Rich nations reneged on fund pledge UNFPA

[Ulhas Joglekar]

15 December 1999
Rich nations reneged on fund pledge: UNFPA
The Times of India News Service
NEW DELHI: The rich developed countries have failed to keep the commitment
made by them at the 1994 Cairo conference on population where they had
pledged to contribute over $ 5 billion for reproductive health programmes.
Disclosing this here at a press briefing on Tuesday Nafis Sadik, executive
director, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) said the failure of donor
countries to meet their contribution and the lack of resources was one of
the most important issues which came up at the recent five-year review
meeting of the Cairo conference held in New York recently.
She said a total sum of $ 17 billion was required for carrying out the
various reproductive health and related gender programmes of the UNFPA and
of this the international community had committed $ 5.7 billion while the
developing countries themselves were to raise $ 11.7 billion.
``A study commissioned by us found that developing countries met $ 8.9
billion out of their total share but donor agencies only contributed half of
what they pledged'', she added.
Sadik maintained the donor countries had accepted their lapse at the review
meeting, adding that these countries were were preoccupied with developments
in Eastern Europe and a lot of their funds were being diverted to countries
like Kosovo and Bosnia. One of the donor countries, Germany, had intimated
that it would be further reducing its contributions due to difficulties
arising out of the merger with East Germany, she disclosed. However, she
hoped that countries like Japan and the US, which has resumed funding for
the UNFPA programmes, would be persuaded to step up their contributions.
In this connection, she said, they were also tapping the private sector. She
said some success in this regard had been achieved in the US withs everal
foundations and private companies like Microsoft and Packard agreeing to
contribute for population programes. However, she admitted, that companies
wre a little wary of funding population programmes as they feared itw
negative impact on their business. She said, when Bill Gates announced a
huge package for such programmes, this announcement was met with
demonstrations by pro-life groups. She said response like this tended to
worry business houses.
Asked about the negative reaction of political parties to the Bill banning
those with more two children from contesting elections, Sadik maintained
thethe main thrust of a population policy must be free, voluntary and
informed choices in decisions regarding reproductive health including family
size. She was not in favour of the two-child norm, stating this was the main
plank of the Cairo conference as well which had specifically indicated that
people should be able to exercise free and informed reproductive health
choices.
``What we need is to step up programmes at the grassroots. Programmes
dealing with basic issue like health, education and improved quality of
services,'' she said, adding that it is these interventions which would
would prove more effective in controlling population.
It should also remove constraints that prevent people, especially women,
from making these informed choices as well as address issues such as gender
violence, HIV/AIDS and basic education for all, she said. The UNFPA chief,
who is here on a short visit, has held a series of official meetings here
including the health and family welfare ministry. Refering for the demand
for increased funding from the Indian side, she said, given the resource
constraint, she did not forsee any enhanced funding for the family welfare
programme here. She also admitted that the Indian government had been a
little slow in utilising the funds already earmarked by the UNFPA for these
programmes but was confident the situation wouyld improve.

 For reprint rights: Times Syndication Service
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