UNFPA's projects and technical assistance in 158 countries and territories in 2008 improved the health of mothers and their children, helped prevent HIV infection, empowered women, promoted sustainable development and stemmed the rise of sexual violence and pregnancy-related deaths in humanitarian crises. The UNFPA Annual Report 2008 highlights the organization's achievements and shows project expenditures and income for the year.

The report shows how the organization's projects and technical assistance helped programme countries move closer toward realizing the goals of the International Conference on Population and Development's Programme of Action and the Millennium Development Goals. Achievements cited in the report include the initiation of a Maternal Health Trust Fund, which is helping improve the health of mothers and newborns in 11 countries, the provision of medical and family-planning supplies to 50 countries that experienced humanitarian crises, and the building of national capacities to carry out censuses in 2010 to generate data needed for the development of policies and strategies for tackling poverty and creating opportunities to vulnerable groups. The report also shows how UNFPA continued decentralizing its operations to bring the organization closer to the people it serves.