| 7
- 11 April, 2008
UNFPA
Executive Director Speaks on Resource
Mobilization
New
York, USA —
Speaking
at the opening of the 41st session
of the UN Commission on Population
and Development (7-11 April, UN,New
York), UNFPA Executive Director Dr
Thoraya Obaid made extensive comments
on the current status of resource
mobilization for population and devlopment.
The
following is extracted from her statement:
The
good news is that donor assistance
to population activities continues
to increase. Once all data are in,
donor assistance is expected to reach
$8.1 billion in 2006. We estimate
domestic resources in 2006 to be $23
billion. And we expect continued increases
in donor and domestic resources in
both 2007 and 2008.
Rising
support to the ICPD Programme of Action
is demonstrated by rising contributions
to UNFPA and a widening donor base.
In 2007, a record 182 donor countries
provided voluntary contributions,
including all countries in Africa
and in Latin America and the Caribbean.
This is a powerful symbol of the importance
that Member States attach to the issues
of population and development. And
it attests to the commitment of less
developed countries.
Despite
their commitment, most less developed
countries cannot mobilize sufficient
resources to fund population, gender
and reproductive health programmes.
They continue to rely on donor countries.
We see this clearly as countries embark
on the 2010 round of censuses. This
is the most expensive exercise in
national statistics, and it is threatened
by lack of financing. The need for
increased resources to undertake censuses
has been expressed to UNFPA by many
countries to which we provide support.
As
you know, censuses provide the data
needed to guide development. And UNFPA
is working with the United Nations
Statistics Division and other partners
on the 2010 census round. Solid data
are also necessary for monitoring
the achievement of the Millennium
Development Goals. This includes the
new target, under MDG 5 to improve
maternal health, of universal access
to reproductive health by 2015.
Despite
the central importance of data to
development, it is important to note
that resource mobilization continues
to be dependent on a few key players.
Population assistance originates with
a few major donors and the majority
of domestic resources are mobilized
in a few large developing countries.
This creates a situation that is far
from optimal in terms of predictability,
reliability and sustainability.
While
the flow of resources for population
assistance is on the rise, which is
most welcome and I thank all governments
for their contributions, I would like
to caution that, even if estimates
and projections hold and the financial
targets are surpassed, the resources
mobilized will not be sufficient to
meet current needs, which have grown
dramatically since the ICPD targets
were agreed upon a decade and a half
ago.
At
that time, the population and health
situation in the world was much different
from what it is today. For one thing,
no one had foreseen the escalation
of the AIDS pandemic from 14 million
people living with HIV in 1994 to
33 million people today. Since 1994,
health-care costs have increased substantially,
while the value of the dollar has
gone down.
As
a result, the ICPD financial target
of $18.5 billion in 2005 is not sufficient
to meet current developing-country
needs in the areas of family planning,
sexual and reproductive health, sexually
transmitted infections and HIV/AIDS,
and basic research, data and population
and development policy analysis.
HIV/AIDS
activities continue to receive by
far the largest proportion of population
assistance and funding for family
planning lags far behind. In fact,
donor assistance for family planning
as a percentage of all population
assistance has decreased considerably
since Cairo, from 55 per cent in 1995
to 7 per cent in 2005. If not reversed,
the lack of financing for family planning
threatens efforts to reduce poverty,
improve health and advance women?s
empowerment.
The
victims of this funding gap are poor
women in poor countries who cannot
exercise their reproductive rights
and plan their families. It is a serious
problem that needs to be urgently
addressed. Today, there are 200 million
women in the developing world with
unmet need for effective contraception
and the highest unmet need is in Africa.
The result is increasing numbers of
unwanted pregnancies, rising rates
of unsafe abortion, and increased
risks to the lives of women and children.
The
benefits of reproductive health care,
including family planning, cannot
be overstated. We will not attain
the Millennium Development Goals,
especially MDG 5 on maternal health,
if we do not ensure universal access
to reproductive health. Sexual and
reproductive health is essential to
women?s empowerment and gender equality.
Family planning is key to maternal
and child health. It is estimated
that ensuring access to family planning
alone would reduce maternal deaths
by 20 to 35 per cent and child deaths
by 20 per cent.
One
of the key messages here is that,
if not reversed, the trend towards
less funding for family planning and
reproductive health will have serious
implications for the ability of countries
to address unmet need for such services
and could undermine efforts to attain
universal access to reproductive health
by 2015. This in turn affects population
dynamics and conditions for development,
especially poverty reduction.
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