Sweden increases contribution to UNFPA

Sweden is increasing its contribution to UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, from 504 million kronor in 2016 to 515 million kronor in 2017, according to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister, Margot Wallström.

The 2016 and 2017 funds combined will enable UNFPA to:

Prevent about 650,000 unintended pregnancies
Avert at least 200,000 unsafe abortions
Avert about 1,000 maternal deaths
Enable 1.6 million people to access contraception
Provide fistula surgery for about 1,200 women

Sweden’s funding for UNFPA helps protect the rights of individuals to decide when and how often to bear children, through universal access to sexual and reproductive health services, including family planning information and supplies. Such rights-based support can help countries achieve many of the Sustainable Development Goals, such as reducing maternal death, poverty and gender inequality.

“UNFPA is very grateful for this contribution from the people of Sweden,” said Arthur Erken, UNFPA’s Director for Communications and Strategic Partnerships. “Core resources are the bedrock of UNFPA operations as they allow us to protect the health and lives of millions of women and adolescents around the world.”

Sweden’s 2017 contribution will be directed towards UNFPA’s core resources, which are vital for the Fund’s work, as they enable global reach, reduce costs, permit the agency to focus on programmatic impact and leverage additional resources for greater results and mobilize life-saving services for crises.