Appropriations Committees Attempt to Restore UNFPA Funding

As we mentioned last month, for the past 7 years, President Bush has withheld funds that Congress allocated to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). I was planning to beat my head against subcommittee appropriations government-ese in order to bring you a post today on how UNFPA funding might be restored, but Emily at RHRealityCheck has already done an excellent job explaining the situation. In short, the House and Senate appropriations subcommittees approved bills that would provide a high level of funding to targeted activities such as those related to maternal health and safe childbirth, contraception, obstetric fistula, and STI prevention. It would also make it more difficult to withhold all funding on the basis of unsupported claims specifically about UNFPA work in China, as President Bush has done in the past.

For further detail and analysis, please visit:

• House, Senate Allocate Record-Level Funds for International Family Planning – RHRealityCheck
• Americans for UNFPA press release
• PAI Hails Historic Increase in U.S. International Family Planning Assistance
• Senate Appropriations Committee Approves Increase in U.S. International Family Planning Assistance – Population Action International