The UN sexual and reproductive health agency, UNFPA, announced on Wednesday that the individual award will go to Professor Serigne Magueye Gueye of Senegal, while the institutional award will be given to the Fondation Bonne Action Umugiraneza of Burundi.
The annual award recognizes outstanding contributions to advances that advance reproductive health and solve population growth-related challenges faced by communities on the ground.
For decades, Professor Gueye has treated women living with obstetric fistula, a devastating but largely preventable birth injury which can leave survivors incontinent, isolated and rejected by their families and communities.
In addition to performing life-changing surgery, He has trained surgeons from more than 45 countries in sub-Saharan Africa.helping to expand access to specialized care throughout the region.
Commitment to dignity
talking to PakGazetteProfessor Gueye said preventing new cases remains the biggest challenge. He called for stronger health systems and universal access to emergency obstetric care, including timely cesarean sections, and said they are essential if obstetric fistula is to be eliminated by 2030.
“For me, strengthening health systems in general and expanding emergency obstetric care is the key to eliminating fistula.“, said.
He also stressed that the treatment does not end with surgery. Communities, she said, have a crucial role in identifying women who often remain hidden due to community stigma, supporting them through treatment and helping them rebuild their lives through social and economic reintegration.
Professor Gueye’s commitment extends beyond the operating room. To improve access to health care for underserved communities, transformed his own house at the Aristide Mensah Health Center in Yeumbeul, outside Dakar, and has long advocated for greater awareness of obstetric fistula throughout West Africa.
Reflecting on receiving the award, he described it as recognition of the many people who had supported his work over the years, rather than as an individual achievement.
“I don’t take it as a personal recognition. For me it is collective work“, said PakGazetteadding that the honor encourages him to continue contributing to underserved and underserved communities.
He also sent a message to young health professionals, urging them to develop their skills with humility and resilience as they go beyond urban hospitals to serve remote populations where medical care is often in short supply.
Listen to the full interview here:
At the ceremony at United Nations Headquarters, in a message delivered by UNFPA Deputy Executive Director Diene Keita, Secretary-General António Guterres said demographic changes were reshaping the world and required a collective response, “particularly as they impact progress towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and the implementation of the Compact for the Future.”
“To achieve true demographic resilience, we must put the rights, dignity and well-being of all people at the center of our development efforts.“This is not just a matter of policy, but also a moral imperative,” Mr. Guterres said in his message.
Congratulating the awardees, the Secretary-General praised Professor Gueye’s “clinical excellence and humanitarian dedication” and the Burundi Foundation’s work to improve maternal health and build local capacity.
During the ceremony, Professor Gueye stated that the award was “recognition of the collective effort to make health the basis of our societies,” accepting it “on behalf of all those who think that a truly resilient population is a population that has health, autonomy and dignity.”
Professor Serigne Gueye, Head of Urology at the Grand Yoff General Hospital in Senegal, winner of the United Nations Population Prize 2026.
Throughout his acceptance speech, Professor Gueye told the stories of women whose lives had been transformed by treatment, emphasizing that each operation represents much more than a surgical procedure. “Behind every operation there is a story” she said, adding that the true measure of success is giving women back “their lives” and offering patients in remote and underserved communities a second chance to regain their health, dignity and livelihood.
Expand access to healthcare in Burundi
Fondation Bonne Action Umugiraneza works to expand access to healthcare, education and social support for vulnerable women, children and families across Burundi. In 2022, Polyclinique Umugiraneza opened in Gitega province, bringing specialized services, including paediatrics, emergency care and fertility treatments, to rural communities. The foundation also supports care for women living with obstetric fistula, life-saving surgeries for children with congenital conditions, and services for survivors of gender-based violence.
Speaking at the ceremony, the First Lady of Burundi, Angeline Ndayishimiye, who heads the Bonne Action Umugiraneza Foundation, said that receiving this recognition from the United Nations was “both a privilege and a responsibility.”
First Lady Angeline Ndayishimiye of Burundi, founder of the Bonne Action Umugiraneza Foundation, speaks at the 2026 United Nations Population Prize Ceremony.
“It inspires us to continue our mission with even greater determination,” he added.
Established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1981, the United Nations Population Prize honors individuals and institutions for their outstanding contributions to population and reproductive health. This year the 41st award ceremony is celebrated.
