UNFPA Organisation says 26m women, adolescent girls in need of humanitarian aid due to crises

The report said that a fundamental shift was
needed away from reacting to disasters and
conflicts as they unfold and sometimes linger
for decades, towards prevention,
preparedness and empowerment of
individuals.
The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) says of the
100 million people in need of humanitarian
aid this year due to conflict and natural
disasters, 26 million are women and
adolescent girls of reproductive age.
This is contained in an annual State of World
Population Report, entitled: "Shelter from the
Storm: A transformative agenda for women
and girls in a crisis-prone world".
It stated that one of the weakest areas of
resilience currently was among women and
girls, and the institutions that serve them.
It said that as long as inequality and
inequitable access short-circuit their rights,
abilities and opportunities, women and girls
would remain among those most in need of
humanitarian assistance and least equipped
to contribute to recovery or resilience.
It added that the demand for humanitarian
assistance had grown every year since 2011.
Furthermore, it added that funding had not
increased at the same pace, leaving
unprecedented gaps, translating into
inadequate or insufficient responses for
millions of people in need.
The report noted that in a fragile world,
women and girls pay a disproportionate price
due to discrimination and gender inequality
that see them enjoying less of almost
everything – income, land and other assets
and access to health services, among others.
It added that by many measures, more
countries were considered fragile than five or
six years ago, leaving them more vulnerable
to conflict or the effects of disasters.
UNFPA called for moving sexual and
reproductive health to the centre of
humanitarian action.
The report said that a fundamental shift was
needed away from reacting to disasters and
conflicts as they unfold and sometimes linger
for decades, towards prevention,
preparedness and empowerment of
individuals.
In the foreword of the annual state of
population, UNFPA Executive Director
Babatunde Osotimehin noted that every day,
507 women and adolescents die from
pregnancy and childbirth complications in
emergency situations and in fragile States.