On Tuesday April 4th, 2017, the Trump administration has cut U.S. funding to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) due to the claims of having an active role in China’s forced abortion procedures.
The UNFPA is a UN organization where it claims to be “the lead UN agency for delivering a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person’s potential is fulfilled.” Although, that may be their mission statement, the UNFPA has been accused of supporting China’s regime of forced abortions and involuntary sterilizations. In a letter from the Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Nicholas Burns to Congress during the Bush administration, the administration had conclusively decided the UNFPA’s support for China’s population control program violates the Kemp-Kasten Amendment. The Amendment bans U.S. aid to provide funds for any organization that participates in programs of forced sterilizations or abortions.
In the Obama administration, the U.S. funding was restored to UNFPA after the prior denial of funds by the Bush administration.
In a letter to U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker, the State Department said it was cutting the funding because the UNFPA “supports, or participates in the management of, a program of forced abortions or involuntary sterilization.”
Now, it is worth noting that while the UNFPA does have a program implemented in China, they do not do work that involves abortions, sterilizations, or any procedures involuntarily. They have continuously refuted the claims that they are taking part in the Chinese government’s regime.
“The U.S. is one of the largest contributors to the UNFPA, and eliminating U.S. funds threatens the health and rights of millions of girls and women around the world, particularly those in crisis situations,” U.N. Foundation President and CEO Kathy Calvin stated.
While there is no explicit evidence that the UNFPA engages with the forced abortion and sterilization regime, they continue to partner on China’s family planning programs-therefore, can be seen to partake in the support of China’s policies in family planning.
