USA for UNFPA Statement on the Outcome of the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election

USA for UNFPA congratulates Joe Biden on winning the 2020 election for the U.S. Presidency. In particular, USA for UNFPA welcomes the Biden-Harris campaign pledge to restore U.S. Government funding for UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency. The restoration of funding to UNFPA is part of the Biden/Harris plan to end violence against women, a key component of UNFPA’s work and something Mr. Biden has championed throughout his life. 

UNFPA’s lifesaving work delivers essential reproductive care and services to women, girls, and vulnerable people around the world. U.S. Government support of this work furthers the agency’s goals of ending preventable maternal deaths, ending the unmet need for family planning, and ending harmful practices against women and girls. Support of this work should not depend on politics. 

USA for UNFPA encourages the incoming Biden-Harris Administration to not only restore funding for UNFPA but to place the empowerment of women, girls, and vulnerable people at the heart of its global development agenda. When women have the power to plan their pregnancies, deliver life safely, and live free of violence in all its forms, the entire world prospers. We welcome the U.S. Government’s work in making this vision a reality. 

We recognize that renewed U.S. Government support of UNFPA could not happen at a more critical time. As the entire world struggles with the COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences, the delivery of reproductive health services is of extreme importance. Out of fear of contracting the virus and because of lock-downs, people are less likely to seek care. Deaths during childbirth, unintended pregnancies, and cases of gender-based violence, female genital mutilation, and child marriage are all increasing. Much of the progress the world has made in eradicating poverty and its causes is eroding.  

We also recognize that due to the damage wreaked by COVID-19, renewed U.S. Government support of UNFPA will not in itself be enough. Empowering women and girls to determine their own futures is a global issue and requires global cooperation and effort. Individuals, governments, and private-sector partners must continue their contributions towards this global transformation.  
 
USA for UNFPA stands with UNFPA and with women and girls everywhere. We look forward to the U.S. Government again becoming a funding partner in this work.