UN partnership set to prevent more than 140 million unintended pregnancies, 320 thousand maternal deaths by 2030, but major investment required

UNITED NATIONS, NEW YORK — UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency, will launch its strategy to secure the future of contraceptive and maternal health supplies through 2030 for the women and adolescents who need it the most.

Fully funded, the $2.5 billion Partnership can prevent over 140 million unintended pregnancies, 320,000 maternal deaths, 2.1 million child deaths and 40 million unsafe abortions.

Crises, including the global COVID-19 pandemic, threaten to reverse decades of hard-won gains in family planning and maternal health. Protecting and investing in these efforts is more crucial than ever.

Co-hosted with the Governments of Rwanda and Canada, the Partnership’s launch will present how UNFPA’s flagship thematic fund is embarking on its third phase from January 2021 through 2030 as the UNFPA Supplies Partnership, the only United Nations programme dedicated to family planning.

UNFPA Supplies is the world’s largest procurer of donated contraceptives, working to transform lives by building a world where everyone can access quality reproductive health supplies.

WHAT:

UNFPA Supplies Partnership global launch

WHEN:

14 December, 2020

11:00am - 12:00pm EST, 16:00 - 17:00 GMT, 7:00pm - 8pm EAT

WHERE:

The event will be broadcast live on Zoom. If the Zoom Webinar is at capacity, please join us on Youtube Live. The Stream Key is UNFPASupplies.

WHO:

Dr. Natalia Kanem, UNFPA Executive Director, H.E. Dr. Daniel Ngamije, Minister of Health, Republic of Rwanda and H.E. Karina Gould, Minister of International Development, Canada, will be joined by a range of stakeholders from across the Partnership.

Moderator Janet Mbugua - Founder, Inua Dada Foundation, Kenyan gender equality advocate and former news anchor

Invited speakers include ministers, members of parliament, multilaterals, civil society, private sector representatives and young leaders:

H.E. Dr. Maria Flachsbarth, Parliamentary State Secretary, Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, Germany
H.E. Wendy Morton, Minister for the European Neighbourhood and the Americas, Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), United Kingdom
H.E. Kitty van der Heijden, Director-General International Cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Netherlands
Dr. Griffins Odhiambo Manguro, CEO, Country Director, International Centre for Reproductive Health Kenya
Ms. Jayathma Wickramanayake, UN Secretary-General's Youth Envoy (invited)
Dr. Yordanos T. Wolde, Program Coordinator, Talent Youth Association, Ethiopia