Following renewed hostilities in the Karabakh region in September 2023, over 102,000 people, many of them women and girls, have fled to Armenia. Among the refugees, over 2,000 are estimated to be pregnant, and close to 1,400 pregnant women are expected to give birth within the next six months. 

Access to basic services, including life-saving sexual and reproductive health care and information, has been limited, and some women have given birth prematurely. Many refugees are now isolated from their communities, their support networks have weakened, and their ability to earn a living has collapsed. Women and girls are at increased risk of gender-based violence, especially while staying in temporary or crowded accommodation.

Since day one, UNFPA has been coordinating with national and local authorities and partners to provide dignity kits and life-saving reproductive health care to tens of thousands of women, girls, and other at-risk populations and support services for gender-based violence survivors. 

UNFPA urgently requires flexible financing to scale up its operations in Armenia. UNFPA is appealing for US$4.5 million to strengthen and expand reproductive health and protection services to meet the immediate needs of both refugees and host communities.