Earlier this afternoon, the Republican-controlled House Appropriations Committee voted to perpetuate the global war on women, approving a bill that includes dangerous cuts to international family planning, reimposes the Global Gag Rule, and bans funding to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

The approved bill, which funds State Department operations and U.S. foreign assistance programs, places a ceiling on funding for family planning and reproductive health programs at $461 million. This is a cut of $149 million—or nearly 25 percent—below current levels. The bill also includes destructive, ideological policy restrictions that undermine access to contraception for poor women in the developing world – a legislative codification of the Global Gag Rule and a prohibition on a U.S. contribution to UNFPA, the lead UN agency on reproductive health issues.

Subcommittee Ranking Member Nita Lowey (D-NY) detailed the negative impact of these short-sighted anti-family planning attacks in her opening statement: “The counterproductive, harmful, and unnecessarily divisive cuts and policy riders – including reinstatement of the global gag rule and a ban on funding for the United National Population Fund – on international family planning programs will leave millions of women without access to critical and often life-saving health services, and will result in 1.4 million more abortions next year. It is unconscionable that the majority insists on including these provisions, which run counter to our shared goals of saving mothers’ and children’s lives, and reducing unwanted pregnancies and abortions.”

An analysis by the Guttmacher Institute found that a cut to overseas family planning of this magnitude will result in 7.7 million fewer women and couples receiving contraceptive services and supplies, 2.2 million more unintended pregnancies, and over 1 million more abortions.

During markup, the committee rejected on largely party-line votes three pro-family planning and reproductive health amendments that were offered by Democratic family planning champions in an attempt to rectify the bill’s most blatant attacks.

Subcommittee Ranking Member Nita Lowey (D-NY) offered an amendment that sought to strike the entire section in the bill codifying the Global Gag Rule and prohibiting a U.S. contribution to UNFPA.  The Lowey amendment then designated a $39 million contribution to UNFPA (the President’s FY13 budget request) under the plethora of current law restrictions to prevent U.S. funds from being spent by UNFPA in China or for abortion.  The amendment was rejected on a vote of 23 to 27 with all committee Democrats—joined by Republican Representatives Dent (R-PA) and Frelinghuysen (R-NJ)—supporting, and the majority of committee Republicans opposing.

Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) followed with an amendment designating $39 million for a U.S. contribution to UNFPA only to support UNFPA programs to prevent and treat obstetric fistula, to promote the abandonment of female genital mutilation and other harmful traditional practices, and to ensure safe childbirth and emergency obstetric care.  The DeLauro amendment dramatically failed on a 24 to 24 tie vote with Democrats again being joined by Republicans Dent and Frelinghuysen in addition to Reps. LaTourette (R-OH) and Lummis (R-WY).

The last pro-UNFPA amendment was offered by Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) which designated $39 million for a U.S. contribution to UNFPA to be used only for family planning services and contraceptive supplies in low-income sub-Saharan African countries where USAID does not provide family planning assistance, specifically Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Chad, Cote d’Ivoire, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Niger, Sierra Leone, and Togo.  The Lee amendment was defeated on a vote of 22 to 27.

Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers (R-KY) announced at the conclusion of the markup that the intent is to bring the bill to the House floor in June after the Memorial Day recess.

Meanwhile, the Senate Appropriations Committee is tentatively scheduled to take up its version of a FY 2013 State Department-Foreign Operations bill next week and is widely expected to produce a bill that is the complete opposite of the House legislation. It is expected to include a robust family planning funding level, a permanent legislative repeal of the Global Gag Rule, and a U.S. contribution to UNFPA.  The diametrically-opposed bills emerging from the House and Senate will set the stage for the high-stakes negotiations on a final bill, not anticipated to occur until after the November election during a “lame duck” session of Congress.

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The Associate will manage components of PAI’s international climate advocacy and technical assistance strategy and provide logistical, organizational, and communications support.  The Associate will help coordinate small climate change advocacy grants; develop and maintain new regional and global partnerships and technical assistance; and collaborate with PAI’s research and advocacy departments. This position requires approximately 30-40% international travel. This position is based in Washington D.C. PAI is unable to provide any support for re-location to D.C.

Required Education, Experience and Abilities:

• Master’s degree in related field (reproductive health, international development, environment)
• Minimum three to five years of relevant work experience, with advocacy and program experience in climate change initiatives and/or international reproductive health, or equivalent combination of education and experience
• Experience with grant making activities/processes, training, and technical assistance to partners in developing countries
• Ability to travel domestically and internationally

Additional Qualifications/Experience Sought:

• Strong knowledge and understanding of a wide range of climate, environment, international health, population, development and family planning programs and policies
• Strong knowledge and understanding of the technical and political aspects of global climate change including UN mechanisms focused on climate and environment (UNFCCC, UNCSD)
• Excellent policy research and writing skills
• Ability to communicate complex technical issues to a policy and advocacy oriented audience
• Ability to prioritize and work effectively under pressure and to work independently with minimal supervision to achieve assigned goals
• Team player with a sense of humor, collaboration and creativity
• High proficiency in basic computer tasks, including Microsoft Office Suite Programs, especially Microsoft Excel  and PowerPoint
• International experience, whether through travel, work, or study
• Fluency in Spanish and/or French
• Experience with organizational budgeting and monitoring and evaluation processes

Salary: Commensurate with experience

Deadline for applications: May 28, 2011

PAI is a family-friendly organization offering a competitive benefit package.  Please submit a cover letter, resume and salary requirements via e-mail to RMR@popact.org or fax to (202) 728-4177 Attn: Rachael Murray Rakestraw.  PAI is an equal opportunity employer supportive of a diverse workforce.

That’s why the onslaught of promotional emails for Mother’s Day is irritating me. Sure, send flowers as a token of your love and appreciation. Splurge on a spa package for that hard-working wife of yours (on behalf of your young children who don’t yet — yet! — have access to the family plastic).

But also let the day be defined by showing your love, rather than telling her about it. And one way to show your love is to pay homage to those mothers, both well-known and not-known, who keep trucking away, despite the odds and the opposition.

Let’s start with Melinda Gates, a very well-known mother who is dedicated to making the pursuit of motherhood safe and always by choice. Her recent speech in Berlin, “Contraception is not Controversial,” raised the ire of the Catholic church, which in my mind is a sign that she’s saying the right things. Leadership at its core is about making people respond — either through emotion, action, or both. Having recently been mentioned in an opposition Catholic blog, I know that speaking truth to power may have near-term “costs,” but the long-term benefits are worth it.

How about another well-known mother, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton? Her schedule is punishing (consider last week’s three country tour), her international counterparts a mixed lot (of mostly men), and her image (at least the one made famous by Texts from Hillary) one of a formidable power broker who suffers no fools. And yet I have a sense, as you likely do as well, that she is a fantastically adoring mother to her talented and well-adjusted daughter, Chelsea. Hats off to an amazing role model.

Now on to lesser-known mothers, like Kartuma, a mom to several and mentor to me during my Peace Corps service in Poumayassi, Central African Republic. Her twin daughters are pictured at right; they should be enjoying their 20th birthdays right about now. When I knew Kartuma in the mid-90s, she was raising a family by herself while her husband worked in a remote diamond town. She managed a small store out of the front of her house, and she kept me alive — literally — as I learned the ropes of fa yaka (work the field) and da ti mbi (keeping my own home). I hope her daughters aren’t mothers yet, although I know it’s very likely that they are — and perhaps have been for as long as I have, almost five years.

The truth is that from Bringing up Bébé to Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, from Glennon Melton’s take on mommy wars and carpe diem — we each are making it work, in our little way, in our own little corner of the world. I, for example, leave for business travel on Saturday, so I’ll be away from my family this Mother’s Day. In that rather perverse way of humans, where anticipating a departure can often make remaining days together fraught with passive aggression, I am bearing the brunt of my almost-five-year-old’s outbursts. So, sometimes it feels like magic, and sometimes it’s a big drag to “be all that you can be” to the little people in your world.

But rather than listen to tabloids and talk shows about how to do it right and stay thin (or how to do it wrong but still have fun), how about we train our attention on the part of the equation that is our business: mobilizing political will and financial resources to save mothers’ lives. That means saying, to whoever will listen, that 215 million women in the developing world still don’t have the basic ability to decide when and if they want to become mothers, because they lack contraception.

Regardless if your perch is that of a famously wealthy philanthropist, a high-level politician, or a woman whose physical ties to her own children seem to be invisible to the powers that be — this Mother’s Day, maximize that perch on behalf of women and mothers everywhere.

Follow Suzanne Ehlers on Twitter: www.twitter.com/SuzannePAI

Clara’s International Litigation and Arbitration practice focuses on the representation of sovereign States in international disputes with other States, foreign investors and before U.S. courts. She represents sovereign States before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in disputes involving territorial rights, human rights and environmental harm, and counsels States in maritime delimitation cases before the ICJ, arbitral tribunals and the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea (ITLOS). Clara also has extensive experience representing sovereigns in arbitral proceedings concerning foreign investment disputes before the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) and other prominent arbitral fora. Her representation of foreign States also includes domestic litigation before U.S. federal courts, often involving the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (FSIA).

In her Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) practice, Clara advises clients, particularly multinational corporations, on corporate social responsibility issues in their global business activity. She advises corporate clients on the international standards and context-specific risks related to human rights, security and social issues.

Before entering law school, Clara served from 2001 to 2003 as a Junior Professional Associate with the World Bank’s Environment Department and African Human Development Department, working on the bank’s legal policies on the environment and indigenous peoples, and implementing development projects in Africa. Prior to joining Foley Hoag, she was associated with two global law firms.

Clara has a J.D. from Yale Law School and a B.A. in History and Literature of Latin America from Harvard University.

Ms. Esserman previously served as Deputy US Trade Representative, the second ranking official at USTR, with the standing of Ambassador, and she held three additional senior posts at USTR and the Department of Commerce. As Deputy USTR, Ambassador Esserman was responsible for US trade policy and negotiations in the WTO and with Europe, India, Russia, the former Soviet Union, Africa, and the Middle East. As USTR General Counsel, she played a lead role in devising US litigation strategy in the critical early years of WTO dispute resolution.

Ms. Esserman also served as the decision maker in literally hundreds of antidumping and countervailing duty cases as Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Import Administration. During her tenure, she played a lead role in developing comprehensive US antidumping and countervailing duty trade legislation and regulations implementing the WTO Uruguay Round Agreement, which govern US trade cases today. She was also the administrator of the Foreign Trade Zones program. As Acting General Counsel of Commerce, she counseled the Secretary of Commerce and senior Department heads on a wide range of issues, including trade laws, regulatory reform, litigation strategy, ethics, Freedom of Information, congressional reviews and oversight, intellectual property, and procurement issues.

Ms. Esserman is a frequent speaker and writer on trade law and policy, WTO, and India issues.

Prior to her government service, Ms. Esserman was a partner at Steptoe & Johnson LLP where she focused on international trade litigation and policy.

I spent the week away from my young daughters, immersed in conversations about young people. It made me remember Everything I Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten as a frame for the week’s lessons:

1. Be nice to others.

There’s a difference between acting nice and true compassion. My inspiration for this is the Holy See. I was raised Catholic, and yet the distance I feel from it is never more heightened than when I am at the United Nations. When the delegate from the Holy See took the floor at the final plenary to list its disagreements—from comprehensive sexuality education to contraception to reproductive rights—I frankly felt sadness for the church’s inability to adapt to today’s world. Its future is in young people. The more stubborn the church behaves, the less likely young people remain with the church.

2. Tell the truth.

Over the course of a week, one expects some exaggeration of your opponent’s tactics and intentions. But we owe it to young people around the world—some married at age 11, others living in abject poverty or conflict—to tell the truth. “Comprehensive sexuality education” isn’t about encouraging 5-year-old’s to have sex. Protections related to “sexual orientation and gender identity” aren’t aberrations of modern life. Change is not coming, it is here. Make room at the table or your own seat will be taken.

3. Share.

As the Fundraiser-in-Chief for Population Action International, I communicate our life-changing work to the people who generously support us. One might think it’s critical to get our name out in front in bold letters. In fact, what really works is enabling and supporting the work of others. I remember being at the CPD by myself many years ago. I held morning strategy meetings in my hotel room, and one colleague came (she was at this year’s CPD and we chuckled at the memory). At the 45^th session last week, we were easily 150+ strong. This work was achieved because we were diverse, dynamic, responsive, and we shared with each other. Our good ideas, our honest questions, even our late-night snacks. Collaboration is the new competition, and the only truly sustainable way of doing business.

4. Connect the dots.

Almost every country has some sort of representation at the United Nations, typically in the form of a “Mission to the U.N.” There is occasionally a deep and disturbing divide between what mission staff understand to be the best approach to an issue, and the reality of that issue back home. Delegates must resist the temptation to concentrate on networking with mission colleagues in New York City.  Schmoozing with delegates only gets you so far.  It is much more effective to ground interventions and statements on the true experiences from home.  If young women in your country, either married or not, need access to sexual and reproductive health services, then be their voice.

The effort last week on behalf of young people around the world resulted in a resolution that speaks plainly but powerfully about adolescents and youth. It speaks to their need for sexual and reproductive health, reproductive rights, safe abortion, and the end to harmful practices like FGM and early and forced marriage. As we move into global reviews of various development-related agreements (from Rio to the ICPD to the MDGs), this CPD resolution gives us wind in our sails for the inevitable hard work ahead.

It reminds us that issues related to young people can be controversial and divisive. It reminds us that international development matters.

And it reminds us that those inspiring little quotes that people put at the bottom of their emails—from Gandhi, Margaret Mead, and the like—are grounded in a deep and sacred truth and deserve to be read daily, in a quiet moment:

Believe in a better world, and then work for it.

The Film Intern will work with the Communications team to develop PAI’s online video presence on its web site and social networking sites, including Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. This is a great opportunity for a film or video production student who is passionate about women’s reproductive health issues and the environment to gain exposure for his or her work. The intern will also assist the department with other photography and video editing tasks.

Description of Responsibilities:
The intern’s scope of work will involve all or most of the following activities:

• Creating short engaging videos about PAI’s work. These will include interviews with PAI experts, “man-on-the-street” interviews, clips of events and fundraising appeals.
• Editing and repackaging current video footage
• Taking photographs as needed

Time
20 hrs/week

Supervisor
Dilly Severin, Online Outreach Associate

Qualifications

The film internship requires creativity and the ability to simplify complex issues and translate them into powerful emotional stories that will appeal to PAI’s audiences. The ideal candidate for this internship:

• Is an enthusiastic and self-motivated film or video production student with experience creating short videos.
• Has experience using video editing software to create short videos and output in optimal format for online

Please send a resume, cover letter, and a video sample no longer than two minutes to dseverin@popact.org

Stipend
Small stipend provided

PEPFAR has said it will use the nearly $1.5 billion to invest in commodities (condoms, HIV rapid test kits and voluntary medical male circumcision kits), systems and institutions, and program strengthening.   In addition to condoms, other forms of contraception should also be on the table.

Condoms play an important role, but a focus on broader voluntary family planning methods would help reduce the spread of HIV, especially mother-to-child. It is critical in the fight against HIV/AIDS and for the health and well-being of women and girls.  Voluntary contraception has been called “the best kept secret in HIV prevention” and has a proven evidence-base.

Access to contraception has long been identified as one of four key components of successful programs to prevent mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV, and yet it has been neglected because of insufficient resources and separate funding streams.   New World Health Organization guidelines on couples HIV testing and counseling include family planning as part of the package of information and linked services offered in counseling sessions.  Both PMTCT and counseling and testing are listed as priority areas for this money.

This is also a matter of rights.  All women, including those living with HIV, have a right to decide whether and when to have children, and how many to have.  Right now, there are 215 million women who want access to modern contraception but do not have it.  Moreover, women in their childbearing years are also those most likely to be living with HIV in PEPFAR countries.

We should allow countries to use PEPFAR funds for contraceptives beyond condoms, as well as health workforce training to deliver integrated family planning and HIV services and supply chain strengthening to prevent stock-outs .  This would also align with the Global Health Initiative’s aim of a more integrated, women-centered and country driven global health program.

The Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator has said publically that they will consult with a variety of stakeholders about how to best allocate the money.   This conversation provides an opportunity to ensure that PEPFAR’s large platform delivers a comprehensive set of evidence-based and in-demand services to combat HIV. Where needed, funding for family planning activities should be made available as part of the laudable, U.S.-endorsed, goals of creating an AIDS-free generation and eliminating mother-to-child transmission of HIV.

Watch this unfold. Follow us on Twitter: @popact and @engenderhealth

Photo Credit: Countdown 2015

In March PAI’s Roger-Mark De Souza presented at the Countdown 2015 Europe High Level Expert Meeting. Countdown 2015 is a consortium of 16 leading European non-governmental organizations working to address the global unmet need for family planning. De Souza presented on reproductive health and climate change connections.  He made the case for European policy makers to support integrated social programs that help meet the unmet need for family planning in developing countries by meeting joint goals of climate and reproductive health policies and programs. De Souza presented with experts from the Population and Sustainability Network and the Population, Health and Environment Consortium from Ethiopia as well as partners from Uganda, Zimbabwe, Mali and Europe.

De Souza also participated in the scientific “Planet Under Pressure” global change conference where he presented PAI’s research with Kenya-based partner the African Institute for Development Policy (AFIDEP)  on a joint research project exploring population’s central role in meeting climate compatible development. Climate compatible development specifically asks policy makers to consider ‘triple win’ strategies that result in low emissions, build resilience and promote development simultaneously.  In a session hosted by the Climate Knowledge and Development Network, PAI shared the ways in which population and reproductive health is being analyzed as a key component of climate and overall development planning, for both policymakers and program managers. A stunning array of graphics demonstrated these connections in very compelling ways – highlighting population and climate change hotspots in Africa and building on key stakeholder interviews in Malawi and Kenya.

To her surprise, Adesi tested positive. And because she knew her status, she was able to access prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) drugs to avoid passing the virus to her fetus. Thanks to the care she received at Bwafwano, Adesi’s daughter was born HIV-free, and Adesi is now accessing antiretroviral treatment.

“It is good and convenient,” she said. “This clinic has really helped especially us positive mothers because we access the drugs from here and also take our children for under-five clinics.”

PAI met Adesi in March, when a storytelling team visited Tanzania, Zambia and Kenya to collect stories and photographs for a book on HIV and reproductive health integration. Her story is one of many to be featured in an upcoming book as part of The Integration Project (TIP). The book is in production and is slated to be released at the International AIDS Conference in July, along with a film on the same topic.