Michael Ring
Ceist:229 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs his plans to cancel the Government's ?1.8 million annual contribution to the UNFPA and its reallocation to improving maternal health care in development countries. [12696/03]
Written Answers. - Overseas Development Aid.
The UN Fund for Population Activities, UNFPA, which is supported by 119 countries, is the largest multilateral source of assistance on population issues for developing countries. The needs in this area are acute: it is estimated that some 500,000 women in the developing world die each year due to pregnancy-related causes and that 350 million women have no access to any form of contraception. In 2003, Ireland Aid has committed €2.539 million to support UNFPAs core resources which are focused primarily on the world's poorest countries.
UNFPA is committed by its mandates to the principles of voluntarism and all of its programmes of assistance throughout the world are based on the principles of freedom of choice and informed consent. Its guiding policy, as laid down by its governing council in 1985, stipulates that UNFPA is "not to provide assistance for abortions, abortion services and abortion-related equipment and supplies as a method of family planning". In recent years, there have been a number of allegations that UNFPA has supported coercive family planning programmes and-or abortion. Many of these allegations have been made by the Population Research Institute, a private body based in the United States. In response to representations from Ireland, the fund has categorically denied all of these allegations and insisted that it continues to abide by its mandate. In the case of China, a number of independent investigations have taken place into allegation made against UNFPA. All of these investigations have confirmed that UNFPA does not support China's one-child policy and is making an important contribution to encouraging the Chinese authorities away from coercive family planning measures.
Ireland served a three-year term on the executive board of UNFPA from 1998-2000 and was closely involved in discussions on UNFPA's policies and programmes. We were impressed by the quality of UNFPAs development activities, the commitment of its staff and the support it provides to some of the world's poorest countries. Ireland Aid continues to monitor UNFPA closely and attends all of the executive board meetings of the organisation. Over the past year, I have had a number of meetings with Ms. Thoraya Obaid, the executive director of the fund, to discuss our contribution and the fund's activities.
Health is, and will continue to be, a major priority for Ireland Aid. Supporting UNFPA is just one part of this approach. For example, one of UNFPAs key tasks is to contribute to the implementation of the millennium development goal of reducing the maternal mortality rate by 75% by 2015. UNFPAs programmes also have a major focus on the fight against HIV-AIDS – one of the biggest challenges facing developing countries and an overarching priority of Irelands development assistance. However, Ireland Aid also contributes bilaterally and multilaterally and through NGOs and missionaries towards improving health, including maternal health, in developing countries. Approximately 20% of programme expenditure in the priority countries of Ireland Aid – Ethiopia, Mozambique, Lesotho, Zambia, Tanzania, Uganda and Timor Leste – is directed to the health sector.
I am satisfied that UNFPA is playing an important role in supporting the efforts of developing countries to improve maternal health and welfare and to fight HIV-AIDS. It continues to abide by its mandate and does not support coercive family planning methods or abortion. Irelands funding of UNFPA is, therefore, fully warranted and helps the organisation provide much needed assistance to people living in extreme poverty.