The International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), observed each year on 6 February, marks a moment to take stock of progress, recognize what has worked and confront the scale of what remains to be done to end this harmful practice.
An estimated 4 million girls, many under the age of five, are at risk of undergoing FGM. If current trends continue, 22.7 million additional girls will be affected by 2030. More than 230 million girls and women alive today have undergone FGM.
FGM is a violation of human rights and has serious, lifelong physical and mental health consequences, with global treatment costs estimated to be at least USD 1.4 billion every year.
Ending FGM: progress, pressure and the path forward
While significant efforts over recent decades have contributed to progress in addressing female genital mutilation, current trends are insufficient to meet global elimination goals without accelerated action. And the gains made are fragile. Funding cuts, declining investment in health, education and child protection, growing pushback against elimination efforts and increasing medicalization of FGM threaten to slow or reverse progress. Without adequate and predictable financing, community-based programmes risk being scaled back, health and other services weakened and millions more girls placed at risk.
Preventing female genital mutilation requires long-term, multisectoral approaches, recognising that no single intervention is sufficient. The World Health Organization (WHO) and HRP (the UNDP/UNFPA/UNICEF/WHO/World Bank Special Programme of Research, Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction) underscore the responsibility of health systems to ensure person-centred, quality care for girls and women who have undergone or are at risk of FGM, with appropriate referral to psychosocial and legal support, while avoiding unintended harm, including medicalization.
In 2025, WHO and HRP released updated, evidence-based guidelines on the prevention and clinical management of female genital mutilation. The guidelines consolidate the latest evidence to support health systems in:
Managing health complications associated with FGM across the life course
Providing survivor-centred, respectful and quality care, including sexual, reproductive and mental health services
Strengthening health system responses, aligned with human rights and ethical standards
The guidelines also call for multi-sectoral approaches by engaging communities and offering health education services, strengthening laws and policies, implementing codes of conduct for health workers to prevent medicalized FGM. These elements are essential in responding to evolving challenges, including persistently high prevalence, medicalization trends and unequal access to quality care for survivors. It is a blueprint for countries to translate evidence into practice.
This multisectoral effort includes engagement of religious and community leaders, parents, educators, traditional and social media, alongside strong health and education systems. Ensuring that survivors have access to comprehensive person-centred health care, psychosocial support and legal assistance remains essential.
Investment in the prevention of FGM pays off. Each dollar invested in ending FGM yields a tenfold return. An estimated USD 2.8 billion could prevent 20 million cases, generating USD 28 billion in returns.
Joint UN commitment
On this International Day, partners reaffirm their shared commitment to work with grassroots champions, young leaders, survivors, civil society, governments and partners to accelerate progress towards ending FGM.
With four years remaining to meet the 2030 target, sustained action and investment are critical to protect girls and ensure that hard-won progress is not lost.