United Nations Population Fund India’s 2025 Annual Report highlights a shift toward technology-enabled and community-based delivery systems to advance its three goals: zero maternal deaths, zero unmet need for family planning, and zero gender-based violence.
The report shows increasing use of digital tools, including Virtual Reality (VR) for midwifery training and platforms like JustAsk! and Shakti, to improve access, coordination, and service quality. At the same time, interventions are being scaled through state partnerships, particularly in Odisha, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh.
A key outcome is the expansion of life-skills education, reaching over 6.4 million students across nearly one lakh schools, alongside improvements in maternal care infrastructure and support systems for gender-based violence survivors.
India is also emerging as a knowledge-sharing hub, supporting other countries in areas such as census operations and maternal health systems.
Key Impact Highlights for 2025
Maternal Care Revolution: Seven new midwifery institutes are now operational, and VR simulation training is being used to sharpen the skills of birth attendants. In Madhya Pradesh, a new digital system (LRMIS) monitors 1,700 labor rooms in real-time.
Modern Contraception: Over 2 lakh doses of self-injectable contraceptives were distributed across 17 states, with 99.5% of health centers maintaining a steady stock.
Adolescent Empowerment: The JustAsk! chatbot saw 3.2 million interactions, providing young people with a private way to ask questions about health and safety.
Gender Justice: 22% of GBV survivors were supported through One Stop Centres, while nearly 800 Gram Panchayats adopted the "Women and Girl-Friendly" village model.
Corporate Alliances: Partnerships with major brands like IKEA, TATA Motors, and Bayer helped bring health and gender equality messages into the workplace.
What is the "Shakti App"?
The Shakti App is a digital platform used in Odisha to coordinate the response to Gender-Based Violence (GBV). It uses blockchain technology to ensure that a survivor’s data is secure and that different agencies, like the police, hospitals, and counsellors, are all on the same page. This mechanism changes the response from "scattered efforts" to a "unified, trackable system," reducing the time it takes for a woman in distress to get help.
For UNFPA, this app is a key example of using high-tech tools to protect human rights in a way that is transparent and hard to tamper with.
Policy Relevance
Reduces Pressure on Primary Healthcare Systems: Expansion of midwifery training and self-injectable contraceptives shifts routine care away from doctors, improving maternal health outcomes.
Strengthens Last-Mile Health Service Delivery: Systems like LRMIS enable real-time monitoring of labour rooms, making service gaps visible and actionable, even in remote areas.
Builds Long-Term Social Outcomes Through Adolescent Education: Large-scale life-skills programmesimprove awareness of rights, with potential impacts on early marriage, health behaviour, and gender-based violence.
Positions India as a Global Knowledge Exporter: Scaling and sharing “Made-in-India” solutions (e.g., VR-based training) strengthens India’s role in South-South cooperation.
Follow the Full Report Here: UNFPA India Annual Report 2025