The executive director of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), Natalia Kanem, says the world needs $222 billion in new investment to achieve set goals for women and girls by 2030.

The information is in a statement by UNFPA Nigeria Country Office communication analyst Adewole Ajao on the 2024 International Women’s Day (IWD) celebration.

Mr Ajao quoted Ms Kanem as saying, “The figure was reached based on analysis by UNFPA and academic partners.

“Just $222 billion in new investment would secure an end to preventable maternal deaths, eliminate unmet need for family planning, and safeguard women and girls everywhere from gender-based violence and harmful practices by 2030.”

Ms Kanem also said that increasing women’s participation in the workplace could raise their lifetime earning potential and boost per capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by nearly 20 per cent on average.

She added, “Businesses that subsidise the sexual and reproductive health of their workforce can increase productivity by up to 15 per cent and reduce talent attrition by as much as 22 per cent.”

Ms Kanem recalled that less than one per cent of global aid for gender equality and women’s empowerment went to women’s organisations in 2017, and less than one per cent was for stopping GBV in 2022.

The executive director explained that only by investing in the societal, economic and political inclusion of women and girls would the world strengthen its social fabric and create something truly beautiful, such as “a future that works for all”.

She, however, said dedicated investments in the health and rights of women and girls had improved and saved millions of lives in the last 30 years.

The UNFPA official noted that fewer women were dying from preventable complications of pregnancy and childbirth than in 2000, while the number of teenagers giving birth had dropped by a third over the same period.

The number of women using modern contraceptives has doubled since 1990, Ms Kanem said.

“Women and girls with disabilities, of ethnic and racial minorities are still prevented from realising their sexual and reproductive health and rights.

“For those caught up in conflicts and climate disasters, family planning and gender-based violence response services typically crumble just when they are most critical,” she stated.

International Women’s Day is celebrated annually on March 8, with “Invest in women: Accelerate progress” as the theme of the 2024 celebration.

(NAN)