In a statement, UNFPA said the move – which invokes a 1985 legal provision known as the Kemp-Kasten Amendment – is based on “unfounded claims” about the agency’s work in China. These allegations, it noted, have “long been disproven”, including by the US Government itself.

The Kemp-Kasten amendment states that no funds can go to any organization or programme which support any “coercive abortion or involuntary sterilization,” as determined by the US president.

The funding cut now in effect is in addition to termination notices already issued for more than 40 existing humanitarian projects, representing roughly $335 million in support.

Impact on the most vulnerable

UNFPA – formally the UN Population Fund – said the loss of US support will significantly undermine efforts to prevent maternal deaths, especially in conflict-affected and crisis-hit regions.

“It will cut essential support for millions of people living in humanitarian crises and for midwives preventing mothers from dying in childbirth – work that is a ‘best-buy’ in development, a cost-effective investment that generates positive returns over generations,” the agency stated.

The US, a founding and long-standing partner, has over the decades helped strengthen global health systems and save countless lives, UNFPA said.

“Over the past four years alone, with the US Government’s life-saving investments, we prevented more than 17,000 maternal deaths, nine million unintended pregnancies and nearly three million unsafe abortions by expanding access to voluntary family planning,” the agency added.

Call to reconsider

UNFPA urged Washington to reconsider its position and “reclaim its position as a leader in global public health, saving millions of lives.”

“Funding UNFPA – the only United Nations agency dedicated to reproductive health and rights – is the surest way of reducing the risk of coercive practices around the world,” the agency said.

It also emphasised its continued commitment to dialogue with the US Government through the UNFPA Executive Board, where the United States has been an active member for over 50 years.

The agency also vowed to continue to work tirelessly under its mandate to uphold the health, safety, and dignity of women and girls worldwide.