UNITED NATIONS, New York – Around the world, May is a time to celebrate mothers and the health workers who help them enter motherhood. Dozens of countries observe Mother’s Day in May and, on 5 May, the International Day of the Midwife honours the life-saving work of midwives everywhere.

Statement by UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem 

New York, 26 March 2020 - With each passing day, the scale of the COVID-19 crisis and its consequences are becoming ever more apparent and alarming.

UNFPA, the UN sexual and reproductive health agency, is closely monitoring and working with partners, governments and UN agencies to address the outbreak of the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19), which has been declared a public health emergency of international concern by the World Health Organization (WHO).

UNFPA is working to ensure that accurate information is provided to women of reproductive age and pregnant women on infection precautions, potential risks and how to seek timely medical care.

Sahar El Nabaheen was born into a humanitarian crisis that has only gotten worse over the years. In addition to the violence, the fear and the uncertainty that are part and parcel of what it is to live in Gaza, a decade-old blockade caused a raging economic crisis and a youth unemployment rate as high as 60%. In the midst of the unfolding disaster, family planning might be dismissed as secondary.

UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, celebrates the heroic and life-saving work that midwives do every day, often in very trying circumstances. Thanks to midwives, millions of women each year are able to exercise their right to sexual and reproductive health services, including voluntary family planning. These services help ensure wanted, healthy pregnancies and safe births.