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United Nations Population Fund Funding for International Family Planning Programs Threatened! January 15, 2002 At the urging of anti-family planning supporters, President Bush has put a temporary hold on U.S. contributions to the United Nations Population Fund citing concerns over China's population control methods, according to administration and congressional sources. Anti-family planning groups and lawmakers have pressed Bush to withhold $34 million from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) this year. Why? The reason for this hold stems from a letter from a single U.S. Representative to the President the day after Congress approved the foreign operations bill. The letter urged the President to "provide zero funding" for UNFPA. The letter claims that UNFPA condones forced abortions and sterilization by providing aid to family planning programs in China based on testimony by the Population Research Institute (PRI). UNFPA totally rejects the allegation of complicity in coercive practices. Simply put, UNFPA does not support the Government's one-child policy. UNFPA's work is aimed at demonstrating the effectiveness of a voluntary family planning approach and providing models for national application. About the UNFPA: The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) works in developing countries to save women's lives and promote human rights through better reproductive health care, implementing only voluntary family planning programs. UNFPA's work is guided by the Program of Action adopted at the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), which states "Coercion has no part to play in population and development programs". UNFPA helps countries find an equitable, sustainable balance between population factors and development goals. Consequences of the funding cuts: UNFPA estimates that the loss of U.S. funding could undermine their capacity to prevent 800,000 abortions and the deaths of 4,700 mothers and 77,000 children under the age of 5, said Stirling D. Scruggs, an agency spokesman. He said the cash shortfall would take a "huge bite" out of the agency's international AIDS prevention programs as well. Read the full Washington Post article from which much of this update was crafted. "A Test for Mr. Bush," a Washington Post editorial. Read more about Population and the Environment. Up to Top HOME | Email Signup | About Us | Contact Us | Terms of Use | © 2008 Sierra Club