NEW DELHI, 9th October, 2024 (WAM) -- The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has commemorated the golden jubilee of its partnership with India with a plaque and a certificate committing the organisation to continued well-being of women and women’s health.
Natalia Kanem, Executive Director of the UNFPA, handed over the plaque and the certificate to Punya Salila Srivastava, India’s Health Secretary. Kanem felicitated Srivastava for national programmes to improve maternal health in India and progress towards the target of zero preventable maternal deaths.
Kanem said at a golden jubilee commemoration that India had reduced Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) by 70 percent between 2000 and 2020. The target of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is to position every country to achieve an MMR below 70 percent by 2030.
She reiterated the UNFPA’s “steadfast commitment to supporting India’s efforts in advancing the health and well-being of women, girls, and young people.”
India’s family planning programmes have reduced the Total Fertility Rate (TFR) to a commendable level of TFR-2. The UNFPA has played a key role in this by expanding contraceptive choices, including the recent inclusion of subdermal implants and injectable contraception methods.