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United Nations secretary-general Antonio Guterres has warned that the decision by the Trump administration to withdraw all funding to the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) could have "devastating effects" on vulnerable women and girls around the world.
Key points:
- State Department cites "coercive abortion" without evidence as reason for funding cut
- UN chief says the decision is based on "inaccurate perception" of UNFPA's work
- The UNFPA focuses on family planning, maternal and child health in over 150 countries
The US State Department said it was dropping the funding because the UN Population Fund "supports, or participates in the management of, a program of coercive abortion or involuntary sterilisation".
But UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said on Tuesday that Mr Guterres "believes that the decision is based on an inaccurate perception of the nature and importance of the work done by UNFPA".
The cut marks US President Donald Trump's first move to curtail funding for the United Nations and its agencies — UN agencies such as the UNFPA are funded by governments voluntarily.
The United States was the fourth largest voluntary donor to UNFPA in 2015, giving $US75 million ($99 million) in core budget and earmarked contributions.
The State Department said the funding was cut because UNFPA works with the Chinese Government, which "employs measures such as coercive abortion and involuntary sterilisation to carry out its population-control policies".
"While there is no evidence that UNFPA directly engages in coercive abortions or involuntary sterilisations in China, the agency continues to partner with [the Government] on family planning, and thus can be found to support, or participate in the management of China's coercive policies," it said.
Stepping away from global health 'a political choice': WHO
Senior World Health Organisation official Rudiger Krech told the ABC he was less concerned about the actual funding than he was about the US decision to remove itself from global health governance decisions.
"If you choose not to be part of a [global health governance] club, you're not sitting at the decision-making table ... its a political choice," Mr Krech said.
The UN Population Fund is focused on family planning as well as maternal and child health in more than 150 countries.
"The secretary-general deeply regrets the decision by the United States to cut financial support for the UN Population Fund, which could have devastating effects on the health of vulnerable women and girls and their families around the world," Mr Dujarric told reporters.
He said Mr Guterres appealed to donors to increase their support.
Britain, the top donor to UNFPA, will continue to support the agency, British UN Ambassador Matthew Rycroft said.
Meanwhile, Chinese UN ambassador Liu Jieyi told reporters that he hoped "that the UN agencies will receive the necessary resources to carry out their duties on behalf of the international community and for the benefit of the international community."
Reuters/ABC
Topics: donald-trump, relief-and-aid-organisations, world-politics, women, united-states