United Nations Population Fund

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), formerly known as the United Nations Fund for Population Activities, is the UN agency dedicated to improving reproductive health and advancing gender equality worldwide. It supports programmes in over 144 countries and operates across four major regions: the Arab States and Europe, Asia and the Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Africa. As a founding member of the United Nations Development Group, the UNFPA plays a central role in promoting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly those related to health, education and gender equity.
The organisation’s mission centres on enabling every pregnancy to be wanted, every childbirth to be safe and every young person’s potential to be fulfilled. Approximately three-quarters of UNFPA’s staff work in the field, supporting governments, civil society and international partners to strengthen health systems and address demographic and reproductive health challenges.

Origins and Institutional Development

UNFPA emerged at a time of growing global concern over population issues. In 1966, twelve heads of state issued a joint declaration urging the United Nations to take an active role in this domain. A trust fund for population activities was created the following year, and the agency began operations in 1969 under the administration of the United Nations Development Fund. In 1971, its mandate was formalised under the authority of the UN General Assembly.
Although its official name was changed to the United Nations Population Fund in 1987, the acronym UNFPA has been retained. The organisation has since expanded its focus from demographic concerns to a broader human rights-based framework addressing health, empowerment and sustainable development.

UNFPA and the Sustainable Development Goals

UNFPA contributes directly to numerous SDGs adopted in 2015. Its work is especially aligned with:

• Goal 3: Good Health and Well-being, focusing on maternal health, safe childbirth and reduction of preventable deaths
• Goal 4: Quality Education, supporting comprehensive sexuality education and youth empowerment
• Goal 5: Gender Equality, addressing violence, harmful practices and equal access to healthcare

Indirectly, the Fund contributes to many other goals by integrating reproductive health and gender issues into development planning.

Areas of Work and Transformative Goals

UNFPA is the world’s largest multilateral source of funding for reproductive health and population programmes. It partners with governments and non-governmental organisations in more than 150 countries. Its activities include:

• ensuring voluntary family planning and access to contraception
• supporting safe pregnancy and skilled childbirth
• reducing maternal mortality
• preventing sexually transmitted infections
• combating gender-based violence
• promoting equality and empowerment for women and girls

UNFPA articulates its mission through three transformative results:

• Zero preventable maternal deaths
• Zero gender-based violence and harmful practices
• Zero unmet need for family planning

These goals shape the agency’s analytical work, policy advocacy and technical assistance. Leadership has been provided by a series of Executive Directors, most recently reflecting a sustained commitment to rights-based approaches in health and development.

Partnerships and Funding Structure

UNFPA collaborates with national governments, United Nations agencies, international donors, foundations, community organisations and the private sector. It is a co-sponsor of the Special Programme on Human Reproduction, illustrating its strong engagement in global research and capacity building.
Funding is derived from voluntary contributions. In 2016, UNFPA received USD 848 million, of which USD 353 million supported core activities and USD 495 million was earmarked for specific programmes. The organisation has faced financial pressures, most notably following the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to significant aid reductions from several donor countries, including an 85 per cent cut in contributions from the United Kingdom.

Advocacy Campaigns and Global Initiatives

UNFPA leads numerous international campaigns that address critical health and rights concerns.
Campaign to End FistulaLaunched in 2003, this initiative seeks to prevent and treat obstetric fistula—an often debilitating childbirth injury affecting more than two million women, primarily in Africa and South Asia. The campaign operates in over 50 countries, focusing on surgical treatment, survivor reintegration, better maternal healthcare and prevention through improved obstetric services and community education.
Eliminating Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)UNFPA has been a leading advocate for ending FGM. In partnership with UNICEF, it established a major programme in 2007 with the aim of reducing prevalence by 40 per cent across 16 countries by 2015 and eliminating the practice within a generation. Activities include community mobilisation, legislative support, medical training and global technical consultations. UNFPA continues to highlight the estimated 100–140 million women and girls worldwide who have undergone FGM.

Relations with the United States Government

The organisation’s work has frequently intersected with US political debates on reproductive health. Some American pro-life groups have alleged that UNFPA supports government programmes associated with coercive abortion or involuntary sterilisation, particularly in China. UNFPA has consistently stated that it does not fund or provide abortion services and opposes all forms of coercion.
In response to these claims, the US Congress enacted the Kemp–Kasten Amendment, which grants presidents the authority to withhold funds from any organisation deemed to support coercive reproductive practices. Since 1985, all Republican administrations have withheld US funds from UNFPA under this provision.
However, multiple independent investigations, including US State Department fact-finding missions and assessments by UK and UN teams, found no evidence that UNFPA participated in or endorsed coercive practices in China. Despite these findings, funding withdrawals continued at various points, notably during the George W. Bush administration, which blocked USD 244 million from reaching the organisation between 2002 and 2008.
UNFPA has also been involved in reform efforts after reproductive rights abuses were uncovered in Peru during the 1990s. It supported legislative and procedural changes aimed at protecting women’s rights and ending coercive sterilisation.

Strategic Importance and Continuing Challenges

UNFPA remains a critical global actor in reproductive health, gender equality and population development. Its projects address some of the most pressing challenges facing women and young people, from maternal mortality and lack of family planning services to harmful practices such as FGM and child marriage. Despite political controversies and funding uncertainties, the Fund continues to advocate evidence-based, rights-centred approaches to health and development.