For humanity to progress, people must be counted in all their diversity, wherever they are and whoever they are. These were the words of UNFPA Executive Director Natalia Kanem this World Population Day. Indeed, to go uncounted is to be made invisible and as a result, left unserved. This contributes to a 10-year-old girl being left with no health care when she is displaced during conflict.

“Woman is the thread. Woman is the needle. She is the weaver of family and society.” This wisdom reminds us of our interconnectedness, from each woman’s family to the human family. The inspiring words of our Executive Director, and the results of the 2024 State of World Population Report, remind us of the complex challenges women and young people face in Small Island Developing States.

“The items we received have proven incredibly durable. Throughout all the times we have had to move from place to place, we carried them with us, and they have continued to be useful to this day,” Shanil Nyamula says. In early 2024, Malawi was hit by devastating flash floods. Shanil and her sister were aware that a storm had hit parts of the country and they had visited a neighboring community in need of aid. However...