Latest news with #UNPopulationFund
Time of India
5 days ago
- Health
- Time of India
Reimagining population policy: From demographic anxiety to human dignity
For decades, India's population story was summed up in a slogan: "Hum Do, Hamare Do", a family planning mantra that defined generations. But the conversation has now shifted. India's recent dip below replacement-level fertility of 2.1 (State of World Population Report 2025 by the UN Population Fund) has sparked concern, not over overpopulation, but population decline. From ageing populations in East Asia to falling birth rates in Latin America, countries across the world are confronting similar anxieties. Amid these shifts, one truth remains: the real challenge is not the numbers, but how we respond to them. We must build systems that uphold the rights and aspirations of those historically excluded. This is especially true for women and adolescents, whose health and autonomy have long been overlooked, and whose access to opportunity remains unequal. Demographic transitions cannot be addressed by numbers alone; they require decisions grounded in rights, dignity, and institutional clarity. The path forward lies not in population control but in rights-based systems, ones that centre around reproductive autonomy and ensure equitable services. These systems treat health and care as entitlements, not privileges. This includes reducing maternal deaths, improving care quality, expanding access to contraception and infertility services, and linking reproductive rights with education and economic opportunity. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like War Thunder - Register now for free and play against over 75 Million real Players War Thunder Play Now Undo Achieving this shift means moving from managing fertility to enabling freedom, from control to co-creation, and from fear to long-term investments in autonomy, health, and equity. India's own experience, particularly in Haryana, offers valuable lessons. Building with trust and delivering with care India's move toward a rights-based population approach is gaining ground. Haryana offers one example of how this shift can begin from the ground up. It started not with laws, but with community conversations in panchayats, classrooms, and temple courtyards that directly challenged son preference. The Beti Bachao Beti Padhao ("Save the Daughter, Educate the Daughter") initiative became the backbone of this movement, translating community resolve into government action. Faith leaders, adolescent girls, and frontline workers were mobilised early, creating social consensus long before formal policy reforms. Legal enforcement followed. More than 1,000 cases under laws prohibiting sex selection and unsafe abortions helped reinforce these emerging norms. Live Events This civic momentum laid the groundwork for a coordinated set of actions that advanced both care and autonomy. Maternity entitlements under Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana supported over 50 lakh women. Haryana's Creche Policy enabled more than 10,000 women to enter or remain in the workforce. Project Jagriti expanded women's mobility through safe transport, while the Salamati Project improved access to contraceptives and reproductive health services. These efforts positioned care work as a shared public responsibility. Success depended not only on policy but on strong public systems. Haryana invested in the foundations that make rights real. Referral networks were expanded, wheat flour was fortified to improve nutrition, and immunisation supply chains reached over 45 million people during the COVID-19 pandemic. These efforts ensured services reached people and built lasting trust in the state's ability to care. From adolescent-led awareness networks to ASHA-led mobilisation, Haryana's experience affirms a powerful principle. Population policy must begin by listening and conclude with systems that deliver. This local journey, grounded in care and women's leadership, offers lessons for diverse settings around the world. That is what it means to build with trust and deliver with care. What the future demands of population policy Too often, population policy has been shaped by fear: of scarcity, ageing, or decline. Attempts to manage populations through numerical targets, financial incentives, or legal restrictions have not delivered lasting results. Worse, they have eroded trust and violated rights. Today, leadership must meet demographic change with empathy, evidence, and equity. This is especially urgent in countries like India, where fertility has declined across most states, and annual births peaked more than a decade ago. Now, like many nations, India faces the steady challenge of ageing. This moment calls for more than incremental adjustments. It requires a fundamental transformation in how we view population and policy. Future efforts must centre three imperatives: reproductive autonomy, public investment, and equity. Reproductive autonomy means the freedom to make informed choices about one's body and life. Public investment is needed to build systems that support health, education, care, and voice. This includes digital tools that protect rights and expand access. As technologies reshape how people receive care and information, they must be governed not by efficiency alone, but by inclusion, dignity, and trust. Equity means ensuring that no one is left behind, whether by gender, geography, age, or income. India's experience, from challenging son preference to expanding adolescent health services and from community-led dialogues to system reform, shows what rights-based policy looks like in action. It is ethical, effective and scalable. But there is no universal formula. Population strategies must be locally led, informed by women's voices, and rooted in context, whether addressing ageing in East Asia or areas with limited access to essential health and care services in rural Africa. This is the call before us. We must reimagine population policy as a tool for dignity, equity and care. It must be guided by those it serves and supported by strong systems that can sustain them. The author is Additional Secretary to the President of India, and Former Secretary, Health, Haryana
Arab News
6 days ago
- Health
- Arab News
KSrelief opens obstetrics and gynecology clinic at Gaza hospital
RIYADH: Saudi aid agency KSrelief has officially opened a gynecology and obstetrics clinic at the Patient Friends Benevolent Society Hospital in the Gaza Strip. Founded in 1980, the hospital in Gaza City's Al-Rimal neighborhood is one of the few that remain operational in the territory amid devastating attacks by Israeli forces during their ongoing war with Hamas, which began in October 2023. KSrelief opened the clinic on Wednesday in cooperation with the UN Population Fund, which works to improve reproductive and maternal health worldwide. The initiative is part of Saudi efforts to support the Palestinian people and help improve and maintain the healthcare services available to them, the Saudi Press Agency reported. On Thursday, Saudi authorities delivered $30 million in funding to the Palestinian Authority. It was the latest installment in ongoing financial support from the Kingdom that Palestinian officials said has been instrumental in efforts to maintain the health and education sectors. It has helped meet the costs of running hospitals, purchasing medicines and medical equipment, keeping schools open, and providing other essential services.
Scoop
7 days ago
- General
- Scoop
‘Fuel For Gaza Is A Matter Of Life And Death,' UN Warns
'Israeli authorities continue to restrict the delivery of fuel into and throughout the Gaza Strip, effectively choking off life-saving services for deprived and starving people,' UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said during his regular press briefing in New York. Conditions in the enclave remain bleak, as Israeli operations continue to have a devastating impact on civilians, with reports of the killing and injury of scores of people, many of whom were just seeking aid. Pregnant women and babies at risk Due to the fuel situation, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) warned that 80 per cent of critical care units, including those used for childbirth, risk shutting down – at a time when 130 women are giving birth every day. 'As UNFPA stressed, fuel for Gaza is a matter of life and death,' said Mr. Dujarric. He added that community kitchens were able to prepare more than 200,000 meals every day this week. However, this represents an 80 per cent reduction compared with the more than one million meals distributed daily at the end of April, calling it 'basically a trickle offered to people on the brink of famine.' In the absence of fuel, cooking gas and electricity, people have resorted to burning plastic waste. 'When they do so in makeshift tents, you can imagine what happens with the poor ventilation and the tremendous risks that that poses,' he told journalists. Allow in more aid Furthermore, the UN relief coordination office, OCHA, also reminds that to meaningfully address the massive deprivation in Gaza, the Israeli authorities must allow in higher volumes of supplies and more varied types of food, as well as cooking gas, fuel and shelter items. Mr. Dujarric stressed that to facilitate the orderly distribution of aid, supplies must be channelled daily through multiple crossings and land routes simultaneously. This would ensure people that the flow of essential support is steady, sufficient and reliable. He said the UN and partners attempted to coordinate 15 humanitarian movements inside Gaza on Tuesday but only three were fully facilitated by the Israeli authorities, while seven were denied outright. Four missions were initially approved but then halted on the ground, although one was ultimately accomplished on Wednesday and another was cancelled by the organizers.
Mint
23-06-2025
- Health
- Mint
Missing from India's population narrative: Unmet family goals, financial barriers, coercion
India's population estimates often provoke extreme reactions: frustration over overpopulation or alarm over the signs of a falling fertility rate. However, such narratives fail to capture a nuanced picture—one that centres around what couples go through in their fertility journey. A recent report by the UN Population Fund (UNFPA)—State of World Population—finds that Indians are now having fewer children than needed to offset deaths. A parallel crisis is also playing out with many couples struggling to meet their fertility goals, having either more or fewer children than planned, facing several barriers and struggling with coercion. Shrinking fertility India's total fertility rate (TFR) fell to 1.9 in 2025, according to estimates from the report. This figure has been below the replacement level of 2.1 since 2020. In practical terms, this means that Indian women, on average, are now having fewer children than needed to prevent the population from shrinking over time, without accounting for migration. 'This decline is driven by a combination of factors, including rising education levels, increasing urbanization, delayed marriage, improved access to contraception, and evolving social and economic aspirations," said Andrea Wojnar, the UNFPA's India representative. The latest Sample Registration System data showed a fertility rate of 2 in fertility rates have become a cause of concern, especially in developed nations, as their populations are growing older and economies are slowing. Such concerns are taking hold in India as well, despite it being home to the largest population in the world. Unfulfilled aspirations For many years, India has chosen a policy of population control through greater awareness about family planning and making contraceptives available to people, among other measures. However, beyond these policies, several complexities faced by couples may also be contributing to the current trend. Over 30% of Indians experienced unintended pregnancies, and a similar share also went through a time when they wanted a child but couldn't have one, showed the report by the UNFPA, which conducted a survey with polling agency YouGov. About one in four Indians encountered both scenarios. These findings highlight a widespread prevalence of having either more or fewer children than planned or desired, both with detrimental consequences. Unintended pregnancies can lead to financial strain from unexpected childcare costs and potential health risks for mothers and children. Conversely, having fewer children than desired can lead to heightened psychological stress. Barriers to parenthood But what are the barriers preventing Indian couples from achieving their desired family size? Financial constraint is the number one reason, with nearly 40% citing it as a major hurdle, as per the report. Housing issues (22%), job insecurity (21%), and one partner desiring fewer children (19%) are also significant factors in family expansion goals. Many are also holding back due to growing anxiety about the future, from climate change to political and social instability. For many, insufficient involvement of the other partner in housework and childcare holds them back from expanding the family, the report showed. Notably, Indians face a disproportionately higher share of barriers compared to the global average for 10 out of 14 tracked factors. The gap is particularly wide for concerns like climate change, inadequate pregnancy-related healthcare, and pressure from the medical fraternity regarding family planning decisions, underscoring unique challenges in India. Limited agency The discourse around exercising reproductive agency has been largely focused on women since they are more directly affected by childbirth. However, the report showed that both men and women in India report significant constraints on their reproductive rights. Nearly the same share of respondents (about 61%) in both genders reported experiencing some form of coercion during a reproductive relationship in India. More men (30%) than women (26%) reported pressure to have a child when they did not want one. More men also reported feeling pressured to use contraception when they desired a child. Alarmingly, 33% of women and 34% of men reported feeling unable to refuse sexual intercourse, highlighting widespread sexual coercion. This is broadly in line with the global trend, with 60% of men and 70% of women reporting some form of limitation of their reproductive rights. 'This finding, among both women and men, should be a call to action for all policymakers and advocates, a clear indication that sexual coercion is unacceptably commonplace for both men and women," the report noted. Positive trajectory India's declining fertility rate is closing the window for the demographic dividend. However, this may have come on the back of a positive development that prioritized women's education, financial independence, and health through delayed childbearing. Births per 1,000 women for those aged 15-19 years came down dramatically—and at a faster pace than the global trend—in the 21st century. The UNFPA report also highlighted that the recent declines in total fertility rates to low and very low levels, as evidenced in some countries, were intricately linked to rapid reductions in birth rates among adolescents and young women (aged 15-24 years), caused by a postponement of childbearing. According to Wojnar, this shift reflects meaningful progress toward greater reproductive autonomy and healthier life choices for young people. 'India's fertility story is not one story, but many. And the answer lies not in prescribing outcomes, but in ensuring an enabling environment where everyone has the ability and support to realise their own reproductive goals safely, freely, and with dignity," Wojnar added.
Washington Post
19-06-2025
- General
- Washington Post
These are 5 things the UN does that you may not have known
UNITED NATIONS — The United Nations' vast system has tackled everything from delivering life-saving humanitarian aid to providing crucial peacekeeping operations in conflict zones since it was established in the wake of World War II. As the international body closes in on 80 years, questions about its relevancy and efficiency have sharpened from supporters and critics alike. Recent U.S. cuts to foreign assistance and the reevaluation of humanitarian contributions by other countries have forced a reckoning for the U.N. The organization has long sought to highlight its unique role as the meeting place of global leaders, with an ambitious mandate to prevent another world war . Staffers, however, say the U.N. does more than respond to civilians' needs in war zones and debate resolutions in the Security Council. 'The things that are not on the radar of anyone, that nobody sees every day, that's what we do everywhere, in more than 150 countries,' said Diene Keita, executive director for programs at the U.N.'s population agency. Here are five things the U.N. does that you may not have known: U.N. agencies facilitate programs worldwide focused on women, tied to education, financial literacy, employment opportunities and more. Among the most sensitive services provided are those for victims of gender-based violence. In Chad, the U.N. Population Fund operates several rehabilitation programs for women and girls recovering from that trauma. One of them, Halima Yakoy Adam, was taken at age 15 to a Boko Haram training camp in Nigeria, where she and several other girls were forced to become suicide bombers. Adam managed to escape with severe injuries, while the others died in blasts. Through U.N. programs on the islands of Lake Chad, Adam received health and reproductive services as well as vocational training. She is now working as a paralegal in her community to assist other women and girls. 'We are not created to stay,' Keita said of U.N. agencies' long-term presence. 'So this is embedded in what we do every single day. We have that humility in knowing that we make a difference, so that people do not need us the next day.' Images of refugees at U.S. and European borders show the migration crisis around the world. Often overlooked are the refugees who are resettled in communities outside American and European cities, ones that resemble their home countries and cultural upbringings. Since 2016, the U.N.'s refugee agency has supported the integration of more than 50,000 refugees and asylum-seekers in Mexico. They arrived in southern Mexico and were relocated to industrial cities after being screened and granted asylum by the government. The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees provides transportation, orientation and access to health, education and other social services. More than 650 companies have agreed to train and employ these people, whose labor has generated a $15 million annual contribution to the Mexican economy, according to the U.N. According to U.N. estimates, 94% of these working-age refugees have secured formal employment within their first month in the country and nearly 90% of school-age children have enrolled in school. The U.N. program also provides what staffers describe as clear pathways to Mexican citizenship. 'Mexico has become a country where people forced to flee can find the stability they need to restart their lives with dignity,' Giovanni Lepri, the top U.N. refugee agency official in Mexico, said in March. 'A strong asylum system and legal framework allows an effective integration of asylum-seekers and refugees.' U.N. agencies are present throughout various phases of war, from delivering food, water and medical supplies in an active military zone to the iconic 'Blue Helmets' — the military personnel deployed to help countries transition out of conflict. Less attention is paid to efforts made after the dust has settled. One of those initiatives, the United Nations Mine Action Service, was established in 1997 to facilitate projects aimed at mitigating the threat posed by unexploded munitions in countries years — and sometimes decades — after war. The U.N. estimates that on average, one person is killed or injured by land mines and other explosive ordnance every hour. In January, a 21-year-old man was harvesting olives in a Syrian orchard with two friends when they noticed a visible mine on the ground. Panicked, they tried to leave, but one of them stepped on a land mine and it exploded, amputating one of his legs above the knee. A month later, in Cambodia, a rocket-propelled grenade believed to be more than 25 years old killed two toddlers when it blew up near their homes. The U.N. program aims to work with communities in Syria, Afghanistan and Nigeria to safely locate and remove these remnants of war while providing education and threat assessments. Since its inception, the U.N. says more than 55 million land mines have been destroyed and over 30 countries have become mine-free. In a refugee camp in northwest Kenya, dozens of girls 12 to 18 have gathered every Saturday at a women's empowerment center to learn self-defense through a Taekwondo class. The program, launched by the U.N.'s Population Fund last year, has focused on providing an outlet for girls who have either been victims of gender-based violence or are at risk of it after fleeing conflict zones in countries like South Sudan, Ethiopia and Congo. The coaches are locals who understand the cultural and political dynamics their students face while living in a camp that is home to nearly 300,000 refugees. The goal is to use sports activities to create safe spaces for women and girls to discuss various issues like period poverty, abuse and domestic conflict. The program, which the U.N. has replicated in Egypt and elsewhere, is funded by the Olympic Refuge Foundation. Topics surrounding sex and reproductive issues were considered taboo for centuries in Buddhist communities. U.N. staffers have spent the past decade working with religious leaders in Bhutan and other countries in Asia to 'desensitize' the topics they believe are crucial to a healthy society. The campaign has led more than 1,500 nuns from 26 nunneries to hold discussions with community members around sexual and reproductive health and the prevention of gender-based violence. Now, at least 50 monks are trained to provide counseling services on these topics to students across Bhutan's 20 districts. The U.N. says these partnerships, which began in 2014, have contributed to a decrease in maternal mortality, an increase in contraception use, and better reproductive care for pregnant women.
