SHAFAQNA – The health needs of women are too often neglected in humanitarian response to natural disasters and conflicts around the world, said United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Representative in Iran, Dr. Maha El-Adawy, on Tuesday.
Dr. El-Adawy added that whether women and girls live or die in a crisis often depends on access to basic reproductive health services, like access to safe deliveries and HIV prevention.
Addressing the launching ceremony of the State of World Population Report 2015 at the Faculty of Social Sciences of University of Tehran, the UNFPA Representative in Iran said that reproductive health services, critical to the health and survival of women and adolescent girls, are most scarce at the times they are needed most.
She said that three fifths of maternal deaths today occur in settings of conflict or natural disasters, killing 507 women every day in the world.
The 2015 State of World Population Report ‘Shelter from the Storm’, shows that UNFPA is delivering an increasing share of its services in crises, and has responded to crises in 38 countries in 2014.
The report also informs that out of the 100 million people in need of humanitarian assistance around the world today, about 26 million are women and adolescent girls in their childbearing years.
The report emphasizes on the links of humanitarian response to comprehensive and equitable development, and on the fact that protecting the health and rights of women and adolescents is not only critical to reduce the effects of wars and natural disasters, but can also accelerate recovery from crises.
Source – Mehr News