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The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)

Programme priorities in Nepal include assisting the government in:

  • achieving universal access to family planning for all citizens;
  • forecasting family planning needs and supplying contraceptives;
  • making sure that all women enjoy the right to give birth safely;
  • increasing the socio-economic development of the country through promoting the use of population data in the national planning;
  • scaling-up HIV prevention efforts;
  • promoting legal and policy reforms to bring about women’s empowerment

UNFPA supports the Government of Nepal in carrying out population and reproductive health related activities in all 75 districts of the country however The Government of Nepal and UNFPA have decided to intensify their cooperation through a community based programme. Consequently, in line with the United Nations Development Assistance Framework and Nepal's Local Self Governance Act 1999, UNFPA has been focusing technical and financial support in selected districts in coordination with other UN agencies.
At the district level UNFPA supports work in: Dadeldhura, Dang, Kapilvastu, Rautahat, Saptari and Mahottari. From 2009, UNFPA support interventions will be extended to six new districts: Udaypur, Sindhuli, Rolpa, Rukum, Pyuthan, Bajhang. The local personnel support the local agencies to strengthen their capacity to plan, implement, monitor and evaluate quality reproductive health services. The local communities, especially the excluded groups, benefit from UNFPA’s work as their participation in local-level planning, monitoring and evaluation of quality reproductive health services, adolescent sexual and reproductive health programmes and HIV prevention activities is increased.
Apart from maintaining district level offices, UNFPA is working in Far and Mid Western regions making access to reproductive health check-ups and treatment available for communities living in remote villages. Thanks to the support of International Partners like European Union, Government of Denmark, Government of Norway or Government of Japan UNFPA’s partner NGOs have been organizing mobile reproductive health camps throughout Western regions since 2006. The health camp meaning group of medical specialist properly equipped to set a clinic with a lab and counseling facilities for a few days in local public buildings, most often schools.
UNFPA is also present whenever natural calamity occurs delivering humanitarian assistance.


Type of assistance and programming
UNFPA works closely with the Government line ministries and UN agencies to contribute to peace-building and national development goals. The current ongoing UNFPA’s Sixth Country Programme commenced in 2008 and will end in 2010 to coincide with the Government of Nepal Three Year Interim Plan. Through this programme and in partnership with the Government of Nepal UNFPA will provide a total of US$ 28 million, of which US$ 17 million is from UNFPA’s regular resources and US$ 11 million from multilateral and bilateral government sources.

More specifically UNFPA:

  • supports planning and conducting national census;
  • assists gender sensitive data collection;
  • consolidates efforts to fight gender based violence;
  • promotes gender equality and women's empowerment through men and boys’ involvement;
  • strengthens women’s capacity to participate in decision making processes- from the household to national level;
  • supports emergency operations: delivering reproductive health services, including prenatal care, assisted delivery and emergency obstetric care, in remote districts;
  • supports humanitarian assistance operations: paying particular attention to the special needs of women and young people;
  • promotes sexual and reproductive health education for youth;
  • contributes to build a system that enables regular access to quality reproductive health services for every citizen.
UNFPA’s, the United Nations Population Fund, support to began in 1971.

At the heart of the UNFPA’s work is the wellbeing of every individual. The Fund promotes the right of every woman, man and child to enjoy a life of health and equal opportunity.

UNFPA’s work is guided by the Programme of Action adopted by 179 governments, including , at the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairo. At that meeting, delegates agreed that reproductive health is a basic human right and the individuals should be able to freely choose the number, timing and spacing of their children. The ICPD objectives helped shape the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Significantly, the MDGs also include gender equality and the empowerment of women, which are fundamental principles of UNFPA’s work.

The ICPD roadmap for progress includes:
Universal access to reproductive health by 2015
Universal primary education and closing the gender gap in education by 2015
Reducing maternal death by 75 per cent by 2015
Reducing infant death
Reducing HIV infections rates