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Three UN agencies say they have concluded plans to strengthen alliances and build movements to end Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).
The UNFPA Executive Director, Dr Natalia Kanem; UNICEF Executive Director, Catherine Russell; and WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, made this known on Thursday, February 6, 2025, in a statement.
According to the statement, FGM is a violation of human rights that inflicts deep and lifelong physical, emotional and psychological scars on girls and women.
It said that the harmful practice affected more than 230 million girls and women and an estimated 27 million more girls could endure the violation of their rights and dignity by 2030.
The UNFPA, UNICEF and WHO noted that Feb. 6 was the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation with the theme, “Stepping Up The Pace: Strengthening Alliances and Building Movements to End Female Genital Mutilation.”
“We reaffirm our commitment to work together with countries and communities to end this harmful practice once and for all.
“There is hope. Many countries have seen a decline in the prevalence of female genital mutilation.
“We are witnessing progress in countries like Kenya and Uganda, where collaborative action and community-led initiatives are proving that by strengthening alliances and building movements, we can accelerate change,” it said.
It added that since the launch of the UNFPA-UNICEF Joint Programme on the Elimination of Female Genital Mutilation in 2008, and in collaboration with the WHO, close to seven million girls and women had accessed prevention and protection services.
It said that, additionally, 48 million people had made public declarations to abandon the practice, and 220 million individuals had been reached by mass media messaging on the issue.
“In the last two years, close to 12,000 grassroots organisations and 112,000 community and frontline workers had been galvanised to effect change at this critical juncture.
“Yet the fragility of progress made has also become starkly evident.
“In the Gambia, for example, attempts to repeal the ban on FGM persists, even after an initial proposal to do so was rejected by its parliament last year,” it said
According to the statement, such efforts could gravely undermine the rights, health and dignity of future generations of girls and women, jeopardising the tireless work of decades to change attitudes and mobilise communities.
“Of the 31 countries in which data on prevalence are collected nationally, only seven countries are on track to meet the Sustainable Development Goal of ending FGM by or before 2030.
“The current rate of progress must accelerate urgently to meet this target.
“This requires strengthened alliances among leaders, grassroots organisations, and across sectors spanning health, education and social protection, sustained advocacy and expanded social movements with girls and survivors at the centre,” it said.
The UN agencies demanded greater accountability at all levels to ensure commitments to human rights are upheld, and policies and strategies are implemented to protect girls at risk and provide care, including justice, for survivors.
The report said it also required increased investment in scaling up proven interventions.
“We are indebted to generous donors and partners who are supporting this life-changing work and call on others to join them.
“We all have a role to play to ensure that every girl is protected and can live free from harm. Let’s step up the pace and act with urgency.
“The time to end female genital mutilation is now,” it said.
By Franca Ofili
