Saime, 42, has faced many struggles in her life, including a bout of polio as a child that left her unable to walk without crutches. When the devastating earthquakes hit southern Türkiye on 6 February 2023, Saime’s hometown of Islahiye, in the province of Gaziantep, was badly hit and she struggled to get help – until she found a lifeline through a UN Population Fund (UNFPA) mobile team. This relief unit, funded by the US Government, provided Saime with a dignity kit filled with essential supplies needed by women and girls to maintain their hygiene and mobility during a crisis. They also shared information about life-saving sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services that she could access: “The UNFPA mobile team visited me, informed me about reproductive health services, provided me with a dignity kit, and offered psychosocial support. It made me feel much better.”
This is one example of the human impact that UNFPA in Türkiye has made with the support of the US Government. UNFPA is making a difference with programmes in more than 150 countries and territories around the world including Türkiye. It supports the rights of every individual, especially the most vulnerable, to make their own choices for their reproductive health, well-being and futures.
As a longstanding contributor to these shared goals, the US Government supported UNFPA in Türkiye in reaching over 60,000 women and young people in 2024, many from the most vulnerable groups including refugees. This also included pregnant women and new mothers in earthquake-affected areas who relied on UNFPA for safe motherhood counselling, specialized obstetric and maternal care, and follow-up services, after the health infrastructure and services were disrupted. UNFPA-supported family planning also helped women to decide on the safest timing and spacing of their pregnancies to ensure the health of the mothers and babies.
Meanwhile, in response to the risk of gender-based violence that often increases during humanitarian emergencies, UNFPA worked within communities to raise awareness about prevention and response services available to women and girls, such as counselling, psychosocial support and cash-voucher assistance. Persons with disabilities and their caregivers were included in all SRH and gender-based violence efforts, ensuring that no one was left behind. Furthermore, over 11,000 young people between 10 and 24 years old received essential health and protection information as well as psychosocial counselling to cope with the trauma of the earthquakes.
These life-saving services and successes are now at risk. Globally, we are seeing a coordinated pushback against women's rights and reproductive health and rights, along with funding cuts. The US Government has been a vital partner in supporting UNFPA’s humanitarian response, contributing nearly half of our humanitarian resources in 2024. However, on 24 January 2025, the US administration issued a directive pausing nearly all its foreign aid programmes pending a 90-day review. Since that time, numerous stop-work orders have been issued. In response, dozens of projects in humanitarian settings have suspended operations. This poses immediate life-threatening risks for millions of women and girls who will not be able to rely on UNFPA’s health and protection services, including its refugee and earthquake response and recovery work in Türkiye.
If this temporary suspension of US funding is not reversed, UNFPA will have to cut its response to the Türkiye earthquakes and refugees by almost 60% this year. That means an estimated 60,000 earthquake survivors and Syrian refugees, will be left without access to urgent and essential protection and health services.
At this critical time, UNFPA calls on the international community, private sector, and national partners from all fields to increase their investment in UNFPA’s life-saving services for the most vulnerable women and their families. No woman or newborn baby should die during childbirth. No woman should have to consider an unsafe abortion. No young person should face increased risks of sexually transmitted infections including HIV. And no one should experience gender-based violence or child, early and forced marriages.
UNFPA has been and will remain on the ground, standing with women, girls and young people everywhere. Decades of evidence confirm that investing in sexual and reproductive health is one of the most effective ways to accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals. With a strong reputation for results and accountability, UNFPA is proud to have the support of more than 100 member states, including Türkiye, as well as actors from the private sector, charitable organizations, and individuals who recognize the importance of this work based on our shared principles of humanity and dignity. The recent loss of funding is significant, but UNFPA is determined to carry on, as we always have, with the backing and financial support of our many donors and partners.
Together, we can support many more women and girls like Saime!
Mariam A. Khan - UNFPA Türkiye Representative
