Washington D.C., Apr 4, 2017 / 16:55 pm
The United States has ended funding for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), saying the agency's support for Chinese population control programs violates an amendment banning funds for partners of coercive abortion or sterilization programs.
"This determination was made based on the fact that China's family planning policies still involve the use of coercive abortion and involuntary sterilization, and UNFPA partners on family planning activities with the Chinese government agency responsible for these coercive policies," the U.S. State Department said in a letter to U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker.
The move ends $32.5 million in funds for the 2017 fiscal year, Reuters reports. The money will instead go to the State Department's Global Health Programs fund. Those monies are used by the U.S. Agency for International Development to support family planning and maternal and reproductive health.
In 2015, the U.S. government was the fourth-largest voluntary donor to the Population Fund, giving $75 million.