Thanks to our donors, partners, and supporters, UNFPA has continued working for women, girls, and young people around the region throughout 2022, to advance their sexual and reproductive health and rights and help achieve a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe, and every young person’s potential is fulfilled.
Here isa selection of stories we published during 2022, highlighting some of our key initiatives:
Asia and the Pacific is the most disaster-prone region in the world. In 2022, the region continued to witness a staggering number of complex crises and disasters, both natural and manmade. In the face of these emergencies, UNFPA effectively responded to ensure the safety and dignity of women and girls through our humanitarian action, working with partners on the ground. We did this by supporting girls and women in accessing sexual and reproductive health services as well as prevention of and responding to gender-based violence across the region, including in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Tonga, and more.
Half. That’s the share of pregnancies across the world that women and girls do not deliberately choose. As part of the regional dissemination of the global State of World Population Report 2022, UNFPA Asia- Pacific Regional Director, in his opinion-editorial, highlighted how the report's findings on unintended pregnancy relate to the lives of women and girls across Asia and the Pacific.
Innovating for Equality & Inclusion
In a rapidly changing world, we need dynamic solutions to meet the needs of women and girls and deliver sexual and reproductive health and rights for all. This is especially important given the diverse context we operate in across Asia and the Pacific.
This collection of stories highlights UNFPA Asia-Pacific’s life-changing innovations that aim to advance the rights of women, girls, and the most marginalised across our region.
UNFPA Asia-Pacific Regional Leadership Meeting
After 3 years of virtual collaboration, the Asia-Pacific Regional Office hosted its first in-person Regional Leadership Meeting from 9-13 May 2022 in Bangkok to create, innovate and mobilize action for the three transformative results: zero preventable maternal deaths, zero unmet need for family planning, and zero incidents of gender-based violence and harmful practices.
The leadership alliance across the region engaged in dialogue and discussions with one another, and with experts and changemakers to ensure no one is left behind in advancing the sexual and reproductive health and rights of women and young people across Asia and the Pacific.
#ForEveryAge of Her Life
Continuing UNFPA’s multi-year regional advocacy campaign, #ForEveryAge, this year, UNFPA Asia-Pacific, together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, jointly delivered a photo exhibition titled ‘#ForEveryAge of Her Life’.
The exhibition, launched on the International Day of Older Persons, 1 October 2022, in Tokyo, Japan, explains the life-cycle approach through 10 photos showcasing the crucial stage through the journey of a woman’s life and the need to ensure investments are made at each stage of her life - from childbirth to adolescence to adulthood. On this occasion, our Regional Director, called on countries to adopt this life-cycle approach to address population ageing in hisopinion-editorial.
Promoting gender equality is key to ending son preference
Calling for renewed attention to address the undervaluing of girls, UNFPA brought together decision-makers, experts, and civil society representatives from eight countries to Vietnam from 4 - 6 October 2022.
International Conference on Family Planning
The international scientific and advocacy community as well as policymakers and young people gathered in Pattaya, Thailand, for this flagship conference for which UNFPA was one of the core organizers. The conference set forth a platform to ensure the world achieves universal access to family planning by 2030. On this occasion, UNFPA Asia-Pacific Regional Director underscored in an opinion editorial the importance of countries investing in family planning that is anchored in human rights and choices.
Day of 8 Billion: Asian youth send a message through art
To commemorate the world's population reaching 8 billion, young people from Asia came together to send a message through art. With the support of UNFPA Asia-Pacific, YPEER Asia Pacific Center hosted discussions with over 60 young people from 15 countries in Asia on 15th November. Thai artist Supis Nui joined the discussions to turn the conversations into art.
Respect & Empower: Supporting survivors of gender-based violence
During 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence from 25th November till 10th December 2022, the UNFPA Asia-Pacific Regional Office launched a series of videos providing a glimpse into the day in the life of GBV service providers to raise awareness of the impact of gender-based violence on women and the efforts of frontline workers to offer essential and life-saving support. The videos are a collection of the strength and resilience of our partners on the ground as they serve to create a brighter future for survivors of violence.
Standing up for sexual and reproductive rights for all
On Human Rights Day, 10th December, UNFPA Asia - Pacific Regional Director, Björn Andersson shared a statement to underline the role that women from Asia and the Pacific region have played in shaping the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), as we countdown to celebrating its 75th anniversary next year.
