World Leaders Agree at Close of Unprecedented Global Meeting:
May 7, 2001
A real international crisis exists due to the growing shortages of contraceptives, condoms for HIV/AIDS prevention, and other essential reproductive health supplies
The shortages exist particularly in parts of the developing world in places where people are the most vulnerable and susceptible to life threatening diseases, STIs, and STD's; and where rates of maternal mortality, childbirth and population density are highest.
Action must be taken immediately if a true disaster is to be averted
Study Ranks Women's Reproductive Health Worldwide U.S. Ranks 15th Among 25 Low Risk Countries; Africa's Women Still Most at Risk
March 7, 2001
Women in the United States face greater risks to their sexual and reproductive health than women in Singapore and many European nations. However, those risks are far less than those faced by women in Africa, according to a new study ranking 133 countries released today by Population Action International (PAI). Italy and Ethiopia are ranked lowest and highest risk respectively by the PAI study.
Push in Congress to complete foreign aid bill
August 1, 2000
As Congress adjourned for its month-long August recess, efforts to negotiate and pass a foreign aid bill conference report prior to leaving town were derailed at the last-minute by the inability of Congress and the White House to resolve their disagreements over total funding levels, debt relief provisions, and international family planning policy.
New Report Finds Demographic Clues to Risk of Civil Conflicts
Findings Could Help Predict and Prevent Wars
High proportions of young adults, rapidly growing cities, scarcities of cropland and water, and HIV/AIDS prevalence may contribute significantly to the risk of deadly civil conflict, according to a new report from Population Action International (PAI). Among the implications of these findings is that sound population policies, centered around provision of reproductive health services for all who want them, can play an important role in advancing global security.
The Road to Toronto – PAI Questions U.S. Abstinence Earmark Awaits GAO Report
Responding to requests from various House and Senate members, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) is expected to release a report Tuesday examining the implementation of HIV prevention programs under the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). Of particular interest to many, including PAI, will be GAO's findings on the earmark that designates one-third of all prevention funds for "abstinence-until-marriage" programs.
Bush Administration Defunds UNFPA
Decision assailed by Members of Congress, European Commission, NGOs and others from around the world
Going against the recommendations of its own fact-finding delegation, the Bush Administration has cut off funds to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), denying support for the same agency the United States helped establish in 1969. In announcing the decision on Monday, July 22, the State Department pledged to reprogram the $34 million in funds through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
Bush's Global Gag Rule Only Making Matters Worse
New Reports, Redesigned Web Site Illustrate Effects on Women in Developing Countries
Four years since the reinstatement of the Global Gag Rule by President George W. Bush on January 22, 2001, the policy continues to erode family planning and reproductive health services in developing countries, according to new case studies made available today on the Global Gag Rule Impact Project's Web site.
Improving Access to Reproductive Health is Key to Development, Security and Human Rights for All
A Statement from Amy Coen, President/CEO, Population Action International (PAI) on the United Nations Secretary General's Report to the General Assembly
"We applaud the U.N. Secretary General's recognition of the fact that the Millennium Development Goals are only part of an even larger development agenda. His call for wealthy nations to make an investment in development by way of improving access to reproductive health services and the supplies needed to combat the HIV/AIDS pandemic is critical.
International Women's Day
For the first time in 11 years, International Women's Day (March 8, 2002) will be observed in Afghanistan. In a symbolic show of support for Afghan women, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and First Lady Laura Bush will preside over opening ceremonies for International Women's Day at the United Nations in New York. Population Action International joins them in commemorating the spirit and the courage of women everywhere, and in particular, Afghan women.
Issue in Focus: Poor Reproductive Health, Access to Education, Put Afghan Women at Risk
Shortages of food, shelter, basic sanitation and healthcare pose severe threats to the well-being of refugee populations massing along Afghanistan's borders, especially to Afghan women. More than 66,000 pregnant women number among the 1.5 million Afghan refugees who have recently fled their homes, according to United Nations estimates. A substantial proportion of these pregnant women face high-risk pregnancies and need good obstetric and gynecological care. Throughout the rest of the country, millions of others are displaced and face similar health threats.
