Statements
Statement
Statement by Executive Director Diene Keita on the need to protect motherhood in crises on World Humanitarian Day
17 August 2026
Every day, we witness the courage of the millions of pregnant women and mothers who do all they can to protect new life as conflict upends their own. This unwavering commitment to nurturing the most vulnerable should compel us to do everything we can as an international community to ensure their protection, even – or especially – in the most acute and protracted of crises.
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Young people, their choices, and the conditions they need to shape their futures
08 July 2026
We are living through a time of profound demographic change. Some countries have historically large numbers of young people. Others are experiencing rapid population ageing. And many are navigating both. Societies and economies are being reshaped by intersecting crises, rising inequalities and disruptive technologies. At the same time, information and misinformation are redefining how we perceive the world around us.
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Statement by Principals of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee on Venezuela
26 June 2026
The people of Venezuela need solidarity now. The international community must not allow this emergency to deepen into a larger human tragedy.
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UNFPA Statement on Activation of Level 3 Emergency for the DRC and Uganda in Response to the Ebola Outbreak
11 June 2026
In response to the Ebola virus disease outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has activated a Level 3 Emergency designation - the highest level of humanitarian response.
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Statement on the outbreak of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda by UNFPA Executive Director Diene Keita
01 June 2026
As an outbreak of Ebola takes hold in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda, women and girls cannot be left to bear the burden of this growing crisis.
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In Celebration of Mothers
10 May 2026
Statement by UNFPA Executive Director Diene Keita As dozens of countries around the world – from Peru to Japan – mark Mother’s Day this month, these moments invite us to honour and celebrate the…
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One million more midwives, four million lives saved
01 May 2026
One million: That’s how many more midwives the world needs by 2035 to save over 4 million lives every year.
Midwives are essential health workers, and they offer a solution to one of the most urgent challenges in global health: preventing women and newborns from dying needlessly from complications of pregnancy and childbirth.
Statement
Three Years of conflict in Sudan, Statement by UNFPA Executive Director Diene Keita
15 April 2026
Today marks three years of conflict in Sudan. Three years on, women and girls in Sudan continue to pay an unbearable price.
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Standing with science for progress and empowerment
07 April 2026
Today, on World Health Day, UNFPA joins the international community in standing with science for a healthier future.
Statement
Statement by Ms. Diene Keita, Executive Director, UNFPA on the impact of the escalating conflict in the Middle East
19 March 2026
The escalating war in the Middle East is shattering the lives of women and children across the region, with pregnant women and new mothers among the most vulnerable and people displaced and cut off from lifesaving health and protection services and supplies.
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UNFPA Statement on Declaration of Level 2 Emergency in the Middle East
17 March 2026
As attacks across the Middle East continue, causing death and destruction and forcing millions from their homes, hundreds of thousands of women and girls are cut off from lifesaving healthcare and protection services. In light of this UNFPA has activated a Level 2 emergency response covering Iraq, Lebanon and Syria to address rapidly growing needs across the region.
Statement
Statement by Diene Keita, Executive Director, UNFPA, on the fourth anniversary of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine
24 February 2026
Four years of relentless bombing, displacement, family separation and economic uncertainty take their toll on women, girls and young people.
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