, the United Nations was born with a bold dream: peace, progress and respect for every human being. Today, as the UN turns 80, that vision shines brighter than ever.
One of the UN’s game-changers is the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). Launched in 1967 as a trust fund and made permanent in 1971, UNFPA has championed population censuses, trained demographers and boosted maternal health by expanding access to life-saving medicines and contraceptives. 📊👩⚕️
In 1994, the International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo created a global momentum by linking population, development and sexual and reproductive health and rights. It put women’s empowerment and youth investment at the heart of sustainable development and called out gender-based violence and harmful practices like female genital mutilation.
Just a year later, the landmark Beijing Platform for Action set a roadmap for achieving gender equality worldwide. Since then, UNFPA has been the UN’s go-to agency for sexual and reproductive health—ensuring every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person can unlock their full potential. 💪🌟
UNFPA now works in over 150 countries and regions, helping nations navigate demographic change and build resilient health systems that serve all.
Partnership with the Chinese mainland began in 1979 through a memorandum of understanding. In the early years, UNFPA supported the first modern census in 1982, helped reduce maternal and infant deaths, widened contraceptive choices and planted the seeds of demography as a discipline.
As the Chinese mainland rapidly developed, UNFPA evolved its focus to reach underserved and remote communities, migrants, young people and ethnic minorities. It rolled out gender-sensitive, client-centred reproductive health programs and joined forces with other UN agencies on HIV prevention and emergency responses—think the 2008 Sichuan earthquake relief. 🚑🌱
As we celebrate the UN’s 80th birthday, UNFPA’s journey reminds us that health, rights and dignity go hand in hand. Here’s to the next chapter—one where every voice counts and every life matters. 🎉
Reference(s):
UN turns 80: Renewing the promise of health, rights & dignity for all
cgtn.com
