Overview
The main objectives of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) are to assist countries in providing quality reproductive health and family planning services on the basis of individual choice, and formulate population policies that support sustainable development. The Fund's strategy focuses on meeting the needs of individual women and men rather than on achieving demographic targets. Key to this approach is empowering women and providing them with more choices through expanded access to education, health services and employment opportunities.
UNFPA is a subsidiary organ of the UN General Assembly. It reports to the UNDP/UNFPA Executive Board of 36 UN Member States on administrative, financial and programme matters and receives overall policy guidance from the ECOSOC.
Ongoing projects
UNFPA is the world's largest international source of funding for population and reproductive health programmes. Since we began operations in 1969, the Fund has provided nearly $6 billion in assistance to developing countries.
Since the International Conference on Population and Development (Cairo, 1994), UNFPA has concentrated its funding in three core areas:
Reproductive Health and Family Planning
UNFPA supports quality reproductive health services on the basis of individual choice. Key elements include: meeting the need for family planning; ensuring maternal health and reducing infant mortality; preventing and managing sexually transmitted diseases and reproductive tract infections, and preventing HIV/AIDS.
In carrying out these activities, the Fund works with the World Health Organization (WHO), the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), the World Bank, the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), the Population Council, Pathfinder International, Program for Appropriate Technology in Health (PATH) and many other population and women's NGOs, particularly at the local level. UNFPA gives special attention to the reproductive health needs of adolescents and women in emergency situations.
Reproductive Health component of UNFPA Armenia Country Programme Action Plan aims to improve utilization of high-quality reproductive health services, particularly by disadvantaged groups and young people.
Strengthening Sexual Reproductive Health Services project aims at improving access to RH services and knowledge on sexual and reproductive health among population of reproductive age; incorporating reproductive rights into the human rights curriculum and other thematic curricula of educational institutions.
Reproductive Health Initiative for youth in Caucasus (RHIYC) aims at increasing availability of youth-friendly services and improved knowledge and skills of young people to prevent unwanted pregnancies, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and HIV/AIDS, and to achieve
healthy lifestyles.
Population and Development Strategies
UNFPA supports the development of national population policies as an integral part of sustainable development strategies, according to the priorities of each government. UNFPA also finances data collection and analysis; interdisciplinary research to clarify population linkages; and research leading to the elaboration of indicators for monitoring the impact of programmes. In its data collection activities, UNFPA ensures that all data are gender specific.
In extending support in this area, the Fund works with various partners including the UN and the regional commissions, the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the International Labour Organization (ILO), the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the World Bank, and bilateral and intergovernmental organizations. Also, UNFPA maintains contact with academic groups and professional societies.
Population and Development component of UNFPA Armenia Country Programme Action Plan aims to ensure that national and sectoral policies consider the consequences of population dynamics (low fertility, migration and ageing) and their linkages with poverty and gender issues.
Populations Development Strategies project implemented under this component aims at strengthening national capacity to implement poverty reduction policies that take into consideration population dynamics and gender disparities.
Gender Equality and Equity
For more than 30 years, UNFPA has been in the forefront of bringing gender issues to wider attention, promoting legal and policy reforms and gender-sensitive data collection, and supporting projects that empower women economically. The Fund aims to improve the status of women at every stage of their lives.
A new project “Combating Gender Based Violence in South Caucasus” with funding from Norway was signed between UNFPA and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway in November 2007. The start-up of the projects is planned for 1 April 2008. The objective of the project is to create an environment to reduce gender based violence in Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan in order to support protection of human rights, gender equality and women’s participation.
Partners:
National Counterparts:
Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education and Science, Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, Center of Perinatology, Obstetrics and Gynecology, National Statistical Service, Academy for Civil Service, NA Standing Committee for Social Affairs, Health Care and Environmental Protection, NA Standing Committee on Financial-Credit and Budgetary Affairs, NA Standing Committee on Science, Education, Culture, Youth and Sport
NGOs:
AAA Non-Governmental Organizations' Training and Resource Center, "Armenian National AIDS Foundation" NGO, "Scientific Association of Medical Students of Armenia" NGO, Armenian Family and Health Association, AIDS Prevention, Education Center, International Center for Human Development.
International Organizations:
UN Agencies, USAID, ARS, UMCOR, IOM, European Union
Diaspora:
Contacts:
Ms. Zara Mnatsakanyan
UNFPA Administrative Associate
Address: United Nations House, 14 Petros Adamyan Street (former 14 Karl Liebknecht Street), Yerevan 0010, Armenia
Tel: (37410) 54 70 87
Fax: (37410) 54 38 11
E-mail: mnatsakanyan@unfpa.org
