The Tánaiste Simon Coveney has announced Ireland is contributing €3.5m to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

This marks Ireland's annual core funding contribution to the agency.

The UNFPA has responsibility for sexual and reproductive health.

It supports reproductive healthcare for women in more than 150 countries, which are home to more than 80% of the world's population.

It also offers support for the health of pregnant women, especially the one million who face life-threatening complications each month.

And it provides reliable access to modern contraceptives that benefit 20 million women a year.

Announcing the funding, Mr Coveney said: "Our new international development policy, A Better World, commits Ireland to do more to expand women's choices and capabilities.

"We will enhance Ireland's contribution to international efforts to address discrimination in all its forms, in particular against women and girls.

"Ireland's belief in and support for UNFPA's work is long standing.

"Last year we increased our core contribution to UNFPA to reflect this.

"I am pleased to announce that our 2019 contribution will total €3.5m."

The announcement coincides with the launch of UNFPA's The State of World Population 2019 report, which highlights global trends on population and development.