UNFPA Warns Millions Of Women, Girls At Risk After US Funding Suspension

(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) GENEVA, Feb 4 (KUNA) -- The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) warned on Tuesday that millions of women and girls across Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan are now at risk following the US administration's decision to freeze foreign aid.
Speaking at a press conference in Geneva, UNFPA's Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific, Pio Smith, said he was deeply concerned about the life-threatening impact of this funding halt.
"The United States contributes nearly half (47 percent) of UNFPA's global humanitarian appeal for 2024, which totals around USD 14 billion. Losing this support is a devastating blow to women and girls who rely on our services," he said.
Smith noted that the decision has already forced UNFPA to suspend USD 53.7 million in project funding from the US State Department and freeze another USD 24 million previously received from USAID for activities in Afghanistan.
Without this funding, Smith explained, more than nine million people in Afghanistan alone will lose access to essential healthcare, including nearly 600 mobile health teams that provide lifesaving services to women and children.
He warned that between 2025 and 2028, the absence of US support could lead to at least 1,200 additional maternal deaths in Afghanistan due to preventable pregnancy complications, along with 109,000 unintended pregnancies.
"Afghanistan is already one of the most dangerous places in the world for women to give birth, with a mother dying every two hours from causes that could have been prevented with proper care," he stressed.
Smith said that in Pakistan, 1.7 million people, including 1.2 million Afghan refugees, will be cut off from sexual and reproductive healthcare due to the closure of over 60 health facilities.
Meanwhile, in Bangladesh, nearly 600,000 people, including Rohingya refugees, will lose access to essential maternal health services.
Smith underscored that the US has long been one of UNFPA's biggest supporters, and the loss of funding would have dire consequences for millions of vulnerable women and girls.
"We are talking about real lives; women giving birth alone in unsanitary conditions, newborns dying from preventable causes, survivors of gender-based violence with nowhere to turn for medical or psychological support," Smith said.
"Political decisions and funding priorities may shift, but our mission does not," he stressed, reaffirming UNFPA's commitment to working with partners and governments, including the US, to protect the dignity, safety, and health of women and girls despite the funding freeze. (end)
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