Prishtina, Kosovo – “When I joined UNFPA nearly two decades ago, I did not imagine how deeply it would shape both my professional path and my sense of purpose. Coming from a background in forensic medicine, this felt like a shift - but also like coming home to values I already carried within me.”
This is how Zarife Miftari, Sexual and Reproductive Health Programme Specialist at UNFPA Kosovo, reflects on her journey. A mother of two and a long-standing UNFPA staff member, Zarife speaks with quiet conviction about a career dedicated to dignity, rights, and care -especially for women, young people, and those most at risk.
Her SRH work covers policy reform, health system strengthening, and humanitarian response, but at its core lies something deeply human: ensuring that people can access health services with respect and choice, even in the most difficult circumstances.
WBN: What does your work at UNFPA mean to you?
Working at UNFPA is more than a professional role - it is a reflection of my values. It means contributing to real change in people’s lives by ensuring access to quality, rights-based sexual and reproductive health services. For me, the mandate is not abstract; it is visible in healthier women, informed young people, and systems that respond with care and dignity.
WBN: What are you currently focused on in your work?
At the moment, my work is centred on strengthening the quality of sexual and reproductive health services in Kosovo. This includes developing clinical guidelines, advancing cervical cancer screening, improving access to family planning commodities, and supporting emergency preparedness. The goal is always sustainability - building systems that continue to serve communities long after individual projects end.
WBN: Humanitarian response is a significant part of your experience. Why is this work important to you?
Humanitarian work is very close to my heart. Since joining UNFPA’s surge roster in 2018, I have supported responses in several countries. Since 2018, I have been part of the UNFPA surge roster and have supported humanitarian responses in Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Lebanon, Armenia, the Philippines and UNFPA Gaziantep XB Office. In emergencies, the impact of our work is immediate and deeply human. Knowing that your contribution helps meet urgent needs and restore dignity in moments of crisis is difficult to put into words.
WBN: What achievements are you most proud of?
I am proud to have contributed to reforms with long-term impact: implementing Comprehensive Sexuality Education in the public education system, scaling up cervical cancer screening, institutionalizing evidence-based clinical protocols, and ensuring contraceptives are included in the Essential Medicines List. These changes strengthen systems and improve lives far beyond individual beneficiaries.
WBN: What message would you like readers to take away about UNFPA’s mission?
UNFPA’s mission is about ensuring that every woman, young person, and family can exercise their rights to health, dignity, and choice, especially in times of crisis. Investing in sexual and reproductive health and gender equality is not only a human rights obligation; it is the foundation of resilient, compassionate societies.
