State of World Population Report 2022.

 ~Preet

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) just released its flagship State of World Population Report 2022, titled "Seeing the Unseen: The Case for Action in the Neglected Crisis of Unintended Pregnancy." The United Nations Population Fund is a UN General Assembly subsidiary that acts as a sexual and reproductive health institution. The Economic and Social Council of the United Nations (ECOSOC) determines its mandate. It was created in 1967 as a trust fund and began operating in 1969. The United Nations Population Fund was formally renamed in 1987, although the previous term, 'UNFPA' for the United Nations Fund for Population Activities, was kept. UNFPA works directly to address the SDGs for health (SDG3), education (SDG4), and gender equality (SDG5) (SDG5). UNFPA is exclusively funded by voluntary contributions from donor governments, international organisations, the business sector, foundations, and individuals, rather than the UN budget.

Every year between 2015 and 2019, there were around 121 million unwanted pregnancies worldwide. Globally, an estimated 257 million women who desire to avoid pregnancy do not use safe, contemporary contraceptive techniques. Almost one-quarter of all women are unable to say no to sex. Women who have suffered intimate partner violence utilise contraception at a rate that is 53% lower. Pregnancies caused by rape are as probable as or more likely than pregnancies caused by consensual intercourse. Over 60% of unplanned pregnancies and over 30% of all pregnancies result in abortion. 45 percent of all abortions done across the world are dangerous. Unsafe abortions cost poor nations an estimated USD 553 million per year in medical expenditures alone. Many women lose access to contraceptives and/or face sexual abuse amid humanitarian catastrophes, such as the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. According to some surveys, more than 20% of refugee women and girls will encounter sexual assault. The anticipated disruption in contraceptive supply and services lasted an average of 3.6 months during the first 12 months of the Covid-19 epidemic, resulting in up to 1.4 million unplanned births. 

Unwanted pregnancies can offer a number of health hazards and can result in negative results for both the mother and the infant. Women who have an unintended pregnancy, for example, are less likely to obtain prenatal care and may be more likely to develop postpartum depression and mental health problems later in life. Although several studies acknowledge the difficulties of distinguishing confounding demographic variables from pregnancy intention, unintended births have been linked to greater risks of preterm delivery and low birthweight. Children born as a consequence of an unexpected pregnancy may do worse in school, social and emotional development, and later labor-market performance than children born as a result of a planned pregnancy. Unwanted pregnancy may also have a role in predicting and explaining child abuse. Unplanned pregnancy can also jeopardise educational ambitions and have a negative impact on future earning potential and family financial well-being, with consequences that extend to state finances. 

Decision-makers and health-care systems must emphasise the prevention of unwanted births by enhancing the accessibility, acceptability, quality, and diversity of contraception, as well as vastly extending access to high-quality sexual and reproductive health care and information. Women and girls should be empowered to make positive choices about sex, contraception, and parenthood by policymakers, community leaders, and all individuals. Encourage civilizations that value women and girls for who they are. If they do, women and girls will be able to fully participate to society and will have the means, information, and ability to make this essential decision—whether or not to have children—for themselves.