THE STATE OF WORLD POPULATION 2015
Shelter From the Storm:
A transformative agenda for women and girls in a crisis-prone world
The report and all related materials are embargoed for release until 12:01 a.m. GMT, 3 December
2015.
More than 100 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance—more than at any time
since the end of the Second World War. Among those displaced by conflict or uprooted by
disaster are an estimated 26 million women and adolescent girls in their childbearing years. The
State of World Population 2015 is a call to action to meet their needs and protect their rights.
While remarkable progress has been achieved during the past decade protecting the health and
rights of women and adolescent girls in humanitarian settings, the growth in need has
outstripped the growth in funding and services. Yet, these services are of critical importance,
especially for very young adolescent girls, who are the most vulnerable and least able to
confront the many challenges they face, even in stable times.
Every day, 480 women and adolescent girls die from complications of pregnancy and childbirth
in emergency situations and in fragile States. And gender-based violence continues to take a
brutal toll, shattering lives and prospects for peace and recovery.
When women and girls can obtain sexual and reproductive health services, along with a variety
of humanitarian programmes that deliberately tackle inequalities, the benefits of interventions
grow exponentially and carry over from the acute phase of a crisis well into the future, as
countries and communities rebuild and people reclaim their lives.
Investments in institutions and actions that build girls’ and women’s human capital and agency
and in the resilience of communities and nations over the long run are needed so that when a
new crisis strikes, disruption and dislocation may be minimized and recovery accelerated.
The surfeit of crisis and upheaval around the world today demands better economic and social
development, better humanitarian action, better risk management, better attention to
prevention, preparedness and resilience, and better connections among all of these. And
running through them is a common thread: gender and all other forms of equality, achieved in
part through full realization of sexual and reproductive health and rights, which will lead to far
less vulnerability and much greater resilience for individuals and societies as a whole.
The distinction between humanitarian response and development today is a false one.
Humanitarian action can lay the foundations for long-term development. Development that
benefits all, enabling everyone to enjoy their rights, including reproductive rights, can help
individuals, institutions and communities withstand crisis. It can also help accelerate recovery.
Report structure
1.
A fragile world
Nearly 60 million people have been displaced by conflict or disasters. Risks and
vulnerabilities are on the rise in a number of countries, mainly in the developing world.
2.
The disproportionate toll on women and adolescent girls
Women and adolescent girls face additional risks and vulnerabilities when disasters
strike or conflicts flare.
3.
Evolving response: from basic to comprehensive
Only 20 years ago, few humanitarian responses met the basic sexual and reproductive
health needs of women and adolescent girls.
4.
Resilience and bridging the humanitarian-development divide
Measures can be taken now to prevent or mitigate the effects of conflicts and disasters
and to accelerate recovery. Women’s and girls’ health and rights are critical to
resilience-building before, during and after a crisis.
5.
New directions in financing sexual and reproductive health in humanitarian settings
The need for humanitarian assistance is on the rise. Institutional, corporate and
individual donors are providing greater support, yet funding gaps are growing,
suggesting that current arrangements may be unsustainable.
6.
A transformative vision for risk reduction, response and resilience
While continuing to meet acute needs in crises, the international community and
governments should increase support for measures to build resilience. These measures
should include greater emphasis on equitable, inclusive and sustainable development
that protects the health and rights of women and girls.