Over the past 25 years, UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, has led a global effort to achieve universal access to sexual and reproductive health, realize reproductive rights, and reduce maternal mortality.
No doubt the global coronavirus pandemic has set us back and its consequences will be with us for a while. Yet we can’t afford to take our foot off the accelerator. The pandemic shows just how vital UNFPA’s mandate is — and the terrible things that can happen when access to essential sexual and reproductive health services is undermined.
Nevertheless, we have much to look forward to, as UNFPA continues to promote rights and choices for all in Liberia, especially women and young people. As the lead-UN agency for data, UNFPA’s support to Liberia in the early days of the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country which include contact tracing and epi-surveillance led to the curbing of the virus.
We know that the work in population and development remains central to ending poverty. We are committed to the transformative agenda of ending preventable maternal deaths, ending the unmet need for family planning, and ending gender-based violence and harmful practices for the people of Liberia. UNFPA will continue to work with the Government of Liberia and partners to ensure that population and demographic analysis are fully integrated into policy-making, planning, and programming by leading efforts to ensure the successful completion of the National Population and Housing Census; meeting the target of the 2020 Round of Censuses.
While the year 2020 might have initially slowed our activities implementation, we can afford to celebrate some key achievements: more than 400 thousand individuals were reached with sexual and reproductive health information and services including family planning; 61 percent of whom were adolescents and youth. Through our efforts to prevent and respond to gender-based violence, 2,017 SGBV survivors were provided with medical, psychosocial, and legal assistance. At the compilation and finalization of this report came the full results of the Liberia National Demographic and Health Survey 2019-20 with some remarkable achievements including a 31 percent reduction in maternal mortality.
None of the progress and results highlighted in this report would have been possible without the support and collaboration of key partners, including civil society organizations, fellow UN agencies, and others, as well as the critical support of our donors.
Together, we can deliver a world where every preg¬nancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe, and every young person’s potential is fulfilled.
