U.S. Government Releases $50 Million for UNFPA


Contribution Highlights Importance of International Women's Health and Rights in Obama Administration

CONTACT

Sarah Craven, UNFPA, (202) 326-8713

WASHINGTON, March 24, 2009 – Today, the State Department issued a press release announcing a $50 million contribution to UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund in 2009, as provided by the omnibus bill. The statement by acting spokesman Robert A. Wood reads, “This decision highlights the Administration’s strong commitment to international family planning, women’s health, and global development. The United States is a global leader in promoting voluntary family planning and the health of vulnerable women and children in the developing world.“

UNFPA Executive Director Thoraya Ahmed Obaid said “We look forward to working with the U.S. Administration to achieve our collective goal of supporting women and girls in the poorest countries to reach their fullest potential. The resumption of U.S. funding would allow us to maintain our ongoing global initiatives, such as training midwives to ensure safe deliveries, expanding access to family planning, delivering reproductive health supplies to clinics in remote areas, supporting the treatment of obstetric fistula, meeting the special needs of women in humanitarian emergencies, preventing HIV among young people, and ending violence against women.”

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