World Population Day

In 1989, the Governing Council of the United Nations Development Programme recommended that 11 July be observed by the international community as World Population Day, a day to focus attention on the urgency and importance of population issues. This year, on World Population Day, UNFPA will celebrate the theme "Family Planning is a Human Right."

International Day to End Obstetric Fistula

An estimated 2 million women and girls are living with obstetric fistula, a hole or tear between the birth canal and the rectum or bladder that results in chronic incontinence, dangerous infections and, due to the stigma that surrounds it in many communities, a lifetime of discrimination. Sufferers often endure depression, social isolation and deepening poverty. Many women live with the condition for years – or even decades – because they cannot afford to obtain treatment.

International Day of Families

May 15 is the International Day of Families, proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in 1993 with resolution A/RES/47/237. The day reflects the importance the international community attaches to families.

Families are strongest and healthiest when all people are empowered to access health care, acquire an education, contribute to their homes and communities, and realize their full potential. UNFPA supports the rights of all people to live healthy, empowered and fulfilled lives.