January 15, 2002

George W. Bush, President of the United States

Via Facsimile:  202-456-2461

Dear Mr. President:

On behalf of the Centre for Population and Development Activities, I am writing to urge you to fully fund the United Nations Population Fund (UNPFA) in the amount of $34 million – the sum appropriated for fiscal year (FY) 2002 in a bi-partisan agreement reached by Congress last month.  The United States must continue its support for UNFPA’s vital efforts to save women’s lives around the world, and particularly its current efforts to provide life-saving care for women in Afghanistan.

 As you are aware, a recent State Department report stated:  “Afghanistan has the world's second worst rate of maternal death during childbirth.  About 16 out of every 100 women die giving birth.”  Furthermore, of Afghan women who have been displaced, about 66,000 are pregnant, and some 10,000 have high-risk pregnancies requiring emergency health care.  

This fall your administration highlighted the importance of UNFPA’s work on behalf of women’s reproductive health in Afghanistan.  On October 26, 2001, Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs Paula Dobriansky formally announced that $600,000 of the special assistance you initiated for Afghanistan was being allocated to UNFPA for its humanitarian assistance to Afghan women.  This was in addition to the millions of dollars your administration provided to UNFPA through regular FY 2001 appropriations.  It is crucial that you continue your pledge of support for the vital work done by UNFPA.

UNFPA’s efforts in Afghanistan and throughout the world seek to reduce maternal and infant mortality by providing family planning services, strengthening basic essential obstetric care, and providing training and educational materials for midwives. Withholding U.S. funding for UNFPA not only undercuts your stated support for women's rights, but also destabilizes the scope and breadth of UNFPA's activities. UN officials estimate 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 five.  It will also jeopardize UNFPA's international AIDS prevention programs.

It is imperative that UNFPA be able to maintain its efforts to save women’s lives throughout the world.  We urge you to provide the full $34 million in funding that Congress has appropriated for UNFPA. 

Sincerely,

Peggy Curlin

President