UNFPA has set out to achieve three world-changing results by 2030: Zero unmet need for family planning, zero preventable maternal death, and zero gender-based violence, including harmful practices like child marriage and female genital mutilation.

The organization’s 2018-2021 strategic plan charted the path towards realizing these goals, which were resoundingly endorsed by thousands of delegates from governments, grassroots organizations, development agencies and private sector partners at the Nairobi Summit on ICPD25. The Summit, held in November 2019, secured more than 1,250 concrete commitments and billions of dollars in support of these transformative goals.

There are already encouraging signs of progress, with many countries advancing on their commitments, and with UNFPA’s programmes continuing to deliver for millions of the most vulnerable women and girls. But progress towards the three zeros is also facing its first major stumbling block: The COVID-19 pandemic, an unprecedented public health crisis that has strained health systems, disrupted supply chains, and driven many programmes and services to a halt.

This snapshot of progress in 2019 gives a view of the organization’s work before the impacts of the pandemic were felt, underlining what can be achieved with global solidarity and resolve.