EDP Renewables North America joins UNFPA's alliance to reduce adolescent pregnancy in Mexico

MEXICO CITY, Nov. 12, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Mexico and EDP Renewables North America LLC (EDPR NA) have joined forces in a groundbreaking collaboration to support the ¡Yo Decido! Social Impact Fund. This innovative fund aims to ensure the financial sustainability of Mexico's National Strategy for the Prevention of Adolescent Pregnancy (ENAPEA), a crucial initiative designed to empower adolescent girls, expand their opportunities, and unlock their full potential.

The ceremony was attended by EDPR NA CEO Sandhya Ganapathy together with UNFPA Goodwill Ambassador Catarina Furtado, His Excellency the Ambassador of Portugal to Mexico Manuel Carvalho, UNFPA Representative for Mexico Dr. Alanna Armitage, General Secretary of the National Population Council Gabriela Rodríguez, Mayor of Xochimilco Circe Camacho, and representatives of the federal and Mexico City ministries of health and women's affairs.

"Every hour a teenage girl under the age of 15 gives birth in Mexico, jeopardizing her health and future potential. Multi-stakeholder alliances are essential to empowering girls, reducing adolescent pregnancy, strengthening communities, and building human capital. EDPR North America's financial support of UNFPA's ¡Yo Decido! Social Impact Fund exemplifies the power of public-private partnerships to create a stronger, more prosperous future for Mexico's youth, both in the Xochimilco municipality of Mexico City and across the country," said Dr. Alanna Armitage.

Private sector engagement is essential to the achievement of these ambitious goals. UNFPA's collaboration with EDPR NA will not only empower adolescent girls, but will provide them with the knowledge and tools to access youth-friendly health services, continue their education, and pursue their dreams in unlimited areas including science, technology, engineering, and math – strengthening their economic opportunities and positively impacting their local communities.

"Every girl has the right to health, safety, and education," added Sandhya Ganapathy, CEO of EDP Renewables North America. "By empowering young girls throughout Mexico via the ¡Yo Decido! Social Impact Fund, we are building stronger communities, investing in the skilled workforce of tomorrow, and laying the foundation for a vibrant, healthy, and sustainable future for Mexico's youth."

Despite recent improvements, adolescent pregnancy in Mexico remains a pressing concern with significant socioeconomic consequences. The Specific Rate of Adolescent Fertility among 15 to 19-year-olds stands at 53 per 1000 births, more than double the international average. In Xochimilco, this figure alarmingly rises to 81 per 1000 births.

The impact of adolescent pregnancy extends far beyond immediate health concerns. It often results in lower educational attainment, diminished employment prospects, and reduced lifetime earnings. This perpetuates a cycle of poverty and social exclusion, tragically making it the leading cause of death among adolescent girls in Mexico.

"We must work together across sectors to guarantee young people's sexual and reproductive rights so that they may truly fulfill their potential," said UNFPA Goodwill Ambassador Catarina Furtado. "During my visit, I've had the privilege to witness first hand the important work that UNFPA and its partners are doing to provide young people with the knowledge and resources they need to prevent unwanted pregnancies and decide over their bodies and their lives. The young women I've met during my visit to Mexico have touched my heart and impressed me with stories of their hopes and dreams for the future; I believe we owe it to them to do all in our power to help them realize those dreams by ensuring lives free from violence, unwanted pregnancies and early unions."

The Xochimilco Mayor's Office expressed its strong commitment to the well-being of girls and adolescents and its support for the rights and freedoms that empower them: "This administration is committed to leaving no one behind, which is why we support sexual education in all families and neighborhoods of our municipality. Information is key so that women know they can access friendly and free medical services, and above all, that they are not alone."

In addition, these coordinated actions will help reduce the violence that these age groups may suffer in the southern areas of Mexico City, not only in Xochimilco, but also in the Tláhuac and Milpa Alta municipalities.

A 2022 study by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) estimates the annual cost of teenage pregnancy in Mexico to exceed 67 billion pesos, a staggering 0.29% of the nation's GDP. These are resources that could be invested in critical infrastructure and services such as hospitals, universities, schools, and roads.

The signing ceremony, held in the Xochimilco municipality of Mexico City, celebrated two years of progress in strengthening essential services for adolescents. These include bolstering sexual and reproductive health services, expanding access to comprehensive sexuality education, and implementing community-based teen pregnancy prevention strategies. These impactful initiatives have already positively impacted the lives of almost 35,000 children and adolescents (half of the adolescent population of Xochimilco aged 10 to 19), along with their parents, caregivers, and teachers.

Xochimilco coalition members include the municipality of Xochimilco, Xochimilco Health Jurisdiction, Human Rights Commission of Mexico City, Juvenile Integration Centers, A.C., Mexico City Office of Child and Adolescent Rights and Protective Services, National Population Council, Organon, Petit Fils Foundation, A.C. and UNFPA.

For more information about UNFPA, please visit mexico.unfpa.org
For UNFPA press requests, please contact:
Claudia Martínez, Communications Unit Coordinator
Tel: +5255 1101 5508, cell:+5255 4522 4231

Facebook: UNFPA México
Instagram: @unfpamexico
Youtube: UNFPAMexico
Twitter: @UNFPAMexico

About UNFPA
UNFPA is the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency. UNFPA's mission is to deliver a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person's potential is fulfilled. UNFPA calls for the realization of reproductive rights for all and supports access to a wide range of sexual and reproductive health services, including voluntary family planning, quality maternal health care and comprehensive sexuality education.

About UNFPA's ¡Yo Decido! Social Impact Fund
¡Yo Decido! Mi proyecto de vida con amor y responsabilidad is a multistakeholder alliance and innovative financing mechanism that supports the nationwide implementation of the Mexican government's National Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Strategy (ENAPEA). By partnering with federal, state, and local governments; the private sector; NGOs; media and international organizations; the new fund will allow UNFPA to invest in innovative strategies and scale up proven solutions that allow every girl to reach her full potential, free from adolescent pregnancy. To donate, contact us at unfpa.mexico@unfpa.org.

About EDP Renewables North America 
EDP Renewables North America LLC (EDPR NA), its affiliates, and its subsidiaries develop, construct, own, and operate wind farms, solar parks, and energy storage systems throughout North America. Headquartered in Houston, Texas, with 61 wind farms, 18 solar parks, and eight regional offices across North America, EDPR NA has developed more than 11,200 megawatts (MW) and operates more than 10,200 MW of onshore utility-scale renewable energy projects of which 566 MW operate in Mexico with two wind farms and one solar park in the states of Coahuila and Aguascalientes in Mexico. With more than 1,000 employees, EDPR NA's highly qualified team has a proven capacity to execute projects across the continent.

For more information, visit www.edpr.com/north-america and follow us on LinkedIn.

Media Contact:
EDP Renewables North America
Tom Weirich
281-825-2771
thomas.weirich@edp.com