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Varsha Deshpande receives UN population award
She is recognized for decades-long work on gender justice.
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Pranavi Sharma - Mon, 14, Jul 2025
- 02:58 EDT
- 17
Varsha Deshpande / UNFPA
Indian women’s rights activist Varsha Deshpande has been awarded the 2025 United Nations Population Award in the individual category. The announcement was made by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) on July 14.
Deshpande is the founder of the Dalit Mahila Vikas Mandal, an organization she launched in 1990 to promote gender justice and improve the lives of Dalit women in India. She has over 35 years of experience working to address gender-based violence, social discrimination, and inequality.
Under her leadership, the Dalit Mahila Vikas Mandal has implemented initiatives focused on ending child marriage, securing the rights of women in the informal sector, and promoting joint property registration to enhance women’s access to assets. Deshpande has also been a member of several statutory bodies at the national and state levels in India, where she contributed to the formulation and enforcement of policies to combat gender-biased sex selection.
“Varsha Deshpande is a pioneering women’s rights activist with more than 35 years of experience working on gender-based violence, discrimination and gender,” the UNFPA stated. “She tirelessly works to empower grassroots women by building their vocational skills, connecting them to vital resources and services, and fostering their financial independence.”
In the institutional category, the 2025 United Nations Population Award was presented to the International Union for the Scientific Study of Population (IUSSP). Founded in 1927, IUSSP promotes global collaboration in population science and has contributed to policymaking through its research, especially in low- and middle-income countries.
The organization has supported the creation of regional population associations in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. It focuses on a range of issues including reproductive health, gender, migration, climate change, and the intersections between population trends and sustainable development.
“IUSSP’s work bridges the gap between research and policy and ensures that population issues remain at the forefront of global development agendas,” the UNFPA said.
The United Nations Population Award, established in 1981 by the UN General Assembly, honors outstanding contributions to awareness of population issues and their solutions.
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