UNITED NATIONS, New York — The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) today said a decision by President Bush not to grant it the $34 million dollars appropriated by Congress for 2002 will cost thousands of women and children their lives.
The Executive Director of UNFPA, Ms. Thoraya Obaid, said: "The denial of these funds will, unfortunately, significantly affect millions of women and children worldwide for whom the life-saving services provided by the UNFPA will have to be discontinued. Women and children will die because of this decision." [see Executive Director statement]
UNFPA operates projects that provide contraception and gynecological services, teen-pregnancy prevention and HIV/AIDS prevention in 142 countries.
The $34 million from the United States would have allowed the agency to prevent 2 million unwanted pregnancies and more than 77,000 infant and child deaths, UNFPA estimates.
"We regret this decision by the Administration and hope that the United States will reconsider its stand and rejoin the community of nations working through UNFPA to save women's lives, to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS and to improve the quality of life for hundreds of millions of the world's poorest people," Ms. Obaid said.
The Bush Administration, in withholding funds, accepted allegations that UNFPA gives tacit support to China's one-child policy just by working in China.
"UNFPA has not, does not and will not ever condone or support coercive activities of any kind, anywhere," Ms. Obaid said.
"UNFPA has been and remains steadfast as a leading voice for human rights and for the principles enshrined in the United Nations Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as well as the Programme of Action agreed at the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairo in 1994, all of which condemn coercion in all forms," she added.
Ms. Obaid stressed that the Fund's programme in China strictly observed the highest standards of human rights and that the participation was voluntary.
The United States is the only country ever to deny funding to UNFPA for non-budgetary reasons.
Contact Information:
Stirling Scruggs
Tel.: +1 (212) 297-5011
Email: scruggs@unfpa.org
Sarah Craven
Tel.: +1 (202) 326-8713
Cell Phone: +1 (202) 255-7262
Kristin Hetle
Tel.: +1 212-297-5020
Email: hetle@unfpa.org