Nafis Sadik (18 August 1929 – 14 August 2022) was a Pakistani physician, Special Adviser to the
UN Secretary General
The secretary-general of the United Nations (UNSG or SG) is the chief administrative officer of the United Nations and head of the United Nations Secretariat, one of the six principal organs of the United Nations.
The role of the secretary-ge ...
with additional responsibilities as Special Envoy for
HIV/AIDS
Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual ma ...
in Asia, and former
executive director
Executive director is commonly the title of the chief executive officer of a non-profit organization, government agency or international organization.
The title is widely used in North American and European not-for-profit organizations, though ...
of the
United Nations Population Fund
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), formerly the United Nations Fund for Population Activities, is a UN agency aimed at improving reproductive and maternal health worldwide. Its work includes developing national healthcare strategies ...
(UNFPA) from 1987 to 2000. She retired from the post in December 2000.
[Fighting Population With Women's Rights: Meeting: Nafis Sadik has spent years promoting family planning. The head of this week's U.N. conference sees equality as key to controlling world's numbers]
Los Angeles Times (newspaper), Published 4 September 1994, Retrieved 5 July 2018[
]
Early life and education
Nafis Sadik was born in Jaunpur, British India
The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...
as the daughter of Iffat Ara and Muhammad Shoaib, former Finance Minister of Pakistan
The Minister of Finance of Pakistan (Urdu: 'Wazīr-ē-Khazana') is a leading cabinet member who heads the Ministry of Finance in the Government of Pakistan. The Minister is responsible each year for presenting the federal government's budget to ...
.
She studied medicine at and graduated with a Doctor of Medicine degree from Dow Medical College
Dow Medical College is a public university, public medical school located in the city of Karachi, Sindh. It was founded in 1945 and named after British civil servant Hugh Dow, Sir Hugh Dow, Governor of Sindh.
In 2003, it became a constituent co ...
in Karachi
Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former ...
.
After graduating, she went to the USA to complete an internship in gynaecology and obstetrics at City Hospital in Baltimore
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was ...
, Maryland and finished her further education at the Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hemisphere. It consiste ...
.[An Agenda for People: The UNFPA Through Three Decades (includes profile of Nafis Sadik)]
GoogleBooks website, Retrieved 5 July 2018[
]
Career
She returned to Pakistan in 1954 with her husband, to become a civilian doctor in army hospitals. She worked to 1963 in women's and children's wards in Pakistan Armed Forces
The Pakistan Armed Forces (; ) are the military forces of Pakistan. It is the world's sixth-largest military measured by active military personnel and consist of three formally uniformed services—the Army, Navy, and the Air Force, which are ...
hospitals.[ In 1964, Sadik was appointed head of the Health Section of the Government’s Planning Commission.][
]
United Nations
Sadik joined the UN Population Fund in 1971. Shortly after the sudden death of the UNFPA Executive Director, Dr Rafael Salas, UN Secretary General Javier Perez de Cuellar Javier may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Javier, in video game '' Advance Wars: Dual Strike''
* Javier Rios, a character in the Monsters, Inc. franchise.
* ''Javier'' (album), a 2003 album by the American singer Javier Colon, known a ...
appointed her to succeed him, in 1987, thus becoming the first woman to head one of the United Nations' major voluntarily-funded programmes.[
Sadik consistently called attention to the importance of addressing the needs of women, and of involving women directly in making and carrying out development policy. This was particularly important for population policies and programmes in the ]Third World
The term "Third World" arose during the Cold War to define countries that remained non-aligned with either NATO or the Warsaw Pact. The United States, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Western European nations and their allies represented the "First W ...
and developing countries, where her strategy for providing females with education and the tools to control their own fertility has influenced the global birthrate.
In June 1990, the Secretary-General of the United Nations appointed Sadik Secretary-General of the International Conference on Population and Development
The United Nations coordinated an International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairo, Egypt, on 5–13 September 1994. Its resulting Programme of Action is the steering document for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) ...
(ICPD), 1994.[
]
Other activities
Sadik's contribution to improving the health of women and children of the global community brought her many international awards and honours.
She was a member of the Board of Governors of the Foundation for Human Development, and a member of the South Asian Commission on the Asian Challenge. Sadik was the President of the Society for International Development The Society for International Development (SID) was founded in Washington, D.C., United States, in 1957.
SID has a network of individual and institutional members, local chapters and partner organisations, in more than 80 countries. It works with m ...
(SID) for the period 1994–1997.
After her retirement from United Nations Population Fund, she served on several boards of directors and advisory panels of non-profit organizations and research institutions in the area of population control including on the Advisor Board for the German Foundation for World Population
DSW (german: Deutsche Stiftung Weltbevölkerung) is an international non-governmental organisation addressing Sexual & Reproductive Health (SRH) and population dynamics. DSW funds its project and advocacy work from private donations and the fina ...
. Sadik was an Emeritus Member of Population Action International
Population Action International (PAI) is an international, non-governmental organization that uses research and advocacy to improve global access to family planning and reproductive health care. Its mission is to "ensure that every person has ...
.[
]
Personal life and death
Sadik marrried Azhar Sadik, a Pakistani army officer. Sadik died on 14 August 2022, at the age of 92.
Awards
* (1995) Prince Mahidol Award
The Prince Mahidol Award ( th, รางวัลสมเด็จเจ้าฟ้ามหิดล) is an annual award for outstanding achievements in medicine and public health worldwide. The award is given by the Prince Mahidol Award Found ...
from the Prince Mahidol Award Foundation
A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...
Branch Public Health
* (2000) Margaret Sanger Award
The Margaret Sanger Award was an honor awarded annually by the Planned Parenthood Federation of America from 1966 to 2015. Created to honor the legacy of Margaret Sanger, the founder of Planned Parenthood, it is the Federation's highest honor. It ...
from the Planned Parenthood Federation of America
The Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. (PPFA), or simply Planned Parenthood, is a nonprofit organization that provides reproductive health care in the United States and globally. It is a tax-exempt corporation under Internal Reve ...
* (2001) United Nations Population Award[
* (2002) ]World Citizenship Award
The World Citizenship Award is an award of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS). Launched in 1996, the award is given to people outside the Girl Guiding and Girl Scouting movement who have contributed to a better world in ...
from the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts
The World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS ) is a global association supporting the female-oriented and female-only Guiding and Scouting organizations in 152 countries. It was established in 1928 in Parád, Hungary, and has its ...
* Award from The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists[
* Award from the ]National Wildlife Federation
The National Wildlife Federation (NWF) is the United States' largest private, nonprofit conservation education and advocacy organization, with over six million members and supporters, and 51 state and territorial affiliated organizations (includin ...
, United States[
* Award from American Public Health Association, Washington D.C., U.S.][
]
Publications
Nafis Sadik is widely published in the family planning and population control areas:[Nafis Sadik profile on PAI Washington website]
Retrieved 5 July 2018
* ''Population: The UNFPA Experience'' (New York University Press, 1984)
* ''Population Policies and Programmes: Lessons Learned from Two Decades of Experience'' (New York University Press, 1991)
* ''Making a Difference: Twenty-five Years of UNFPA Experience'' (Banson, London, United Kingdom, 1994)
See also
* Muhammad Shoaib
References
Further reading
*
External links
UN Bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sadik, Nafis
1929 births
2022 deaths
Pakistani officials of the United Nations
Pakistani diplomats
Muhajir people
United Nations Population Fund
Pakistani obstetricians
Pakistani gynaecologists
People from Karachi
Pakistani women medical doctors
Under-Secretaries-General of the United Nations
Pakistani women's rights activists