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UNFPA
Background UNITED
NATIONS POPULATION FUND (UNFPA) The
New Zealand Government has given $2.2 million to UNFPA
this year.
This year the US Congress accepted evidence that UNFPA supported China's
one child family policy with forced abortions. The agency was also found
to have supported the forced sterilisation of 200 000 Peruvian women. The
Associate Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Marion Hobbs has rejected
our society's submission based on evidence provided to this society by
Steve Mosher of Human Life International. It was Steve Mosher who had
organised the evidence on UNFPA's complicity that was accepted by the US
State Department and by the US Congress. Right
to Life will continue to pursue this important issue and has sought
further advice from Steve Mosher an internationally recognised authority
on China's one child family policy and the anti-life activities of UNFPA. Pro-Abortion
Study of UNFPA-Population Control Link Called "Phony"
Correspondence Right to Life New Zealand PO Box 668 Christchurch 12 April 2003
Hon. Marian Hobbs NP Associate Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Parliament Building Wellington
Dear Ms Hobbs,
UNFPA Funding Thank you for your letter of 11 April 2003. You advise that the agency has a formal policy in place that family planning decisions should be informed, voluntary and free of discrimination, coercion and violence. You also advise that a formal investigation by the United States State Department concluded that the claims against UNFPA were not supported We wish to draw your attention to a letter issued by the United States Secretary of State Colin Powell dated 21 July 2002 to Senator Patrick L. Leahy, Chairman of the Subcommittee of Foreign Operations of the Committee on Appropriations which concluded that UNFPA supports forced abortion in China is in violation of the Kemp-Kasten Amendment and is therefore ineligible for US funding. In May 2002, a three-member State Department fact finding team travelled to China to investigate UNFPA's "model family planning programs" where it claims that "voluntarism" prevails and "women are free to choose the timing and spacing of pregnancies." The State Department delegation concluded in its report to the US Department of State dated 29 May 2002 that “in 32 countries in which UNFPA is involved the population control programs of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) retain coercive elements in law and practice.” Based on this and other evidence provided by the delegation the US State Department concluded that UNFPA, actually supports this coercion UNFPA works together with the Chinese State Family Planning Commission. The State Department delegation also visited Sihui in the Guangdong Province and documented fines to coerce women to have an abortion. Fines have been raised to eight times an offending couple's annual income. In September 2001 investigators from the Population Research Institute visited Sihui and provided documented evidence to a US Senate Committee of forced abortions, forced sterilisation, mandatory use of IUD's and imprisonment of relatives, destruction of homes and crippling fines for non- compliance. The Secretary of State Colin Powell concluded in his letter to the Senate Committee that "UNFPA is helping improve the administration of the local family planning offices that are administering the very social compensation fee and other penalties that are effectively coercing women to have abortions.” 'In view of the above documented evidence would you please advise what evidence your ministry has to support the conclusion that the US State Department does not support the serious allegations of human rights abuses made against UNFPA resulting from its full support for China's one child family policy with forced abortions? With respect to the forced sterilisation of 200,000 Peruvian women, during the government of the disgraced Albert Fujimora. In October 2001 the Peruvian Congress appointed a Commission to investigate the alleged violation of human rights under the "Voluntary Steralisation Programme. The Commission made thirteen conclusions among which were: 4 "It is proven that tubal ligation has been performed without the consent of the patients, and using coercion, psychological violence or pressure, often accompanied by incentives of food or money". 10 "It is proven that the launching of the Programme of Family Planning resulted in massive, compulsory and violent violations of human rights, the same imposed and financed by international organisations." 13 'The sub commission concludes that indications exist which tend to prove the commission of crimes against individual liberty, crimes against life, body and health, and the crime of illicit association for the purpose of Genocide." The commission also concluded that the population policy including the sterilisation programme was induced and financed by international organisations namely USAID and UNFPA who also provided medical and surgical instruments and drugs. The above documented evidence indicates serious violations of human rights. This society considers that it is in appropriate for the New Zealand Government to continue funding UNRA. Our society would be grateful if you would please advise what action will now be taken on this important issue.
Yours sincerely,
Ken Orr for executive Right to Life New Zealand Inc Office of Hon Marian Hobbs MP for Wellington Central Minister for the Environment Minister for Disarmament and Arms Control Minister Responsible for Archives New Zealand Minister Responsible for the National Library Minister with Responsibility for Urban Affairs Associate Minister for Biosecurity Associate Minister of Education Associate Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade
6 June 2003
Ken Orr For Executive Right to Life New Zealand PO Box 668 CHRISTCHURCH
Dear Ken, Thank you for your follow-up letter of 12 April 2003 concerning New Zealand Government funding to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), and alleged human rights abuses by the agency in Peru and China. The New Zealand Government has investigated carefully the situation with respect to the allegations against UNFPA in both countries and finds no evidence to support them In the case of Peru, a member of the Peruvian Congress, Mr. Hector Chavez Clincher, authored a report in July 2002 containing allegations of human rights abuses by UNFM in that country during the presidency of Alberto Fujimori. The report was considered formally by members of the Peruvian Congressional Sub-Committee mandated to explore issues around voluntary surgical sterilisation in that country. After considering Chavez Chuchon's report and relevant evidence from a number of sources, the Sub-Committee formally rejected the report in January 2003, noting that Mr Chavez Chuchon's charges were invalid and led to "error and misinformation". The Sub-Committee also formally rejected allegations that UNFPA was a "technical secretary" of Fujimori's forced sterilisation campaign, noting that UNFPA was not the secretariat of any population project or programme, but only a coordinator of a board of donors for population programmes. The Sub-Committee noted that the Board had become defunct in 1995, which was before voluntary surgical sterilisation was incorporated into Peru's health system The Sub-Committee report also noted that "UNFPA" supports national programmes so that all people will have full and accurate information that enables them to exercise the right to decide freely and responsibly on the number of their children and when they will have them, as well as access to the services for doing so, both by artificial methods and by natural methods". In light of the above, it is important to note that the Chavez Chuchon report was never adopted or endorsed by the Peruvian Congress, nor any of its Congressional Committees or Sub-Committees, and that the subsequent report of the Sub-Committee dated 1 January 2003, which fin& no evidence of wrongdoing by UNRA, post-dates the October 2001 Commission and its conclusions to which you refer. In the case of China, the allegations contained in the May 2002 report to the US State Department were shown to be a three-member independent team sent to investigate the report by the US Government fully cleared UNFPA of charges that it supports force and coercion in the Chinese State Family-Planning Commission. Likewise, a British Government fact-finding team led by parliamentarian Edward Leigh, (a Catholic and a Conservative Party member who had previously advocated ceasing UK funding to (UNFPA) reported that the agency was "instrumental" in ensuring voluntarism in China" Despite the weight of evidence, the Bush administration chose to ignore the recommendations of the investigation it had commissioned, blocking the release the US $34 million Congress had approved for UNFPA in the last fiscal year. On 8 May 2003, however, the US House of Representatives International Relations Committee approved an amendment to the State Department authorisation bill which would provide a US $25 million contribution to UNFPA and modify the current restriction in the law (the so-called Kernp-Kasten amendment) used to withhold US Congress funding to UNFPA. The bill is expected to come up for discussion in the House' following the Memorial Day recess.
To conclude, the New Zealand Government finds it difficult to take seriously claims from the group which originally. laid charges of human rights abuses against UNFPA. The Population Research Institute (PRI) the research arm of the extreme conservative group Human Life International, is ideologically opposed to contraception in a development context, promoting the view that "family planning is inherently coercive in a developing country context. The root of coercion does not lie in the setting of quotas alone. The element of coercion, of inherent intrusiveness, is unavoidable once family planning becomes a goal of any development or humanitarian aid program". It is not therefore a neutral judge of UNFPA's activities. I also find it interesting that a number of other religious and church groups, such as Catholics for Free Choice, have no such difficulty with UNFPA'S family planning activities, viewing these as promoting women's rights and maternal and child health, as well as preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases. Yours sincerely,
Hon Marian L Hobbs Associate Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Office of Hon Marian Hobbs MP for Wellington Central Minister for the Environment Minister for Disarmament and Arms Control Minister Responsible for Archives New Zealand Minister Responsible for the National Library Minister with Responsibility for Urban Affairs Associate Minister for Biosecurity Associate Minister of Education Associate Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade 27 Aug 2003
Dear Ken 1 have received your follow up relating to funding of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and your assertions that the agency is involved in coercive birth control measures in Peru and China. Many of your comments repeat previous allegations, or quote sources which I am satisfied are not interested in an objective view of UNFPA. I am all in favour of honest and robust argumentation by civil society groups exercising a watchdog role over governments and international agencies. I do not consider this campaign to fit either criterion. I am confident that UNFPA, by its own assessments, and by independent assessments by donors and the international community, does not support abortion, let alone coercive birth control measures, in principle or practice and not in the countries you name. New Zealand's ongoing support for UNFPA is not in any way in contravention with the many human rights conventions to which we are a signatory and full supporter. Yours sincerely,
Hon Marian L Hobbs Associate Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade
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