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US DECISION |
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US DECISION |
Setback To Women, Children UNFPA expresses regret at
Bush administration's decision to withhold funds By A CORESSPONDENT The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)
has expressed deep regret at the decision by US President George W. Bush not to grant the
fund the $34 million appropriated by Congress for 2002, describing it as
"unfortunate". The Bush administration, in withholding the funds, seems to have
accepted allegations that UNFPA is complicit in the management of coercive practices in
China. "UNFPA does not agree with the
rationale for this decision," UNFPA Executive Director Thoraya Obaid, said, adding,
"UNFPA has not, does not and will not ever condone or support coercive activities of
any kind, anywhere." Obaid continued: "The denial of these
funds will, unfortunately, have significant negative impact on millions of women and
children worldwide for whom the life-saving services provided by the UNFPA will have to be
discontinued." "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," she 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 stated. Obaid stressed that the fund's project in
China was implemented in a manner consistent with the program approved by UNFPA's
36-member executive board and with strict adherence to the highest standards of
voluntarism and respect of human rights. The United States is the only country ever
to deny funding to UNFPA for non-budgetary reasons. UNFPA is the world's largest
multilateral source of population assistance, with programs in 140 countries in 2001.
Since it became operational in 1969, the fund has provided some $5.6 billion to developing
countries to meet reproductive health needs and support sustainable development. |
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