UN authorities have warned on that the United States’ suspension of foreign aid programs might put millions of women and girls’ lives in danger.
UN Population Fund (UNFPA) Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific, Pio Smith, announced that the UNFPA will cease US-funded programs in South Asia.
As a result, the UNFPA plans to close over 600 health and counselling clinics in Afghanistan.
Apart from the consequences in Afghanistan, the UNFPA assessed negative effects in other Asian countries.
In Pakistan, “1.7 million people, including 1.2 million Afghan refugees, will be cut off from lifesaving sexual and reproductive health services”. Moreover, around 600,000 people in Bangladesh will likely lose access to maternal and reproductive health services.
The UNFPA said it requires over $308 million to maintain its services in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan.
Spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Jens Laerke added that last year the US funded around 47 percent of the world’s humanitarian appeal.
The UNFPA is the sexual and reproductive health agency of the United Nations. Its goal is to prevent maternal deaths, end gender-based violence, and provide family planning.
International law protects women’s sexual and reproductive health as a human right under international covenants such as the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR).
