Press release
21 July 2020
UNFPA Mongolia will host a virtual meeting on
Safeguarding the rights of women and girls in the time of COVID-19
ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia – On the occasion of the World Population Day and the launch of UNFPA’s 2020 State of World Population report, UNFPA Mongolia is hosting virtual meeting with government partners and civil society organizations calls for end ending gender-based violence in Mongolia during the COVID-19 crisis. In addition to the opening remarks by UNFPA Mongolia’s Head of Office Kaori Ishikawa, the Minister of Labour and Social Protection Ariunzaya Ayush, the Director at the National Centre Against Violence Arvintaria Noldogjav will discuss the current situation of domestic violence in Mongolia and the actions taken by the Government of Mongolia and civil society organizations. .
Anyone who is interested in the virtual meeting to learn about how COVID-19 affects safety of women and girls in Mongolia is welcome to join. The meeting will be held in both English and Mongolian. Join the meeting on July 23 from 10:00 through 11:00 via the following link: https://unfpa.zoom.us/j/94352841520.
Every year in July, the UN and its member states celebrate the World Population Day. This year on the World Population Day, UNFPA is raising awareness on the vulnerabilities of women and girls during the COVID-19 pandemic, and highlights how country can safeguard hard-fought gains and ensure that women’s safety and health stays on the center of the development agenda.
Recent UNFPA research highlighted that if the lockdown continues for 6 months with major disruptions to health services, then 47 million women in low- and middle-income countries may not be able to access modern contraceptives resulting in 7 million unintended pregnancies. 31 million additional cases of gender-based violence can also be expected globally. The disruption of UNFPA’s programmes on the ground could result in 2 million cases of female genital mutilation and 13 million child marriages between 2020 and 2030 that could have been averted.
UNFPA’s annual flagship report, State of World Population 2020, was launched on the 30th of June with the title of “Against my will: Defying the practices that harm women and girls and undermine equality.” This year’s report focuses on the prevalence and roots of harmful practices against women and girls, particularly gender-biased sex selection, child marriage, and female genital mutilation, and urges countries to end these practices.
For more information, please contact:
Juyoung Lee (English) at juylee@unfpa.org; +82-10-6618-3203
Ariunzul Gantulga (English and Mongolian) at gantulga@unfpa.org; +976-8071-0074
