Sexual and reproductive health services to millions of women through cooperation with the UN

Finland’s support to UNFPA is core funding, which the organisation can direct in a flexible manner to ends where the need is greatest. In line with the Government Programme, the support is used to promote the priorities of Finland’s development cooperation, which includes the position and rights of women and girls.

UNFPA works efficiently and effectively to promote gender equality and especially sexual and reproductive health and rights, including family planning.  In 2019, Finland’s core funding to UNFPA was used to make sexual and reproductive health services available to more than 1.2 million youth, to prevent more than 840,000 unplanned pregnancies and nearly 2,300 maternal deaths, and to ensure that more than 31,000 women and girls got access to services targeted at victims of gendered violence. 

Finland draws attention to the position of persons with disabilities

In its cooperation with UNFPA, Finland seeks to focus on matters that improve access to youth-friendly services and high-quality sexual education. Finland considers it important that the work done by the organisation improves the position and rights of persons with disabilities. As the COVID-19 pandemic has deteriorated the global situation, Finland emphasises innovative solutions, new partnerships and long-term work conducted by the UN specialised agencies, which can strengthen the effectiveness of development cooperation and lead to sustainable results.

Finland supports effective activities

In international reviews, UNFPA has been estimated to be an efficient and effective organisation. Its work has a direct impact on women and girls in developing countries, whose situation is at risk of deteriorating significantly due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  

In 2020, UNFPA’s support led to the following results:

• 41 million women and youth got access to sexual and reproductive health services
• 478,000 healthcare professionals received training related to the COVID-19 pandemic
• 506,000 girls and women who had fallen victim to violence were able to use mental health and psychosocial  support services 
• 1.2 million women in 60 countries got access to hygiene supplies
• 86% of partner countries’ plans to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic, included actions aimed at eradicating gendered violence and helping victims
• 83% of partner countries incorporated sexual and reproductive health services into their national plans to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic
• The e-voucher system, which was jointly developed by UNFPA and the World Food Programme (WFP), helped approximately 70,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women by providing them with food and hygiene supplies
• a helpline was established in over 25 programme countries of UNFPA to support women and girls who had fallen victims to violence during the COVID-19 pandemic
• 1.9 million safe childbirths were attended in 42 countries
• 5.3 million people in 52 countries received family planning services.