Mission and Goals

Our Mission

UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, is an international development agency that promotes the right of every woman, man and child to enjoy a life of health and equal opportunity. UNFPA supports countries in using population data for policies and programmes to reduce poverty and to ensure that every pregnancy is wanted, every birth is safe, every young person is free of HIV, and every girl and woman is treated with dignity and respect.

UNFPA — Because Everyone Counts!

UNFPA Globally — The World’s Largest Source of Population Assistance

Since its establishment in 1969, the Fund helps Governments, at their request, to formulate policies and strategies to reduce poverty and support sustainable development. It also assists countries to collect and analyze population data that can help them understand population trends. Our ultimate goal is to improve the lives and expand the choices of individuals and couples worldwide.

With programmes in over 150 countries, UNFPA has contributed over $6 billion worth of resources to developing countries. UNFPA supports initiatives that help women, men and young people:

• plan their families and avoid unwanted pregnancies;
• undergo pregnancy and childbirth safely;
• avoid sexually transmitted infections (STIs) — including HIV/AIDS;
• promote gender equality;
• combat violence against women.

The work of UNFPA encompasses a wide range of other issues, such as data collection, cultural sensitivity and emergency assistance, however, the three main areas of our focus — reproductive health, gender equality and population and development — are inextricably linked. The ability to make free and informed childbearing decisions lies at their intersection.

Promoting and protecting fundamental human rights, including reproductive rights, are at the core of all UNFPA programming. This is one of the reasons the Fund places priority on reaching those in the greatest need, whether because of poverty, marginalization, emergencies, age, sex, ethnicity or health status.

UNFPA’s new Executive Director, Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin, a national of Nigeria, started his four-year tenure in 2010. As the Fund’s leader, Dr. Osotimehin puts forth his vision focusing on the challenges of the world’s population of 7 billion and the needs of the largest generation of young people.

Find out more about UNFPA on our global website: www.unfpa.org

Read UNFPA’s  Annual Report and Strategic Plan