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Dewey's letter was short on facts

Dewey's letter was short on facts

Date published: 8/15/2004

In his Aug. 9 letter defending the administration's decision to withhold congressionally appropriated funding for UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund ["Bush defunding of UNFPA comported with the law"], Assistant Secretary of State Arthur E. Dewey makes assertions that are not supported by the facts.

After funding for UNFPA was withheld in 2002, an assessment team sent to China by the State Department found no evidence that the fund supported or participated in the management of a program of coercive abortion or involuntary sterilization. On the contrary, it reported that UNFPA had registered its strong opposition to such practices.

That team recommended that funds allocated by Congress be released to UNFPA. Three other independent teams, from the United Nations, the British Parliament, and a multifaith panel of religious leaders, reached the same conclusion.

UNFPA's objective in China is the realization of a climate where women and men make decisions freely about the number, timing, and spacing of their children and has received the support of its 36-nation Executive Board to work with the Chinese to achieve that goal.

Safiye Cagar

New York

Safiye Cagar is director of UNFPA's Information, Executive Board, and Resource Mobilization Division.

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Date published: 8/15/2004