The United Nations Population Fund provides assistance in the field of population, including family planning and awareness and education programmes, in response to requests from developing countries.
UNFPA is financed from contributions by Governments and private donors. Ireland has provided annual contributions to UNFPA of £50,000 in 1993, £100,000 in 1994 and £250,000 in 1995 in support of its valuable work in developing countries.
UNFPA is committed by its mandates to the principles of voluntarism in its programmes of assistance throughout the world. It has categorically stated that it does not support China's one-child policy and is opposed to targets and quotas to enforce such a policy.
UNFPA also states that it has maintained a constant dialogue with the Chinese authorities about abuses of human rights in its population programme. It has also formulated special projects specifically designed to point out the practical advantages of a purely voluntary programme.