The United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency, UNFPA, announced on Wednesday that the individual prize would go to Professor Serigne Magueye Gueye of Senegal, while the institutional prize would go to Fondation Bonne Action Umugiraneza of Burundi.
This annual award recognizes outstanding contributions to advances that improve reproductive health and solve population growth challenges facing communities on the ground.
For decades, Professor Gueye treated women living with obstetric fistula, a devastating but largely preventable childbirth injury which can leave survivors incontinent, isolated and rejected by their families and communities.
In addition to performing life-changing surgeries, he has trained surgeons from more than 45 sub-Saharan African countriesthus helping to expand access to specialized care throughout the region.
Commitment to dignity
Talk to PK Press ClubProfessor 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, saying these are essential if obstetric fistula is to be eliminated by 2030.
“Strengthening health systems in general and scaling up emergency obstetric care are the key to eliminating fistula.“, he said.
He also emphasized that treatment does not end with surgery. Communities, he said, have a crucial role to play 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. Improve access to health care for underserved communities, he transformed his own house at the Aristide Mensah health center in Yeumbeul, a suburb of Dakar, and has long campaigned for greater awareness of obstetric fistula in West Africa.
Reflecting on receiving the award, he described it as recognition of the many people who have supported his work over the years rather than as an individual achievement.
“I don’t take this as personal recognition. For me, it’s a collective effort” he said PK Press Clubadding that this honor encourages him to continue giving back to neglected and underserved communities.
He also had a message for young healthcare professionals, urging them to develop their skills with humility and resilience while reaching beyond urban hospitals to serve remote populations where healthcare is often scarce.
Listen to the full interview here:
During the ceremony at UN Headquarters, in a message delivered by Diene Keita, Deputy Executive Director of UNFPA, Secretary-General António Guterres said that demographic changes are reshaping the world and require a collective response, “particularly as they impact progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals and the implementation of the Compact for the Future.”
“To achieve true demographic resilience, we must place the rights, dignity and well-being of all at the heart of our development efforts.“, he said. “This is not just a matter of politics, but also a moral imperative,” Mr. Guterres said in his message.
Congratulating the winners, the Secretary-General praised the “clinical excellence and humanitarian dedication” of Professor Gueye as well as the work of the Burundian foundation to improve maternal health and strengthen local capacities.
Speaking at the ceremony, Professor Gueye said the award was “recognition of the collective effort to make health the foundation of our societies”, accepting it “on behalf of all those who believe that a truly resilient population is a healthy, autonomous and dignified population”.
Professor Serigne Gueye, Head of the Urology Department at the Grand Yoff General Hospital in Senegal, winner of the UN Population 2026 Prize.
Throughout his acceptance speech, Professor Gueye told the stories of women whose lives have been transformed through treatment, emphasizing that each operation is much more than surgery. “Behind every operation, there is a story” he said, adding that the true measure of success is giving women “their lives back” and giving patients in neglected and isolated communities a second chance to regain their health, dignity and livelihoods.
Expanding access to healthcare in Burundi
The Bonne Action Umugiraneza Foundation works to expand access to healthcare, education and social support for vulnerable women, children and families across Burundi. In 2022, it opened the Umugiraneza Polyclinic in Gitega province, bringing specialized services, including pediatrics, emergency care and fertility treatment, closer to rural communities. The foundation also supports care for women living with obstetric fistula, life-saving surgery for children with congenital conditions, and services for survivors of gender-based violence.
Speaking at the ceremony, Burundi’s First Lady, Angeline Ndayishimiye, who heads the Fondation Bonne Action Umugiraneza, said 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 award ceremony for the 2026 United Nations Population Prize.
“This encourages us to pursue our mission with even more determination,” she 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 marks the 41st presentation of the award.
