UN Agencies Unfold Joint Commitment for Ending FGM by Year 2030, Saying Over 4m at Risk
By Matthew Ukachunwa
World Health Organization (WHO) alongside other United Nations (UN) agencies have unfolded their joint commitment to accelerate progress towards ending female genital mutilation (FGM) by year 2030.
The Executive Directors of UNFPA, UNICEF and UN Women, alongside the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the WHO Director-General and the UNESCO Director-General, in a joint statement, called for sustained commitment and investment to end the harmful practice.
They made the pledge in commemoration of year 2026 International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation, stressing that they will protect every girl and women at the risk of the harmful practice as an estimated 4.5 million girls, many under the age of five, remain at risk of undergoing female genital mutilation.
According to them, “more than 230 girls and women worldwide are currently living with its lifelong consequences.”
They said that they will continue efforts to ensure that those who have already undergone the practice have access to quality and appropriate services.
The UN bodies described female genital mutilation as a violation of human rights, stating that it “cannot be justified on any grounds because it compromises girls’ and women’s physical and mental health and can lead to serious, lifelong complications, with treatment costs estimated at about US$1.4 billion every year.”
According to them, interventions over the past three decades are yielding results, with nearly two-thirds of the population in countries where FGM is prevalent expressing support for its elimination.
The United Nations authorities pointed out that after decades of slow change, progress against female genital mutilation is accelerating.
“Half of all gains since 1990 were achieved in the past decade, reducing the number of girls subjected to FGM from one in two to one in three.
“We need to build on this momentum and speed up progress to meet the Sustainable Development Goal target of ending female genital mutilation by 2030. We know what works,” they emphasized.
They highlighted that health education, engagement with religious and community leaders, parents and health workers, and the use of traditional and social media are effective strategies to end the practice of female genital mutilation.
“We must invest in community-led movements, including grassroots and youth networks, and strengthen education through both formal and community-based approaches.
“We need to amplify prevention messages by involving trusted opinion leaders, including health workers. We must also support survivors by ensuring access to comprehensive, context-tailored health care, psychosocial support and legal assistance.
“Every dollar invested in ending female genital mutilation yields a tenfold return. An investment of US$2.8 billion can prevent 20 million cases and generate US$28 billion in investment returns.
“As we approach 2030, gains achieved over decades are at risk as global investment and support wane. Funding cuts and declining international investment in health, education and child protection programmes are already constraining efforts to prevent female genital mutilation and support survivors.
“Furthermore, the growing systematic pushback against efforts to end female genital mutilation, compounded by dangerous arguments that it is acceptable when carried out by doctors or health workers, adds further hurdles to elimination efforts.
“Without adequate and predictable financing, community outreach programmes risk being scaled back, frontline services weakened and progress reversed, placing millions more girls at risk at a critical moment in the push to meet the 2030 target,” UN groups declared.