UNFPA Worldwide

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/AIDS, and every girl and woman is treated with dignity and respect.

UNFPA helps governments — at their request — to formulate policies and strategies to reduce poverty and support sustainable development. The Fund also assists countries to collect and analyse population data that can help them understand population trends. And it encourages governments to take into account the needs of future generations, as well as those alive today.

The close links between development and reproductive health and gender equality the other main areas of UNFPA's work were affirmed at the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairo. UNFPA is guided in its work by the Programme of Action adopted there

Reaching the goals of the ICPD Programme of Action will be important for reaching the Millennium Development Goals global targets set by world leaders in 2000. The United Nations Millennium Declaration focuses on making the right to development a reality for everyone. Progress is based on sustainable economic growth, which must focus on the poor, with human rights at the centre.

UNFPA in Turkey and the South Caucasus

In Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia, UNFPA has been helping to improve reproductive health, especially supporting efforts to meet the needs of young people, and to promote gender equality. UNFPA has also played a key role in improving the collection, use and dissemination of data. It is helping to organise and support a number of regional initiatives, through which countries in the region can share knowledge and expertise when tackling common problems.