In the year 2023, the (UNFPA) encountered a range of crises, including natural disasters, climate change, and man-made disasters. Despite these challenges, women and girls affected by those situations achieved significant milestones. They released fashion collections, asserted their economic and bodily autonomy, and found innovative ways to help girls complete their education. Additionally, the health agency provided safe delivery of babies on land and sea and delivered aid to women in crisis. UNFPA is urging donors to support women and girls in humanitarian responses. Investing in them means investing in a better future.
UNFPA
The cycle of despair in 2023 seemed unstoppable yet crisis after crisis, there were accounts of the selfless and the heroic. Here are of resilience and hope from 2023.
What would the world look like if it was designed by and for women? seeks to redesign the world with women in mind.
During extreme weather events, women face heightened vulnerabilities among them, increased gender-based violence. As we mark COP28, women and girls are demanding.
Dr. Hijazi narrates about the horrific situation for pregnant women in Gaza, where 180 births a day are taking place amid relentless bombardment.
Filmmaker Bisan Ouda shows you inside the Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza and hear from health workers in dire need of life-saving medicines and supplies.
With bombs raining down on hospitals and United Nations shelters, the people of have nowhere safe to go. In Gaza, 50,000 women are currently pregnant. Almost 160 women will give birth every day amid the violence. UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency, calls for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire.
Mariam is among the more than 100,000 people, who have fled into Armenia following the escalation of hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan. About one third of the refugees are reportedly under 18, and approximately half are women and girls, who face a heightened risk of .
On , Regional Champion Shudufhadzo Musida raises awareness about mental health and speaks up for women and girls, who don’t feel seen, heard, or understood.
Only one third of countries have committed to upholding the sexual and reproductive health and rights of women and girls in their national climate plans.
Portable ultrasound machines are bridging a dangerous gap in maternal health care in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
14-year-old Cleiton Adriano, is challenging the stereotypes around masculinity and promoting women’s rights.
My body is my own: claiming the right to autonomy and self-determination.
All too often, people who contribute the least to climate change are affected the most. , one of the most climate disaster-prone countries in the world. Floods, cyclones and extreme storms frequently displace people from their homes. Women and girls pay the highest price. Humanitarian needs directly impacting them – including access to contraception; safe births; protection from violence – are often overlooked in times of crisis. "When climate disaster strikes, it is a disaster for women and girls," said , , "we have to change the mentality to prioritize what women and girls are going to need".
embraces in Burkina Faso and the Republic of Moldova.