Women and girls are at great risk in areas of crisis, where 60 percent of maternal mortality occurs. So how can we scale up reproductive efforts to victims of natural or man-made disasters, including flooding and conflict?
In an exclusive Devex interview, Dr. Babatunde Osotimehim, undersecretary-general of the United Nations and executive director of the U.N. Population Fund, talks with global development reporter Helen Morgan about the importance of working with countries and communities to increase resilience.
“The resources we have should not be siloed to look after just development — we need to ensure that as we build for development, we also build for resilience,” he said, adding that more can be done to help prevent flooding in areas prone to natural disaster.
Watch the clip above to learn more from Osotimehin about the need to ensure women and girls have secure livelihoods, are able to access family planning, and are able to engage in infrastructure building.
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About the author
Helen Morgan
Helen Morgan is a journalist and editor, primarily focusing on climate change, migration, humanitarian crises, and human rights. She was previously an Associate Editor at Devex, where she managed the op-eds section and led a project covering climate resilience in small island developing states. Helen was also features editor at World Politics Review, and editor and writer at the environmental think tank WRI, as well as editing for The New Humanitarian. She lives and works in Barcelona, Spain.