In 2024, our region championed groundbreaking initiatives that leverage innovation to address some of our most pressing challenges, from tackling gender-based violence to promoting sexual and reproductive health and rights.

A Year of Firsts and Global Recognition

First, we published the "Acceleration Paper on Innovation," outlining how, when, and for whom UNFPA will innovate. This roadmap is now guiding country offices across the region.

The regional office also supported country offices, like UNFPA Mali where we ran a “Design Sprint” that brought together 21 civil society organizations to prototype solutions for humanitarian and low-connectivity settings. This set the stage for a year of impactful action that was recognized far and wide. 

WCARO joined the critical ICPD30 Global Dialogue on Technology in New York, alongside stakeholders from around the world, to ensure the region's perspectives continue to shape the future of technology for SRHR.

In Beijing, we won first prize in the 2024 China-US Young Maker Competition for a project proposal on AI-powered ultrasound, highlighting the immense potential of emerging technology and South-South and triangular cooperation.

We also found creative ways of challenging our institutional norms. This year the Division of Human Resources at WCARO piloted Reverse Mentoring, allowing junior staff to mentor senior leaders at UNFPA – an initiative that was selected among hundreds of applications to be featured during the UN 2.0 Digital Exhibition at the Summit of the Future in New York.

Leveraging Digital Technology to Reach Populations at Scale

Digital tools continued to deliver impressive results in 2024. In Sierra Leone, UNFPA supported the Government to develop PReSTrack, a digital platform that tracks pregnancies and flags high-risk cases to support timely maternal and newborn health interventions. PReSTrack platform has registered over 10,000 pregnant women across 39 health facilities. In Togo, the eConvivial ChatBot provided SRH  information and services via WhatsApp to over 200,000 people.

Investing in Youth, Empowering Communities

Together with UN-Women, we organized the Pro'Tech Her Hackathon in Côte d'Ivoire, where over 400 young innovators from nine countries competed with projects promoting gender equality and women's empowerment in the tech space.

We also partnered with experts from the tech sector to train 115 youth-leaders in improving their digital advocacy using principles of behavioral science, a key skill identified by the Secretary General’s UN 2.0 agenda.

Celebrating Success: The UNFPA Innovation Fair 2024

To end the year, our country offices competed for recognition at the 2024 UNFPA Innovation Fair. The applications showcased the innovative spirit of UNFPA colleagues, from empowering girls in Senegal to produce reusable sanitary pads to leveraging technology to combat gender-based violence in Guinea.

Ultimately two projects stood out for their impact and visibility and won at the global awards ceremony:

Impact Award Winner: "Mobilizing Imams for Change" - UNFPA Mali

Yaye Diouf, Atikou Almikida Maiga, and Margot Dupé won the Impact Award for their work on establishing the "Assiyah Center" in Bamako, twinning a mosque with a One Stop Center.

« It's all about referral and counter referrals to leave no one behind. We were able to train over 2,000 religious leaders on providing counseling and raising awareness about gender-based violence and sexual and reproductive health and rights », explains Yaye Diouf.

The project, which builds on the idea that religious leaders can be powerful agents of change has been incredibly effective, reaching thousands through awareness-raising and supporting over 200 survivors so far. Yaye Diouf hopes to see the project reach even more people and achieve even greater impact in the future.

The fervor generated by the African Cup of Nations (CAN) inspired Fabiola Kouakou, and Arnaud Legre to create an initiative that illustrates the importance of thinking outside the box.

To reach young people with important messages about HIV, unintended pregnancies, and GBV, Fabiola Kouakou and Arnaud Legre mobilized youth staff and young UN Volunteers to create content that spoke their language. 

«We also collaborated with former Ivorian football stars, who helped us break taboos, reach a massive audience, and generate real impact», explains Fabiola.

The public voted on social media, and the project earned the Digital Spotlight Award. Fabiola Kouakou and Arnaud Legre are hoping to inspire others now.

Looking Ahead to Accelerate Progress

Behind the over 100 innovation projects in our region are individuals who have demonstrated determination, creativity, and willpower that reflect our spirit. Our colleagues, partners, civil society, and youth have inspired us throughout 2024. Let's step into 2025 together and leverage innovation to create a region that achieves the three transformative results!