UNFPA assisting with disaggregation of population data to better address issues related to People of African Descent

Apr 16, 2025 News

─ Executive Director

Kaieteur News- Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Dr. Natalia Kanem, said on Tuesday that practical steps have been taken to gather data to address issues related to people of African descent.

Addressing the Fourth Session of the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent at the United Nations, Dr. Kanem noted that the UNFPA is assisting countries to disaggregate population data by race and ethnicity to help lift the cloak of invisibility off groups too often left behind.

UNFPA assisting with disaggregation of population data to better address issues related to People of African Descent

Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Dr. Natalia Kanem

With UNFPA’s support, the executive director said that 22 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean now include race and ethnic self-identification in their censuses, which is essential in devising policies to end inequality and discrimination.

“Why? Because you cannot change what you cannot see.” She asserted. According to Dr. Kanem, the UNFPA is focused on disparities in reproductive health.

“We know all too well; it is black women and adolescent girls who are at a much higher risk of maternal mortality and the consequences of adolescent pregnancy. This must change, and it should not take five, 10 or 20 years for that change to manifest,” she pleaded.

To this end, Dr. Kanem said in partnership with the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO), and with the generous support of Luxembourg, UNFPA recently launched the Global Maternal Health Coalition for People of African Descent. The first technical workshop of this coalition is due to take place later this year.

“We are also pleased to partner on targeted interventions for the implementation of Recommendation Number 5 of the Committee of Experts for the Belém do Pará Convention. It calls on countries to end gender-based violence against women of African descent.”

Regarding gender-based violence, the UNFPA Executive Director emphasised the role the forum plays in insisting that racism and sexism have no place in public dialogue, including in the digital space.

“Gender-based violence is an ugly, troubling epidemic now exacerbated by online toxicity directed at women and girls of African descent. Let us take heart from last year’s first-ever commemoration of the International Day for Women and Girls of African Descent on July 25th, led by the Governments of Brazil and Colombia. This is another important step towards uplifting people of African descent and advancing gender equality,” she added

Dr. Kanem noted that for UNFPA, that means carrying on with important work to uphold the dignity and rights of women and girls of African descent, who continually face multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination and oppression, yet still contribute massively to shaping economies, cultures and scientific developments, including robotics, artificial intelligence, mathematics, and populations studies.

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