Remarkable gains have been made in sexual and reproductive health and rights since 1969, when UNFPA was established. But despite progress, hundreds of millions of women today still face economic, social, institutional and other barriers that prevent them from making their own decisions about whether, when, how often and with whom to become pregnant. The pursuit of rights and choices is an ongoing one, with  new challenges emerging all the time.

The year 2019 marks two important milestones in the field of reproductive health: 50 years since UNFPA began operations, and 25 years since the landmark International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairo.