It is a time when humanity wishes for peace, equality, and progress as we usher in a new year. Such aspirations are certainly shared by families in war-ravaged zones who long for stability and safety for their daughters, that they may live free of violence. But realizing them calls for a plunge into the lessons from the challenges and successes of 2024.
Unity in crisis
The past year revealed an overwhelming pattern for global cooperation. Crises of unprecedented proportions, including extreme weather and war, affected women and girls in alarming numbers. In Sudan, Gaza, and Ukraine, displaced pregnant women faced the highest risks of hunger, violence, and even death. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres remarked that in his mind, further multilateral collaboration must remain paramount in dealing with such challenges and ensuring basic human rights.
Protecting hard-fought progress
In 1994, the ICPD generated a solid ground for gender equality and reproductive rights, leading to rapid gains in maternal health and access to contraception. But polarization and division call these gains into question. UNFPA and its partners will remain committed to ensuring that essential health care, protection, and rights continue to be afforded to women and girls.
Filling the gaps of inequity
Progress often seems to forget about marginalized communities, with systemic discrimination prevailing inside health, economic, and social institutions. Addressing such inequities will require targeted solutions, disaggregated data, and an insistence on awarding agency to the most vulnerable. By prioritizing inclusive approaches, we can ensure that progress does reach everyone, for once.
Innovating radically
In the midst of stagnated efforts towards the zero maternal mortality and zero gender-based violence goals, innovation still shines a promise of glory. New reproductive technologies and data analytic techniques are making significant inroads into health delivery and disaster preparedness systems. Bold and radical approaches are ways to quicken progress and pave the way to combat entrenched challenges.
