Over the past decades, families have undergone significant transformations.

ISTANBUL, 15 May 2025 – More investment in support for families is needed to address gender inequalities, ensure healthy child development, improve family well-being, boost economic growth, and ultimately create more inclusive and resilient societies, the UNFPA Regional Offic

International Women’s Day is a time to celebrate the progress achieved on women’s rights and gender equality, while also drawing attention to the work that still needs to be done. 

By Belen Sanz Luque and Florence Bauer 

UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency, notes with deep regret the termination of all funding agreements by the United States Government. These 48 grants, totalling approximately $377 million, were awarded for UNFPA to provide critical maternal health care, protection from violence, rape treatment and other life-saving care in over 25 crisis-stricken countries, including Afghanistan, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gaza, Haiti, Mali, Sudan, Syria and Ukraine.

SKOPJE, North Macedonia – When Nikola Zdravevski’s first child Josif was born, he was thrilled to dive into fatherhood. “From the very beginning I was involved in all parts of caring for our son,” he said. But the new demands at home made it difficult to continue working without placing an unfair burden on his partner: “Seeing how much responsibility and time the new family situation required, as well as the fatigue of [my partner] when I came home from work, I thought it was correct that the obligations should be evenly divided.”