UNFPA in Serbia

UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, expands the possibilities for women and young people to lead healthy and productive lives. 

UNFPA is the lead United Nations agency for delivering a world where:

• every pregnancy is wanted
• every childbirth is safe
• every young person’s potential is fulfilled

We are making real progress. Since UNFPA started working in the region, the number – and rate – of women dying from pregnancy or childbirth has nearly halved. Women are better able to plan when to have children – and how many. Young people are more connected and empowered than ever before.

But not everyone has benefitted equally from this progress. Young women and men often face difficulties in accessing sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services. Serious barriers still exist for poor women, migrants, ethnic minorities and those who live in rural areas. Often left unprepared by school, young people bear a high risk of unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. 

Much more needs to be done to ensure that all individuals in the region can exercise their basic human rights, including those related to the most intimate and fundamental aspects of life.

And as societies grapple with the effects of population ageing, migration, and in some cases population decline, new policies are needed to build human capital through investment in health, education and job opportunities.

UNFPA Office in Serbia opened in 2006 and since then has been actively working to promote reproductive health and rights, support youth-oriented policies and programs, provide evidence related to population dynamics and support programs promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment. 

The activities have been implemented through cooperation with relevant government institutions, professional associations, and educational institutions, other UN agencies and civil society organizations.