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Thank you very much, good morning, and good morning to all colleagues on the call.
First of all, I just want to thank Executive Director Kanam and UNFPA staff for all they do to provide life-saving services to millions of women and girls in crisis-affected countries. You have the full admiration and support of the UK.
We are facing a bleak picture and a bleak path. In 2023, 339 million people will need humanitarian assistance. Conflict and crises are increasingly trapping marginalized people, especially women and girls, in cycles of vulnerability. 70% of women experience gender-based violence in crisis situations; Adolescent girls in conflict zones are 90% more likely to be out of school; And 60% of preventable maternal deaths occur in conflict, displacement and natural disaster settings. These are not just numbers. They represent personal life.
That is why the UK funds humanitarian efforts aimed at the health and safety of women and girls. That is why UNFPA’s work is so complex. The UK is proud to be one of your top humanitarian donors, supporting life-saving gender-based violence (GBV) and sexual and reproductive health interventions in Afghanistan, Somalia, Syria and Ukraine this year. We are proud to be the largest donor to UNFPA’s Supply Programme, ensuring that contraceptives and life-saving maternal, newborn and child health items reach those most in need.
But it’s not just about funding. The UK uses all the levers at our disposal to ensure the health and safety of women and girls, including our coordinating power. Just two weeks ago, at the Prevention of Sexual Violence in Conflict conference in London, we led efforts to strengthen the global response to conflict-related sexual violence, including prevention, justice and accountability, and support for survivors. Together with our partners, we are committed to:
- First, to strengthen humanitarian responses to gender-based violence (GBV), including by ensuring access to clinical management of rape and championing calls to action on protection from GBV in emergencies;
- and, second, to ensure access to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health, including safe abortion, at the onset and throughout the crisis.
We are grateful to you, Dr. Kanam, and UNFPA colleagues to join the conference and use your platform to highlight the critical role of women-led organizations in preventing GBV and helping survivors access SRHR and GBV services, including Jeevan. Saving the emergency role of safe abortion. The UK is committed to promoting our support to local, women-led organizations – true experts on the needs of their communities.
The UK aims to strengthen people’s capacity to recover from crises, protect and prioritize the most vulnerable when crises occur, and amplify the voices of the most marginalized, particularly women and girls, to ensure their needs are met.
Only if we act collectively can we better prepare, act earlier and respond to protect the rights, health and lives of women and girls in crises. We have seen first-hand the critical role that UNFPA plays in this regard, and I urge other donors to continue to step up so that UNFPA has the funding it needs to continue to lead the global response to GBV in crises and when ready and Respond flexibly. It hit the crisis.
Thank you so much.
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