WRITTEN QUESTION P-3311/02 by Regina Bastos (PPE-DE) to the Commission. EU financing for the United Nations Population Fund.
Date: 2002-11-15
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU financing, UN Population Fund, United States, family planning, health aid, reproductive health, the EU's international role

C 33 E/18

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

6.2.2004

(2004/C 33 E/017)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-3311/02

by Regina Bastos (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(15 November 2002)

Subject: EU financing for the United Nations Population Fund

Following the decision by the US to suspend its financial contribution (to the sum of USD 34 million for
2002) to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the Danish presidency of the EU has reaffirmed its
support for the work of that organisation, and has stated that the EU will replace the US funding with its
own.

Can the Commission confirm that the EU will provide funding for the UNFPA in replacement of the
former US contribution?

If so, can the Commission give information on:

(cid:1) the total amount of this funding;

(cid:1) the date on which it is expected to become operative;

(cid:1) the stage which the process has reached?

Answer given by Mr Nielson on behalf of the Commission

(7 January 2003)

The Development Council of the Union, at its meeting on 30 May 2002, issued a statement underlining
the importance of the work of the United Nations Population Fund (UNPFA) and calling on all donor
countries to pursue their support of the Fund. The statement also welcomed the Commission’s intention to
strengthen its cooperation with UNFPA.

The Commission has repeatedly expressed its disappointment at
the decisions by the American
administration to withdraw funding for UNFPA. The Commission considers that the resulting gap in
UNFPAs Core budget will seriously weaken the organisation mandated by the international community to
the UN
lead implementation world-wide of
International Conference on Population and Development (Cairo, September 1994). The Commission has
not pledged to replace the US contribution to UNFPA’s Core budget. Rather, in the light of the decisions
by the American government, the Commission will increase its programme support to UNFPA and the
IPPF to implement reproductive health activities in developing countries.

the Programme of Action adopted by consensus at

On 10 September 2002,
the 8th European
the Commission signed the financing agreement
Development Fund (EDF) EUR 32 million programme, to be implemented by UNFPA (two-thirds) and the
International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF, one-third) in 22 of the poorest African, Caribbean and
Pacific countries. This programme aims at improving the capacities in ACP countries to deliver basic
reproductive health services to vulnerable and under-served communities. The Commission expects that
the contracts with UNFPA and IPPF will be signed in the near future, and that programme implementation
will commence early in 2003. Additional support for UNFPA to implement reproductive health activities is
envisaged under the 9th EDF.

for

(2004/C 33 E/018)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3349/02

by José Ribeiro e Castro (UEN) to the Commission

(26 November 2002)

Subject: Crime in South Africa (cid:1) another Portuguese citizen murdered

In its reply of 7 September 2001 to Written Question E-1683/01 (1) on the same subject tabled on 14 June
2001 the Commission, represented by the Commissioner Poul Nielson, said ‘although the current Multi-
annual indicative programme does not concentrate on crime prevention as a focal sector, the Commission