Children and Youth
2020 Orange Book of Results - Volume 3
The Orange Book of Results features a selection of country programme key results including those that feed directly into the Strategic Plan 2018–2021 indicators and those that pertain specifically to a country programme and hitherto are reported only at the country level. With this publication UNFPA has moved beyond “business as usual” by publishing annual results achieved in 2020 reported by country offices in the more than 150 countries where UNFPA supports reproductive health care for women youth and adolescents.
Guatemala 2020
Active in Guatemala since 1969 UNFPA works to strengthen national capacities to ensure access to sexual and reproductive rights and prevent maternal mortality and adolescent pregnancy. Programmes support the country to integrate family planning comprehensive sexuality education and the prevention of gender-based violence especially sexual violence at the highest levels in the Specific Cabinets of Women and Youth. UNFPA also supports national efforts to improve investments for indigenous adolescent girls to plan their future and achieve their full potential.
Venezuela 2020
While the Constitution guarantees sexual and reproductive rights maternal mortality in Venezuela remains in the medium range. Active in Venezuela since 2003 UNFPA backs government investments in the systematic procurement and distribution of contraceptives and promotes young people’s access to services and comprehensive education given high teenage pregnancy rates. Programmes also help curb sexually transmitted infections such as HIV and bolster responses to domestic violence and the sexual abuse of children and adolescents.
Brazil 2020
Brazil is the world’s fifth largest country with the eighth largest economy by nominal GDP and is the 85th country in the Human Development Index (2013). Despite being a middle-income country it continues to face inequalities in income distribution and disparities associated with gender race and generational and regional disparities. Since 1973 UNFPA support has contributed sexual reproductive health and family planning resources and services throughout the country. Through this effort and Governmental support the poverty rate has decreased significantly over the last 15 years.
Paraguay 2020
Paraguay has one of the highest maternal mortality poverty and inequality rates in the region. Limited sexual and reproductive health services and education for young people help explain the high rate of adolescent pregnancy. UNFPA seeks to increase culturally-sensitive service availability information and contraceptives for vulnerable groups such as adolescent girls rural women and poor people. Programs support integrated population issues and knowledge sharing for national development as well as advocating and promoting gender and human rights approaches in laws budgets and policies.
Turkmenistan 2020
Turkmenistan is an upper middle-income country that has experienced steady economic growth. UNFPA assistance began in 1992 with the supply of reproductive health commodities and training. Programmes today continue to strengthen reproductive health care and promote outreach to young people. UNFPA also helps to integrate reproductive health in national emergency preparedness and population issues in development planning. Legal reviews and strengthened human rights protections among other measures aim to advance gender equality.
Cambodia 2020
Since 1994 following a 30-year period of war and internal conflict Cambodia has rebuilt itself. Although it remains one of Asia’s least developed (and youngest) countries Cambodia’s progress in reducing poverty and improving health has been remarkable. Even with 80 per cent of Cambodians living in rural areas the country has managed to dramatically reduce maternal and infant mortality. Continued investments in the health education and opportunities of the large population of young people could help the country realize a substantial demographic dividend.
Timor Leste 2020
Timor-Leste is moving from recovery to development following a violent transition to independence that left its infrastructure in shambles and its people in poverty. UNFPA has been providing support to the country since 1999 including partnering on a joint programme to promote gender equality and women’s rights. Though recent economic and social progress has been substantial the country still faces high rates of poverty and maternal mortality and struggles to keep pace with one of the fastest growing populations in the world.
Mongolia 2020
Welcome to UNFPA in Mongolia. UNFPA the United Nations Population Fund is the UN agency delivering a world where every pregnancy is wanted every childbirth is safe and every young person’s potential is fulfilled. In Mongolia UNFPA supports the Government in the use of population data for policies and programmes to reduce poverty and to ensure that every birth is safe and wanted.
Bosnia & Herzegovina 2020
Bosnia and Herzegovina has emerged from post-conflict to a period of more stability and aims to eventually join the European Union. Challenges include: high unemployment weak social protection poor data an ageing population low fertility rates and marked gender inequalities. Key priorities for UNFPA support which began in 1995 include the development of Reproductive Health Policy prevention of cervical cancer equal access to reproductive health services for youth the strengthening of the social and demographic data collection and prevention and management of gender-based violence.
Sri Lanka 2020
Despite years of internal conflict and the lasting impact of the 2004 tsunami Sri Lanka has made great progress in improving the status health and education of women and has recently become a middle–income country. Its dramatic reductions in maternal mortality are a model for other countries and its slowly growing population is expected to stabilize by 2024. Since 1969 UNFPA has partnered with Sri Lanka to improve access and availability of quality reproductive health services and information for women men and young people.
Afghanistan 2020
Home to one of the world’s youngest fastest-growing populations Afghanistan faces challenges exacerbated by conflict weak governance and cultural barriers especially women and children living in poverty. UNFPA programmes invest in reproductive health and rights gender equality and socioeconomic development; humanitarian assistance and youth issues are priorities in all three areas. Assistance is channelled to replicable programmes in provinces with high rates of poverty and maternal and infant mortality and where communities are actively engaged in their development.
Georgia 2020
With a low birth rate and emigration spurred by poverty and unemployment Georgia faces the challenges of depopulation and an ageing population. Privatization and increasing costs have challenged health reforms and the unmet need for contraceptives is still high despite greater availability. Emerging concerns include the increasing incidence of reproductive system cancers. Since 1999 UNFPA has assisted efforts to meet needs related to reproductive health population and development and gender equality. Among other measures UNFPA support helps to boost the quality and accessibility of reproductive health services and to build capacities to collect and manage population data.
Dominican Republic 2020
During the last five years the Dominican Republic has achieved macroeconomic stability despite the global financial crisis. However challenges persist in reducing poverty and increasing the coverage of basic services. The maternal mortality ratio in the Dominican Republic is almost double the regional average. UNFPA’s programme concentrates on strategic and urgent issues such as universal access to sexual and reproductive health services the promotion of sex education and the use of demographic data in policymaking and in efforts to combat gender-based violence and reduce maternal mortality.
Haiti 2020
Haiti is still suffering from the consequences of the devastating 2010 earthquake. More than half of the population has no access to health services due to steep costs insufficient availability in rural areas and limited access to information and comprehensive sexual education services. The maternal mortality ratio is the highest in Latin America and the Caribbean. UNFPA responds to humanitarian needs and assists with expanding basic maternal and reproductive health care services especially to the poorest and most excluded groups. It helps build capacities to generate reliable data on population trends and supports measures to protect women and girls against gender-based violence.
China 2020
Since UNFPA began providing assistance in China in 1979 it has contributed substantially to strengthened capacity to conduct demographic analyses and to use data for policy planning shifting its attention later on to a comprehensive approach to sexual and reproductive health including quality of care and advocacy for informed choice. Over time it also started incorporating a new set of emerging national priorities related to the issues of youth urbanization ageing gender-based violence and the distorted sex ratio at birth.
Caribbean Sub-Regional Office 2020
UNFPA’s Sub-Regional Office for the Caribbean located in Jamaica covers 22 countries and territories: Anguilla Antigua and Barbuda Aruba the Bahamas Barbados Belize Bermuda British Virgin Islands Cayman Islands Curaçao Dominica Grenada Guyana Jamaica Montserrat Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Sint Maarten Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Suriname Trinidad and Tobago and Turks and Caicos Islands. UNFPA works to improve the reproductive health of the most vulnerable including responding to the high numbers of unintended pregnancies and gaps in maternal health.
Message from the Policy and Strategy Division Director
In 2020 the ability of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) to establish sustainable resilient systems to accelerate its ambitious transformative results was tested as was these systems’ capacity to withstand a global crisis. Despite challenges most of which were aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic UNFPA was able to deliver on the commitments of the Strategic Plan 2018-2021. Through coordinated action and collaboration with partner agencies governments and implementing partners UNFPA was able to deliver planned results providing life-saving care and supplies and meeting the needs of the most vulnerable.
North Macedonia 2020
An upper middle-income country in transition the Republic of North Macedonia has population and development patterns that include an ageing population decreasing fertility and migration. UNFPA support began in 2007 focusing on preventing domestic violence and advocating for sexual and reproductive health and rights including for youth. Programmes encourage the exchange of expert knowledge and good practices and helping the Government develop strategic policies on population and development issues in line with European Union accession priorities.
Nicaragua 2020
Active in Nicaragua since 1974 UNFPA supports the inclusion of issues related to population dynamics young people sexual and reproductive health and gender-based violence into public policies. Nicaragua has successfully incorporated reproductive rights in its health and education laws and policies and made headway in reducing maternal mortality. But key challenges remain including a high adolescent pregnancy rate. UNFPA strengthens capacities to provide high quality maternal health and newborn care comprehensive sexuality education for young people and investments in the country’s “demographic dividend”. It also backs measures to prevent and respond to gender-based violence.