FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WASHINGTON, DC. The European NGOs for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, Population and Development (EuroNGOs) issued a statement today shocked about a recent decision by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). On October 1 it was revealed that USAID had issued instructions to its staff to pressure several African governments to discontinue provision of U.S.-funded contraceptives to Maries Stopes International (MSI), one of the world’s leading family planning organizations. This is just the latest example of the Bush administration’s hostility towards contraception and interference with constructive efforts to improve maternal health.

USAID Assistant Administrator for Global Health Kent Hill justified this decision because MSI works in China, by which he asserts that the nonprofit organization is guilty under the terms of the Kemp-Kasten amendment to have “support[ed] or participate[d] in the management of a program of coercive abortion or involuntary sterilization,” even though there’s no evidence to this accusation.

MSI does not support coercive practices in China or elsewhere. In fact, they have sought to play a positive role in helping to reform the Chinese government’s program and to end the occurrence of human rights abuses. 

MSI chief executive Dana Hovig said the USAID decision will “seriously disrupt” essential maternal healthcare and family planning services in at least six African countries – Ghana, Malawi, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe. More than half of MSI’s services globally are directed to rural areas and underserved communities. Life-saving contraceptive supplies (including condoms) that have already been procured in these countries may now likely go to waste without the infrastructure of MSI to distribute them where they are needed.

The EuroNGOs statement (copied below) urges their respective governments to challenge the decision, share objections with the U.S. government, and support the affected countries in rejecting this USAID pressure.

“Once again President Bush has shocked and disheartened the European community by playing politics with poor women’s lives,” said Amy Coen, President/CEO of PAI. “This directive will prevent poor women in many African countries from accessing much needed pregnancy care and modern contraceptives – both important health services that we take for granted in the United States, but that are often out of reach for women in Africa.”

This last-ditch effort by the Bush administration to install regressive policies follows through on the veiled threat to expand the application of the Kemp-Kasten amendment to other organizations working in China, contained in the June determination by the State Department to withhold the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) contribution for this year.  Buried in that statement announcing the continuing cut-off of funding for UNFPA was the following ominous warning:

"During the course of our evaluation of UNFPA's work, we learned of other organizations that conduct activities in China.  The relevant funding agencies are conducting a comprehensive analysis to determine what appropriate and lawful actions can be taken."

MSI does not currently receive any direct family planning assistance -- either funding or supplies -- from the U.S. government because of MSI's earlier principled refusal to be bound by the Global Gag Rule restriction, another destructive Bush administration policy.  The latest action by USAID seeks to block even the most indirect of U.S. assistance from being provided to MSI.  USAID is pushing the interpretation of the requirements of the Kemp-Kemp amendment to an extreme -- trying to block U.S. contraceptives supplied to sovereign governments, who should be able to allocate donated resources based upon needs at the local level, from being provided to MSI for distribution in their clinics.

For more information about the Bush administration’s seven-year ban on UNFPA funding, please see PAI’s June press release at http://www.popact.org/Press_Room/Press_Releases/2008/06_27_UNFPA_Kemp-Kasten.shtml.

Population Action International has experts on this issue that are available to discuss these policies and their impact. For more information or to arrange an interview with a PAI spokesperson, please contact Tyler LePard at 202.557.3422.

EuroNGOs and Other International NGOs Statement

Members of EuroNGOs and other international NGOs were appalled to learn of USAID’s decision to force six African governments (Malawi, Zimbabwe, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda) to cease the provision of contraceptive commodities to Marie Stopes International partners.

Given that Marie Stopes International is a global leader in reproductive health care and in many countries provides a significant proportion of all family planning services, USAID’s decision is likely to endanger the lives of thousands of women. Lack of access to reproductive health supplies may result in unintended pregnancies and could force women into unsafe abortion and increase the rate of maternal mortality and morbidity.

In light of the above, we, the undersigned, call upon our governments to:

• Challenge USAID on this decision by informing the US government of their objections
• Support the affected governments in rejecting this USAID pressure
• Ensure that no lives are lost or impaired by responding to MSI’s needs and immediately making available resources to ensure the continued supply of vital commodities
• Redouble its efforts to address commodity security in developing countries, including the principle of national stewardship and leadership.

Members of EuroNGOs:

• Swedish Association for Sex Education (RFSU) – Sweden
• German Federation for World Population (DSW) – Germany
• Population and Sustainability Network (P&S) – UK
• World Population Foundation (WPF) – Netherlands
• Sex & Samfund – Denmark
• Vaestelitto – Finland
• Cyprus Family Planning Association - Cyprus 
• Polish Family Planning Association - Poland
• Latvian Family Planning Association- Latvia 
• Associação para o Planeamento da Família (APF) - Portugal
• Interact WorldWide – UK
• Lithuanian Family Planning Association - Lithuania
• Italian Association for Women in Development (AIDOS) – Italy   
• Equilibres & Populations (E&P) - France
• Mouvement Français pour le Planning Familial (MFPF) – France
• International Foundation for Population and Development (IFPD) - Switzerland
• Sensoa – Belgium
• Polish Federation for Women - Poland
• Federación de Planificación Familiar de España (FPEE) – Spain   
• Bruin Organisation for Civilisation of Sustainability (BOCS) – Hungary
• Marie Stopes International – UK
• Österreichische Gesellschaft für Familienplanung (OEGF) – Austria
• Commonwealth Medical Trust (Commat) – UK 
• Fondation suisse pour la santé sexuelle et reproductive (PLANes) - Switzerland
• Fédération Laïque de Centres de Planning Familial (FLCPF) – Belgium
• Norsk forening for seksuell og reproduktiv helse og rettigheter (NSRR) - Norway

Other Organizations Supporting this Statement:

• Population Action International (PAI) – USA     
• International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) - UK
• Venture Strategies for Health and Development - USA
• The Center for Reproductive Rights – USA  
• Asia Pacific Alliance (APA) – New Zealand
• Family Planning Association (FPA) – New Zealand  
• Women’s Global Network for Reproductive Rights (WGNRR) – Philippines
• Action Canada for Population and Development (ACPD) – Canada   
• European Parliamentary Forum on Population and Development (EPF) – Belgium
• Advocates for Action (SPW) – UK
• Population Services International (PSI) – USA

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What:

Audio news conference: More than 25 years into the AIDS pandemic, prevention remains a top priority in the continued fight against new HIV infections. A report called Comprehensive HIV Prevention: Condoms and Contraceptives Count, issued by Population Action International (PAI), will be released next month at the XVII International AIDS Conference in Mexico City. Despite the irrefutable evidence of contraceptives’ critical importance in preventing HIV infection, donor support for condoms in developing countries remains stagnant and far below projected need. Consequently, preventable HIV infections continue to rise. Three experts on the issue will highlight new research findings and provide six key recommendations to address gaps in the provision and use of condoms and contraceptives.

When:

Tuesday, July 22, 2008 at 10:30 AM EST. The call is toll-free and easily accessible from your newsroom desk.

Who:

Amy Coen, President and CEO of Population Action International – one of the nation's leading independent research and advocacy organizations – is an expert in the areas of reproductive health and population. Amy was instrumental in starting the women’s movement in the U.S. and has dedicated her career to the reproductive rights of women. During the audio news conference, she will address the efficacy of integrating HIV prevention and family planning, and why politics and funding policies have derailed such efforts.

Karen Hardee, Vice President of Research at PAI, has been a Social demographer for over twenty years. Most recently, Karen worked with PAI researchers and field staff developing a tool to assess and improve the quality of data reported for measuring success in global health initiatives. She has directed global research portfolios and was a technical advisor on the series "What Works" A Policy and Program Guide to the Evidence on Family Planning/Reproductive Health, Safe Motherhood and STI/HIV/AIDS Interventions." Karen, co-author of the report, will discuss the findings and recommendations.

Dr. Lydia Mungherera, a medical doctor, HIV-positive woman and advocate in Uganda, is the founder of numerous organizations and initiatives, including the Uganda Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS and the Pan African Treatment Access Movement. Lydia has worked for the World Health Organization, Elizabeth Glasier Pediatric AIDS Foundation and The AIDS Support Organization, among others. Lydia will speak from more than twenty years of experience working in programs on the ground.

Why:

Access to contraceptives to prevent unintended pregnancies among women living with HIV and AIDS is an essential strategy to reduce new HIV infections. Preventing unintended pregnancies in women living with HIV and AIDS is more cost effective than providing treatment to prevent mother-to-child transmission and recognizes the reproductive rights of positive women. And yet contraceptives are often left out of prevention strategies for political and ideological reasons. Of the estimated 18 billion condoms needed in 2006, donors provided just 2.3 billion. With the introduction of promising mechanisms to coordinate and track condom use and demand in the developing countries, donor countries have an opportunity to scale-up donations – both monetary and commodity – to begin to stem the tide of HIV infections worldwide.

PAI seeks to increase public awareness of the continued impact and global response to HIV and AIDS through the AIDS 2008: XVII International AIDS Conference 3–8 August 2008. Attendees of ANC will have access to the full embargoed report: HIV Prevention: Condoms and Contraceptives Count.

Update: To listen to the July 22, 2008 Audio News Conference, please go to the Ready Talk recording.

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Population Action International (PAI) works to ensure a world in which humanity and the natural environment exist in balance, fewer people live in poverty, and every person has the right and access to sexual and reproductive health.]]> http://www.populationaction.org/Press_Room/Press_Releases/2008/07_18_FY2009_Senate.shtml?s_src=RSS 07/18/2008 PST U.S. Policies & Funding Washington, DC … Yesterday, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved a funding increase and important advances in the policies governing international family planning and reproductive health (FP/RH) programs in adopting its version of the fiscal year 2009 bill funding the Department of State and U.S. foreign assistance programs.

Washington, DC … Yesterday, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved a funding increase and important advances in the policies governing international family planning and reproductive health (FP/RH) programs in adopting its version of the fiscal year 2009 bill funding the Department of State and U.S. foreign assistance programs.

The committee bill allocates a total of $475 million for the bilateral FP/RH programs of the U.S. Agency for International Development and an additional $45 million for a U.S. contribution to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). While not as large as the historic increases approved by its House committee counterparts on Wednesday, the higher levels signal the Senate's support for finding additional resources for these critical health services.

On UNFPA, the bill also includes language identical to that contained in the House bill that would allow funds to be provided to UNFPA and direct this assistance only to targeted projects such as safe child birth and emergency obstetric care, contraceptives to prevent unintended pregnancy and the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, and the provision of maternal health services in disaster areas in one of the more than 150 countries — other than China — where UNFPA works.

Significantly, the Senate also included an amendment that would repeal the Mexico City Policy/Global Gag Rule, which renders ineligible for U.S. family planning assistance any foreign organization that provides abortion services, counsels or refers for abortion, or lobbies for abortion law reform with non-U.S. government funds. The House version of the bill is silent on the topic.

Whether the Senate bill will be debated on the Senate floor — or whether the full Appropriations Committee in the House will act on the subcommittee-passed bill — remain subject to election year politics and the dwindling number of days left in the congressional calendar. The passage of a continuing resolution to fund most federal government programs, including foreign assistance, in the absence of enacted appropriations bills after the start of the new fiscal year on October 1 is all but inevitable. Nevertheless, the proposed funding increases for international family planning in the two bills lay down important markers for when final action on the FY 2009 spending bills is completed early in the new year after the arrival of a new president and a new Congress.

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Population Action International (PAI) works to ensure a world in which humanity and the natural environment exist in balance, fewer people live in poverty, and every person has the right and access to sexual and reproductive health.]]> http://www.populationaction.org/Press_Room/Press_Releases/2008/07_16_FY2009.shtml?s_src=RSS 07/16/2008 PST U.S. Policies & Funding Washington, DC … With the State-Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee’s approval today of the fiscal year 2009 foreign assistance bill, the House of Representatives has taken a major step forward in addressing the family planning needs of millions of women and couples in poor, developing nations. The $600 million allocated for international family planning and reproductive health programs is the largest total amount ever provided by the United States for family planning programs (not accounting for inflation) and the largest one-year dollar increase in these programs on record. It marks a 28 percent increase above current (FY 2008) levels and an 83 percent increase above the President’s request.

Washington, DC … With the State-Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee’s approval today of the fiscal year 2009 foreign assistance bill, the House of Representatives has taken a major step forward in addressing the family planning needs of millions of women and couples in poor, developing nations. The $600 million allocated for international family planning and reproductive health programs is the largest total amount ever provided by the United States for family planning programs (not accounting for inflation) and the largest one-year dollar increase in these programs on record.  It marks a 28 percent increase above current (FY 2008) levels and an 83 percent increase above the President’s request. 

“You can’t read the newspaper lately without coming across an article that touches upon the importance of family planning and population issues” noted Amy Coen (President and CEO of PAI).  “From skyrocketing food prices and global warming to unspeakably high maternal death rates in sub-Saharan Africa, the importance of investing in family planning programs has never been greater.  We are incredibly heartened by the House’s action and very grateful to Chairwoman Nita Lowey for these investments in improving the health and livelihoods of women and their children – and fostering a more sustainable future for our planet.”

The funding level approved today for fiscal year 2009 marks a much-needed reversal in several years of U.S. funding declines for family planning (FP)/reproductive health (RH) programs.  Specifically, the bill provides an overall funding level of $600 million for family planning and reproductive health programs.  Most of this assistance is for bilateral programs administered by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), which provides FP assistance in more than 50 countries.  Of the overall total, $60 million is earmarked for the U.N. Population Fund (UNFPA), which provides critical FP/RH care in more than 150 countries.  Since 2002, the Bush Administration has withheld all U.S. funding for UNFPA, totaling more than $230 million.  A provision included in the bill would allow U.S. funds to be provided to UNPFA and direct this assistance only to targeted projects such as safe child birth and emergency obstetric care, contraceptives to prevent unintended pregnancy and the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, and the provision of maternal health services in disaster areas.  

Family planning and modern contraceptives still remain out of reach for hundreds of millions of women and men.  In fact, more than 200 million women in poor and developing countries want to space or end childbearing but are not using modern contraception.  In some countries such as Haiti, Pakistan, and Uganda, this represents more than one-third of married couples.  Just last week, a new World Bank report found that 51 million unintended pregnancies in developing countries occur every year to women not using contraception. Read the report “Deprived of Contraception, Poor Women in Developing World Bear Millions of Unintended Pregnancies” at the World Bank's website.

Despite the large unmet need for FP, U.S. leadership and financial assistance for these programs has waned in recent years.  Since 1995 U.S. government investments in family planning programs have declined by $100 million (40 percent when accounting for inflation), despite the fact that the number of women of reproductive age in the developing world has increased by over 300 million in that time.  Had it not been for family planning supporters in Congress, this decline in funding for international family planning programs would have been far greater due to proposed cuts by the Bush Administration.  For example, the President’s FY 2009 budget request proposed a funding level of only $327 million, a massive $134 million (29 percent) cut from current levels.

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Population Action International (PAI) works to ensure a world in which humanity and the natural environment exist in balance, fewer people live in poverty, and every person has the right and access to sexual and reproductive health.]]> http://www.populationaction.org/Press_Room/Press_Releases/2008/07_16_PEPFAR_reauthorization.shtml?s_src=RSS 07/16/2008 PST Washington, DC … The Senate passage of legislation to extend and expand the U.S. commitment to addressing the HIV/AIDS crisis – the largest single commitment by any government -- deserves recognition for the life-saving impact it has, and will continue to have, on the lives of millions in need. Population Action International applauds this level of commitment to fighting this pandemic. But as an organization that works to improve the health of men, women and children in the developing world, PAI is profoundly disappointed in the failure of Congress to use the reauthorization process to make the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) even more effective and successful in preventing the transmission of this deadly disease. Washington, DC … The Senate passage of legislation to extend and expand the U.S. commitment to addressing the HIV/AIDS crisis – the largest single commitment by any government -- deserves recognition for the life-saving impact it has, and will continue to have, on the lives of millions in need.  Population Action International applauds this level of commitment to fighting this pandemic.  But as an organization that works to improve the health of men, women and children in the developing world, PAI is profoundly disappointed in the failure of Congress to use the reauthorization process to make the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) even more effective and successful in preventing the transmission of this deadly disease. 

One of the greatest achievements of PEPFAR’s first five years is its ability to reach millions with lifesaving treatment.  However, for every one person put on treatment, three more people become infected with HIV.  With demand for adequate funding for universal treatment running up against fiscal constraints that will only grow tighter over time – keeping treatment out of reach for so many --  preventing infection must be the foundation of any U.S. program dedicated to stemming the impact of HIV/AIDS globally.  Without enhanced and evidence-based prevention programs, PEPFAR will be fundamentally handicapped in meeting its all-important objectives.

Unfortunately, when given the opportunity to improve the law, Congress chose to sacrifice family planning (FP) integration and real improvements in the prevention provisions in exchange for increases in overall funding levels.  While nothing in the bill expressly precludes integration of FP and HIV/AIDS services, Congress failed to use the reauthorization of PEPFAR to endorse greater integration in the field and fully repeal abstinence earmarks – something that numerous experts and practitioners in the field have recommended.

"While no bill is ever perfect and increased funding is important, this bill is a far cry from what it could -- and should -- be in terms of preventing HIV,” said Tod Preston, PAI’s Vice President for U.S. Government Relations. “By failing to embrace family planning and preserving elements of abstinence funding mandates, Congress is handicapping the effectiveness of these programs. The partnership between family planning and HIV prevention services is paramount to stemming the tide of new infections and using U.S. taxpayer dollars wisely.  Family planning for the prevention of HIV should be supported in PEPFAR."

Despite the fact that 80 percent of new HIV infections come from sexual intercourse, Congress shunned the role of family planning providers in reaching men and women with HIV prevention messages.  Despite the fact that U.S.-supported family planning clinics have been the trusted source of health care for women and their families for more than forty years, their partnership in reducing HIV infections was overlooked.  Despite the fact that HIV-positive women deserve the same access to reproductive health care as women who are not infected, supporting their access to family planning services and contraceptives was ignored.

Background:

Integration of Family Planning and HIV Prevention

Fighting HIV requires that the United States work with the most effective nongovernmental organizations on the ground.  For over forty years, the United States has supported international family planning providers as a trusted and sought-after source of health care for men, women and their children.  According to PEPFAR’s own reports*, family planning is critical to leveraging a more expansive and effective prevention program, especially when it comes to counseling and testing.  Despite universal support for stronger integration between family planning and HIV/AIDS providers in order to prevent the most HIV infections, the bill which passed the Senate fails to enhance these linkages.

Example of family planning/HIV integration:

Many people living with HIV want contraception: Those living with HIV are often motivated to prevent pregnancy because of the risk of transmitting the virus to their newborn or because of concerns that they will leave children behind, whether HIV-positive or not, as orphans.  Providing contraception to HIV-positive women who want to have a child or another child or want to prevent a pregnancy, allows them to time and space their childbearing or to avoid it entirely.

Unmet need for contraception: High rates of unintended pregnancy occur throughout Sub-Saharan Africa, including among women living with HIV. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported in 2006 that among pregnant women receiving antiretroviral treatment in Uganda, 92 percent said their pregnancies were unintended. Other studies report that 84 percent of pregnancies among women in three Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission (PMTCT) programs in South Africa were unintended.

Contraception as HIV prevention: Research suggests that in the absence of contraceptive use in Sub-Saharan Africa, the number of HIV-positive births would be 31 percent higher than it is now. There would be an additional 153,000 infants born HIV-positive each year—and all of these births would be unplanned.

Contraception enhances PMTCT programs: USAID has projected that adding contraceptive services to PMTCT programs to make it easier for women to avoid an unintended pregnancy can prevent almost twice the number of child HIV infections and three times the number of child deaths as can PMTCT programs alone.

Linking HIV and contraceptive services is cost-effective: Family Health International, a public health nonprofit organization, calculated in 2006 that for the same cost, contraceptive services can avert nearly 30 percent more HIV-positive births (by preventing unwanted pregnancies) than identifying HIV-positive women during pregnancy and administering nevirapine (an antiretroviral drug).

*Excerpt from 2008 PEPFAR Fourth Annual Report to Congress:

“PEPFAR also supports linkages between HIV/AIDS and voluntary family planning programs, including those supported through USAID’s Office of Population and Reproductive Health (PRH). Along with providing linkages to family planning programs for women in HIV/AIDS treatment and care programs, PEPFAR also works to link family planning clients with HIV prevention, particularly in areas with high HIV prevalence and strong voluntary family planning systems. Voluntary family planning programs provide a key venue in which to reach women who may be at high risk for HIV infection. PEPFAR supports the provision of confidential HIV counseling and testing within family planning sites, as well as linkages with HIV care and treatment for women who test HIV-positive. Ensuring that family planning clients have an opportunity to learn their HIV status also facilitates early up-take and access to PMTCT services for those women who test HIV-positive. PEPFAR’s efforts remain focused on HIV/ AIDS prevention, treatment and care, complementing the efforts of USAID/PRH programs and other partners.”

Prevention Earmark

The original PEPFAR legislation contained an earmark requiring 33 percent of all funding for prevention activities to be allocated to abstinence-only-until-marriage programs.  Thus, of the 20 percent of total PEPFAR funding focused on prevention activities, a minimum of one-third has been restricted to abstinence programs.  According to two congressionally mandated reviews from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) and the Institute of Medicine (IOM), and countless experts in the field, this abstinence restriction is detrimental to the overall effort and should be eliminated. 

From the IOM:

“The earmark has greatly limited the ability of Country Teams to develop and implement comprehensive prevention programs that are well integrated with each other and with counseling and testing, care and treatment programs and that target those populations at greatest risk." 

The earmark has “limited PEPFAR’s ability to tailor its activities in each country to the local epidemic and to coordinate with … the countries’ national plans.”

The IOM was “unable to find evidence for the position that abstinence can stand alone or that 33 percent is the appropriate allocation for such activities even within integrated programs.”

From the GAO:

The abstinence-until-marriage requirement “can undermine the integration of prevention programs by forcing [country teams] to isolate funding for AB activities.”  This “limited some country teams’ ability to shift program focus to meet changing prevention needs.”

“17 of 20 PEPFAR teams … reported that the spending requirement presents challenges [in responding] to local epidemiology and cultural and social norms.”

Rather than following the advice of either expert body, the series of hearing and briefings held on Capitol Hill, or the recommendations developed by a raft of HIV/AIDS implementers and advocates, the newest compromise contains language that will act as a de facto abstinence earmark.  The reauthorization bill requires countries to report to Congress if less than 50 percent of their prevention-of-sexual- transmission funds are spent on Abstinence and Be-faithful programs (AB).*  Rather than grant countries and experts in the field greater flexibility to develop prevention programs that best meet the needs of their people, Congress is mandating that countries explain in writing if less than 50 percent of their prevention funds are spent on AB programs.

• Within PEPFAR, prevention includes efforts that address the sexual and non-sexual transmission of HIV.  While these prevention efforts receive only about 20 percent of all PEPFAR funding, only a fraction of that 20 percent is spent on comprehensive prevention programs that give people all the tools they need to help them prevent the sexual transmission of HIV.  An alarming fact considering roughly 80% of all new infections are transmitted sexually.

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Population Action International (PAI) works to ensure a world in which humanity and the natural environment exist in balance, fewer people live in poverty, and every person has the right and access to sexual and reproductive health.]]> http://www.populationaction.org/Press_Room/Press_Releases/2008/06_27_UNFPA_Kemp-Kasten.shtml?s_src=RSS 06/27/2008 PST U.S. Policies & Funding Washington, DC… Because the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) provides funding for health services, including voluntary family planning, in China where the government maintains a “one-child policy,” the Bush administration decided Thursday to once again unjustly withhold U.S. funding to UNFPA, as it has for the last seven years. While the decision was not a surprise, it was no less disappointing. Contrary to the administration’s assertions, UNFPA provides alternative and voluntary approaches to China’s compulsory family planning program. Now, however, the Bush administration has threatened to dramatically expand the interpretation of the so-called Kemp-Kasten amendment, which until now has been limited only to UNFPA, to also cut off funding to other nongovernmental organizations solely because they operate health programs in China. Washington, DC… Because the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) provides funding for health services, including voluntary family planning, in China where the government maintains a “one-child policy,” the Bush administration decided Thursday to once again unjustly withhold U.S. funding to UNFPA, as it has for the last seven years. While the decision was not a surprise, it was no less disappointing.  Contrary to the administration’s assertions, UNFPA provides alternative and voluntary approaches to China’s compulsory family planning program.

Now, however, the Bush administration has threatened to dramatically expand the interpretation of the so-called Kemp-Kasten amendment, which until now has been limited only to UNFPA, to also cut off funding to other nongovernmental organizations solely because they operate health programs in China. Buried in the statement released by Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte is the following ominous warning:

During the course of our evaluation of UNFPA’s work, we learned of other organizations that conduct activities in China.  The relevant funding agencies are conducting a comprehensive analysis to determine what appropriate and lawful actions can be taken.

UNFPA, as well as other organizations working in China, have sought to play a positive role in helping to reform the Chinese government’s program and to end the occurrence of human rights abuses by promoting the replacement of compulsory birth control with good counseling and informed consent, a greater range of contraceptive method choice, and higher quality services.  Losing all of their U.S. funding for the rest of their important programs in a multitude of other countries around the world would be the reward that organizations may get for trying to be part of the solution in China.

“Why is it that the organizations that are making a difference in the lives of women and their families are being singled out again by the Bush administration in order to make its own political point?” asked Amy Coen, President/CEO of PAI. “When the issue involves family planning, the White House will always look for new ways to satiate the voracious appetite of its right-wing political constituency. Political posturing should not endanger women’s lives.”

Opponents of family planning and reproductive health programs argue that the U.S. government—and U.S. taxpayers—should have no “complicity” in Chinese government population practices. Few, if any, disagree. And, in fact, all of the activities of UNFPA and the targeted organizations that work in China are based upon voluntarism and respect for human rights and are supported with funds provided by other donors – public and private.   But does the argument withstand scrutiny for consistency and an absence of hypocrisy?  The answer is a resounding no.

There are a number of examples of other multilateral institutions, U.S. government agencies, and nongovernmental organizations that partner with the Chinese government in the health sector, including those Chinese governmental institutions judged by the State Department to be guilty under the terms of the Kemp-Kasten amendment to have “support[ed] or participate[d] in the management of a program of coercive abortion or involuntary sterilization.”

“Opponents of contraception inside and outside the Bush administration believe that any financial relationship with the Chinese government somehow indirectly supports coercive practices,” said Craig Lasher, Senior Policy Analyst at PAI. “The real agenda is clear: funding for these groups is being threatened in pursuit of an ideological agenda that stands transparently in opposition to contraception for poor women around the world and in pursuit of a misguided vendetta against these indispensable organizations.”

UNFPA provides international leadership on population issues and is a key source of financial assistance for voluntary family planning and reproductive health programs in poor countries. UNFPA works in more than 150 countries, providing life-saving maternal and child health care, HIV/AIDS prevention services, and emergency care for pregnant women in conflict and disaster situations. Restoring U.S. funding for UNFPA programs is crucial to improving the health and lives of women and their families and to addressing demographic trends and promoting sustainable development.

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Population Action International (PAI) works to ensure a world in which humanity and the natural environment exist in balance, fewer people live in poverty, and every person has the right and access to sexual and reproductive health.

 ]]> http://www.populationaction.org/Press_Room/Press_Releases/2008/04_14_GCCandJiang.shtml?s_src=RSS 04/14/2008 PST Reproductive Health Supplies Washington, DC… Following an extensive year-long analysis, Population Action International (PAI) has committed to a multi-year, multi-disciplinary program to identify and explore the connections between population and global climate change (GCC). PAI’s research will focus on conducting in-depth analysis into these connections and illuminate how access to voluntary family planning and reproductive health (FP/RH) services can help enhance GCC mitigation and adaptation efforts. The goals are to gain a better understanding of the influence of demography on GCC and how FP/RH improves the well-being of those vulnerable to global climate change. Washington, DC… Following an extensive year-long analysis, Population Action International (PAI) has committed to a multi-year, multi-disciplinary program to identify and explore the connections between population and global climate change (GCC). PAI’s research will focus on conducting in-depth analysis into these connections and illuminate how access to voluntary family planning and reproductive health (FP/RH) services can help enhance GCC mitigation and adaptation efforts. The goals are to gain a better understanding of the influence of demography on GCC and how FP/RH improves the well-being of those vulnerable to global climate change.

“Climate change is emerging as the most pressing issue of our century and cannot be ignored,” said Amy Coen, President/CEO of PAI. “The intersections between population issues and global climate change have received little attention and yet many of the world’s poorest countries will be disproportionately affected by environmental changes. Despite this fact, family planning and reproductive health programs have few proponents in the climate change scientific community. PAI feels it is our obligation to explore this complicated issue that will have a huge impact on the world’s most vulnerable citizens – women and their families.”

PAI has a long history as a pioneer in identifying the role population plays in the environment.  From the conservation of biodiversity to natural resource management to climate change, nearly every issue facing the global environment is connected to the people on the planet and how and where they live. 

PAI’s work on climate change will be organized into five areas:

1. Strengthening understanding of factors supporting community and individual resiliency and adaptation to the effects of climate change;
2. Mapping regional vulnerability to illustrate areas where population pressures and points of rapid climate change coincide to pose serious threats to the future;
3. Documenting the effects of different population growth scenarios on climate change projections;
4. Updating the critical report Why Population Matters to address linkages between population dynamics and global issues; and
5. Assessing resilience to climate change and threats to progress on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

This work will contribute considerably to the debate around climate change, according to Coen: “With our research-communications-advocacy model, PAI can add to the evidence base, communicate findings and advocate for change among important audiences. In 2008, the topic of population must be inserted into the scientific and political discourse on climate change. Family planning and reproductive health are important interventions to bolster resilience and to contribute to reducing the impact of climate change on the planet’s most vulnerable citizens.”

As part of PAI’s increased commitment, Dr. Leiwen Jiang, a top population and climate researcher, will be joining PAI as Senior Demographer on June 1. He will build upon PAI’s decades-long research population and the environment, developing strong evidence-based advocacy on climate change issues related to global population.

Dr. Jiang has been a co-investigator on population and climate research with Brian O’Neill of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) and will continue to partner with climate change experts on behalf of PAI. Dr. Jiang has conducted research and taught on population-environment studies for more than nine years in the United States, Europe, China and other Asian countries.

Dr. Jiang’s most recent work focused on population and household projections for the United States, China and Europe; the impact of population dynamics on energy consumption, land use and climate change in the US, China, India and other major regions of the world; household projection modeling; population migration and land degradation in Xinjiang, China; energy transition in China and India; and projections of households and housing demand in China.

“We are excited to have such an accomplished researcher join us to investigate the complex relationship between population and climate and to help advance PAI’s advocacy on this issue. Leiwen is one of the few people in the world who conduct this specialized research on the linkages between greenhouse gas emissions, population, and demographic factors,” said Karen Hardee, PAI’s Vice President of Research. 

Dr. Jiang holds a BA and MA from Peking University in Sociology and a Ph.D. in Demography and Environment Sciences from The University of Amsterdam. He conducted post-doctoral research at the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, and was also an associate professor at Peking University, a visiting scholar at Indiana University, the Vienna Institute of Demography of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, and the University of Amsterdam. Before joining PAI, he was an assistant professor of research at the Watson Institute for International Studies and a faculty associate of the Population Study and Training Center at Brown University, as well as a guest researcher at the Population and Climate Change Program of International Institute for Applied System Dynamics Analyses (IIASA).

Dr. Jiang has an extensive publications record and his work has been funded by the Wellcome Trust Foundation, the World Bank, the China Natural Science Foundation, and a National Key Research Project in China.

Dr. Leiwen Jiang can be reached at 202.557.3406 or ljiang@popact.org (as of June 1, 2008) and will work out of PAI’s offices at 1300 19^th Street, NW, Second floor, Washington, DC 20036.

###

Population Action International works to improve individual well-being and preserve global resources by mobilizing political and financial support for population, family planning, and reproductive health policies and programs.]]> http://www.populationaction.org/Press_Room/Press_Releases/2008/03_28_PEPFAR_letter.shtml?s_src=RSS 03/28/2008 PST U.S. Policies & Funding On April 2nd the House of Representatives is scheduled to consider a bill reauthorizing the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). HIV/AIDS prevention & treatment organizations have partnered with sexual and reproductive health organizations to send a letter to more than 30 key members of Congress. The letter (copied below) urges members of Congress to remove restrictions on family planning services from PEPFAR. Washington, DC… On April 2^nd the House of Representatives is scheduled to consider a bill reauthorizing the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).  HIV/AIDS prevention & treatment organizations have partnered with sexual and reproductive health organizations to send a letter to more than 30 key members of Congress. The letter (copied below) urges members of Congress to remove restrictions on family planning services from PEPFAR.

While PEPFAR is a historic effort to combat HIV, there are critical flaws in the program. As is evident in the letter below, the partnership between family planning and HIV prevention services is paramount to stemming the tide of new infections. Supporting family planning programs would strengthen U.S. HIV/AIDS assistance by taking a big step forward in meeting the needs of the population most at risk for HIV infection – women and girls. Both HIV/AIDS and family planning organizations recognize this and have joined together in requesting a critical fix to the PEPFAR bill.

Population Action International has experts on this issue that are available to discuss the provisions and their impact. For more information or to arrange an interview with a PAI spokesperson, please contact Tyler LePard at 202.557.3422.

Letter to Members of Congress:

We, the undersigned organizations, are writing regarding our collective support for the integration of family planning programs, without restrictions, with HIV prevention counseling, testing and treatment services in the U.S. Global Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Reauthorization Act of 2008 (H.R. 5501, S. 2731).

Family planning and other reproductive health service providers are often the “first responders” on HIV prevention for women and older adolescents, who are more likely to use these health services than any other segment of the population.  Moreover, because they provide a trusted gateway to HIV-prevention, counseling, testing and ultimately treatment access services—especially for HIV positive women  who are pregnant—it should be the goal of the US government to dramatically expand support for such program linkages.  This is a sound approach to effective and efficient health care provision. 
Despite the importance of these linkages, new PEPFAR legislation soon to come up for votes in the House threatens to further restrict, rather than support expansion of HIV prevention by family planning organizations.   We strongly object to these restrictions.

The House version of the U.S. Global AIDS Act contains language suggesting that only family planning programs compliant with the global gag rule will be eligible to receive PEPFAR funds to provide HIV education, counseling and testing.  This would be a new restriction: no such requirement exists in current law or policy.  In fact, organizations not compliant with the global gag rule have successfully partnered with PEPFAR to expand HIV prevention, counseling and testing services to women and youth in several countries.

With six new people infected with HIV for every new person put on treatment, we must ensure the United States is leading the battle to enact robust and flexible prevention efforts that will enable us to end the AIDS epidemic.  The language in the current House bill that could limit the kinds of family planning programs eligible to receive PEPFAR funds only serves to undermine prevention efforts by potentially discouraging, if not disqualifying, the most effective family planning partners in a given country. The one thing that is clear about this provision is that it is unclear, leaving it wide open to a range of interpretations.  We know from experience that this vague language causes more problems in program implementation than solutions.  Instead of limiting family planning services, we must protect and enhance the programs that provide effective HIV/AIDS services to the most vulnerable and at-risk populations.

We encourage you to support removing the restrictions placed on family planning in H.R. 5501 by striking “supported by the United States Government” in relation to family planning programs. The Global Gag Rule should be repealed altogether, not used to limit services even further.
We thank you for your action and your leadership.

Sincerely,

ACT UP Philadelphia
ActionAid International USA
Advocates for Youth
AIDS Action Council
AIDS Alliance for Children, Youth & Families
AIDS Project Los Angeles
AIDS Task Force of Greater Cleveland
AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition (AVAC)
American Civil Liberties Union
American Humanist Association
American Jewish World Service
American Medical Student Association
Artists for a New South Africa
Better World Campaign
Catholics for Choice
Centre for Development and Population Activities (CEDPA)
Center for Health and Gender Equity
Center for Reproductive Rights
Community HIV/AIDS Mobilization Project (CHAMP)
Connecticut AIDS Resource Coalition
Feminist Majority
Gay Men’s Health Crisis
Global AIDS Alliance
Health GAP (Global Access Project)
HIVictorious
Human Rights Watch
International Center for Research on Women
Ipas
International Planned Parenthood Federation
International Women’s Health Coalition
Nashville CARES
National Abortion Federation
National Council of Jewish Women
National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association
Pathfinder International
Physicians for Human Rights
Planned Parenthood Federation of America
Population Action International
Population Connection
Population Services International
San Francisco AIDS Foundation
Sexuality Information and Education Council of the U.S. (SIECUS)
The AIDS Institute
Union for Reform Judaism
United Methodist Church, General Board of Church and Society
Women of Reform Judaism

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Population Action International works to improve individual well-being and preserve global resources by mobilizing political and financial support for population, family planning and reproductive health policies and programs.
]]> http://www.populationaction.org/Press_Room/Press_Releases/2008/02_19_Bush_HIVAIDS_AFRICA.shtml?s_src=RSS 02/19/2008 PST Washington, DC… President Bush is traveling around Africa this week, where he has been touting his HIV/AIDS program. While the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) is a historic effort to combat HIV, there are critical flaws in the program that Congress is poised to address. The arbitrary funding mandate on abstinence and be-faithful programs are tying the hands of programs on the ground and HIV-positive women are in need of the contraceptives that will allow them to plan the timing and spacing of their children. Washington, DC… President Bush is traveling around Africa this week, where he has been touting his HIV/AIDS program. While the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) is a historic effort to combat HIV, there are critical flaws in the program that Congress is poised to address. The arbitrary funding mandate on abstinence and be-faithful programs are tying the hands of programs on the ground and HIV-positive women are in need of the contraceptives that will allow them to plan the timing and spacing of their children.

The House Committee on Foreign Affairs will mark-up a bill to reauthorize PEPFAR Wednesday, February 27. The bill, authored by the late and highly revered Chairman Lantos and widely supported by the community, would strengthen U.S. HIV/AIDS assistance by taking a big step forward in meeting the needs of the population most at risk for HIV infection – women and girls.

What the Bill Does:

Provides greater access to contraceptives for HIV-positive women who desire to space and plan their births or who choose not to get pregnant.

Provides greater effectiveness and flexibility in the fight against HIV/AIDS by striking the restriction under PEPFAR that mandates at least one-third of U.S. HIV/AIDS prevention funding be limited to abstinence-only programs.

Why Contraceptives Are Important:

Many people living with HIV want contraception: At various points in their lives, HIV-positive men and women want to have a child or another child or want to prevent a pregnancy, either to time and space their childbearing or to avoid it entirely. Those living with HIV often desire to prevent pregnancy because of the risk of transmitting the virus to their newborn or because of concerns that they will be leaving behind children, HIV-positive or not, as orphans.

Unmet need for contraception: High rates of unintended pregnancy occur throughout Sub-Saharan Africa, including among women living with HIV. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported in 2006 that among pregnant women receiving antiretroviral treatment in Uganda, 92% said their pregnancies were unintended.

Contraception as HIV Prevention: Research suggests that in the absence of contraceptive use in Sub-Saharan Africa, the number of HIV-positive births would be 31% higher than it is now. There would be an additional 153,000 infants born HIV-positive each year—and all of these births would be unplanned.

Contraception Enhances PMTCT Programs: USAID has projected that adding contraceptive services to PMTCT (Preventing Mother to Child Transmission) programs to make it easier for women to avoid an unintended pregnancy can prevent almost twice the number of child HIV infections and three times the number of child deaths as can PMTCT programs alone.

Linking HIV and Contraceptive Services is Cost-effective: Family Health International calculated in 2006 that for the same cost, contraceptive services can avert nearly 30% more HIV-positive births (by preventing unwanted pregnancies) than identifying HIV-positive women during pregnancy and administering nevirapine.

*The law makes clear that no PEPFAR funds may be used for abortion. That is because the Helms amendment to the Foreign Assistance Act applies to PEPFAR as it does to all foreign aid. Nothing in the PEPFAR reauthorization bill would alter the Helms amendment in any way.

Quote from Amy Coen, President of Population Action International:

"I want to live to see the day that victory is declared on the dreaded and deadly HIV/AIDS virus. Until then we have to do all we can to stop it, slow it, and save lives. Declaring victory against HIV/AIDS requires us to pool all effective resources and to put aside our ideological differences to save precious lives. It is only by standing together that we will ensure PEPFAR's legacy."

Why Strike the Abstinence-Only Requirement:

In 2006, there were 4.3 million new HIV infections. According to the WHO, unprotected heterosexual sex is the leading cause of HIV infections worldwide, representing 80 percent of new infections in sub-Saharan Africa.

For every person put on treatment for AIDS, seven new people become infected.

Yet currently, one-third of US HIV prevention funding (and two-thirds of funding that addresses the prevention of sexual transmission of HIV) is spent on abstinence-until-marriage programs.

Marriage is not a protective factor from contracting HIV/AIDS. Over the next ten years, more than 100 million girls in developing countries will be married before their 18th birthday – mostly to older men and often against their will. These girls have significantly higher rates of HIV infection than their sexually active, unmarried peers.

According to UNAIDS, women and adolescent girls account for about half of all HIV infections worldwide. In sub-Saharan Africa, women and girls make up 60 percent of all infections and 76 percent of infections among those aged 15-24.

40% of new HIV infections are in youth aged 15-24; the majority of youth are already sexually active.

According to two congressionally mandated reviews from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) and the Institute of Medicine (IOM), and countless experts in the field, the abstinence restriction is detrimental to the overall effort and should be eliminated.

From the IOM:

"The earmark has greatly limited the ability of Country Teams to develop and implement comprehensive prevention programs that are well integrated with each other and with counseling and testing, care and treatment programs and that target those populations at greatest risk."

The earmark has "limited PEPFAR’s ability to tailor its activities in each country to the local epidemic and to coordinate with…the countries’ national plans."

The IOM was "unable to find evidence for the position that abstinence can stand alone or that 33 percent is the appropriate allocation for such activities even within integrated programs."

From the GAO:

The abstinence-until-marriage requirement "can undermine the integration of prevention programs by forcing [country teams] to isolate funding for AB activities." This "limited some country teams’ ability to shift program focus to meet changing prevention needs."

"17 of 20 PEPFAR teams…reported that the spending requirement presents challenges [in responding] to local epidemiology and cultural and social norms."

IMPORTANT: In the FY2008 Appropriations bill, the House and Senate voted in favor of removing this onerous earmark and the President signed the bill. The House, Senate AND President have already spoken in favor of removing this earmark.

For more information or to arrange an interview with a PAI spokesperson, please contact Tyler LePard at 202.557.3422.
 
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Population Action International works to improve individual well-being and preserve global resources by mobilizing political and financial support for population, family planning and reproductive health policies and programs.

This budget proposal continues a disturbing downward trend in funding for these vital health programs for women and families. Since 1995, U.S. funding for family planning programs has fallen nearly $100 million -- a 39 percent reduction when adjusted for inflation and the FY 2009 budget request would equal a nearly 60% reduction below the amount provided for these programs in FY 1995 (adjusted for inflation). These cuts have occurred despite a growing need and demand for reproductive health care in the developing world. For example, the number of women of reproductive age in the developing world alone has increased by approximately 275 million women since 1995.

The funding reduction also coincides with President Bush continuing to withhold money from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), which might otherwise be able to help compensate for the funding shortfall. President Bush has withheld nearly $200 million from UNFPA since 2002, despite funding appropriated by the United States Congress.

"There is a huge and growing imbalance around the world. While increasing numbers of women are crying out for family planning and reproductive health services, the U.S. is giving less funding each year to help them and their families," said Amy Coen, President of Population Action International (PAI). "We urge Congress to reject these cuts and boost funding for these programs which enable women to make choices that can create healthy, stable families."

These cuts come even though the Bush Administration's advisors have recommended family planning as a way to combat HIV/AIDS. The U.S. Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator (OGAC) espouses the importance of family planning and reproductive health programs (FP/RH) in preventing HIV and supporting people living with HIV/AIDS. Yet while funding for the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) has dramatically increased, FP/RH funding has declined. At the same time, a growing number of experts have confirmed the importance of FP/RH. In a recent article for The Washington Post, reporter Craig Timberg wrote that "researchers increasingly agree that far more cases of pediatric AIDS could be prevented with a cheaper, easier and more effective alternative: birth control" ('Best-Kept Secret' For HIV-Free Africa, 12/16/2007).

PAI's latest publication "U.S. HIV/AIDS and Family Planning/Reproductive Health Assistance: A Growing Disparity Within PEPFAR Focus Countries" is available on the website.

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Population Action International works to improve individual well-being and preserve global resources by mobilizing political and financial support for population, family planning and reproductive health policies and programs.]]> http://www.populationaction.org/Press_Room/Press_Releases/2008/01_17_Preston_Ehlers.shtml?s_src=RSS 01/17/2008 PST To build on the success Population Action International (PAI) has experienced in reaching out to national elected officials and to international policymakers and advocates, its Public Policy/Strategic Initiatives department has been split into two distinctive divisions. Tod Preston has been promoted to Vice President for U.S. Government Relations and Suzanne Ehlers has been promoted to Vice President for International Advocacy. The creation of two distinct departments will help achieve a more intense focus and more robust knowledge base in both the domestic and global arenas, at a time of increasing interdependency and collaboration. Washington, DC… To build on the success Population Action International (PAI) has experienced in reaching out to national elected officials and to international policymakers and advocates, its Public Policy/Strategic Initiatives department has been split into two distinctive divisions. Tod Preston has been promoted to Vice President for U.S. Government Relations and Suzanne Ehlers has been promoted to Vice President for International Advocacy. The creation of two distinct departments will help achieve a more intense focus and more robust knowledge base in both the domestic and global arenas, at a time of increasing interdependency and collaboration.

The new Department of U.S. Government Relations oversees PAI’s advocacy and outreach to Congress and the Executive Branch, as well as to other policymakers and partner organizations in support of increasing U.S. assistance for international family planning and reproductive health programs. The International Advocacy Department partners with international NGOs in their efforts to improve policy and to increase funding for family planning and sexual and reproductive health both in country and at the regional and global levels. “It is a particular honor for an organization to be able to promote from within because the best professional for the job already works there,” explained PAI President Amy Coen. “For the last several years, PAI has greatly benefited from the talent, dedication and passion of Suzanne Ehlers and Tod Preston. I know their leadership will be invaluable to the progress of PAI’s work and for those we strive to serve.”

Before joining PAI in 2004, Tod Preston worked for more than a decade in the government relations/public policy arena. He was a legislative aide on Capitol Hill for seven years where he worked for Rep. Nita Lowey (D-NY) and former Reps. Rod Blagojevich (D-IL) and Gerry Studds (D-MA). Before the recent promotion, Tod Preston was PAI’s Senior Advisor for Congressional Relations and Strategic Outreach. “So much more work remains to be done to address the needs of millions of women in poor nations who lack access to basic family planning and related health care. Addressing their needs will pay far-reaching dividends, not only for their individual futures but also for critical global development challenges such as poverty alleviation and climate change,” said Preston. “I am proud to help lead an organization with such a distinguished legacy and record of accomplishment.”

Suzanne Ehlers came to PAI in 2003 after helping lead the Wallace Global Fund’s environmental grantmaking portfolio for five years. Previously, she worked as an independent strategic consultant, working with a variety of NGOs and foundations. “I am honored to help lead the important work PAI undertakes around the world, in particular the advocacy we have started on the integration of sexual and reproductive health and HIV/AIDS. As a new mother, I am more mindful than ever of the challenges women face in accessing critical services, care and information,” said Ehlers. Prior to her promotion, she was PAI’s Senior Associate – International Advocacy.

For the past nine years the domestic and international advocacy work was led by Terri Bartlett. In December she left PAI to begin a new venture focusing on supporting projects and organizations globally to achieve and strengthen their advocacy objectives. On the appointment of Suzanne and Tod to Vice President Terri commented, "One of the things about leaving a job, even when it is about new opportunities, is wondering what will happen to the work you care so much about. Simply stated, it is an honor to have Suzanne and Tod take the helms of leading this important work. Having hired them and worked with them closely over the past few years, I know that Amy made the best decision for PAI and for the issues we all care so much about.”

# # #

Population Action International works to improve individual well-being and preserve global resources by mobilizing political and financial support for population, family planning and reproductive health policies and programs.]]> http://www.populationaction.org/Press_Room/Press_Releases/2007/12_17_omnibus.shtml?s_src=RSS 12/17/2007 PST Statement by Amy Coen, President/CEO of Population Action International, on the omnibus spending bill that omits a provision that would have reduced the need for abortions in developing countries

BACKGROUND: In an historical move this year, members of Congress on both sides of the abortion debate agreed to pass a foreign aid spending bill that would reduce unintended pregnancies and the need for abortions in developing countries. It would have allowed an exemption to the Global Gag Rule (also known as the Mexico City Policy) so that the U.S. government could donate contraceptives to foreign organizations providing family planning services abroad. However, the President's repeated threat to veto any bill that included the contraceptive language forced Congress to drop the provision in the omnibus spending bill the House and Senate will vote on this week.

STATEMENT: We commend members of Congress -- on both sides of the abortion debate -- for finding common ground to improve the lives of women and their children, thus reducing unintended pregnancies, abortion, and HIV infection through greater access to contraceptives. It is tragic that President Bush was unable to follow their lead. His persistent threat to veto the foreign assistance bill doomed this life-saving measure. It is unconscionable for a president to ignore the majority of the members of Congress, the majority of Americans and the best interests of millions of human beings because he is blinded by his own narrow beliefs. Today the shadow of one man darkens the lives of so many.
-- Amy Coen, President/CEO of Population Action International]]> http://www.populationaction.org/Press_Room/Press_Releases/2007/12_11_KarenHardee.shtml?s_src=RSS 12/11/2007 PST Dr. Karen Hardee, a social demographer for over 20 years, has joined Population Action International (PAI) as Vice President of Research. In that capacity, Dr. Hardee will lead an esteemed team of researchers in developing strong evidence-based advocacy on issues related to women’s well being and global population in an effort to build a more just and prosperous world. Washington, DC… Dr. Karen Hardee, a social demographer for over 20 years, has joined Population Action International (PAI) as Vice President of Research. In that capacity, Dr. Hardee will lead an esteemed team of researchers in developing strong evidence-based advocacy on issues related to women’s well being and global population in an effort to build a more just and prosperous world.

“I couldn’t be more delighted to welcome one of the field’s pre-eminent policy researchers to PAI,” said Amy Coen, President/CEO of PAI. “Karen has led the research in several arenas of sexual and reproductive health and population including family planning, HIV/AIDS and safe motherhood policies and programs through assessing the role that gender plays in women’s, men’s and adolescents’ experiences with the programs. I can’t think of another person more qualified to lead PAI into the next generation of our research.”

Dr. Hardee’s most recent work focused on building harmonized tools for global partners to assess and improve the quality of data reported to measure success in global health initiatives. She has directed global research portfolios and was technical advisor on the series, “What Works” A Policy and Program Guide to the Evidence on FP/RH, Safe Motherhood and STI/HIV/AIDS Interventions.” Her career has included jobs in the public and private sectors. She has worked as Senior Advisor at John Snow, Inc, senior fellow and director of the Center for Research and Evaluation at Constella Futures, and Deputy Director and Principal Research Scientist at Family Health International. Dr. Hardee has consulted for the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) and has received funding for research and evaluation projects from Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, the Gates Foundation and the Ford Foundation.

Dr. Hardee holds a BA from Duke University in Comparative Area Studies and a Ph.D. in Development Sociology from Cornell University. She has an extensive publications record and has lived in seven countries.

“Working at PAI brings together my background and skills in research and advocating for evidence-based policy making. I am so happy to be joining such an important organization,” said Karen Hardee.

Dr. Hardee can be reached at 202.557.3410 and will work out of PAI’s offices at 1300 19^th Street, NW, Second floor, Washington, DC 20036.

# # #

Population Action International (PAI) works to improve individual well-being and preserve global resources by mobilizing political and financial support for population, family planning and reproductive health policies and programs. ]]> http://www.populationaction.org/Press_Room/Press_Releases/2007/10_22_UNAFF.shtml?s_src=RSS 10/22/2007 PST Reproductive Health Supplies,U.S. Policies & Funding A short film that demonstrates, in stark and powerful detail, the grave consequences of the United States’ abstinence-only approach to HIV prevention has been chosen for the 10th Annual United Nations Association Film Festival (UNAFF). Filmed in Kenya and Uganda, Abstaining from Reality: U.S. Restrictions on HIV Prevention features educators, an HIV-positive priest and a young Kenyan woman, Juliet Awuor, who contracted HIV/AIDS and became pregnant because she and her boyfriend did not know the proper way to use condoms. Awuor’s baby subsequently contracted the disease and died. This compelling documentary provides a snapshot of the Bush administration’s abstinence-only approach to global HIV/AIDS assistance. A short film that demonstrates, in stark and powerful detail, the grave consequences of the United States’ abstinence-only approach to HIV prevention has been chosen for the 10th Annual United Nations Association Film Festival (UNAFF). Filmed in Kenya and Uganda, Abstaining from Reality: U.S. Restrictions on HIV Prevention features educators, an HIV-positive priest and a young Kenyan woman, Juliet Awuor, who contracted HIV/AIDS and became pregnant because she and her boyfriend did not know the proper way to use condoms. Awuor’s baby subsequently contracted the disease and died. This compelling documentary provides a snapshot of the Bush administration’s abstinence-only approach to global HIV/AIDS assistance.

Abstaining from Reality was one of only 32 films selected out of more than 360 submissions from all over the world. The United Nations event celebrates the power of films and videos dealing with human rights, environmental survival, women’s issues, protection of refuges, homelessness, racism, disease control, universal education, war and peace.

Abstaining from Reality notes that PEPFAR (the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief) pledges $15 billion over five years to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS in 15 countries where infection rates are high, but this unprecedented U.S. effort has a major flaw: It mandates an abstinence-only approach as the lead HIV prevention strategy. A recent evaluation conducted for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) confirms that abstinence-only sexuality education programs, which provide no information on contraception, do not work.

Rosemarie Muganda-Onyando, a sexual and reproductive health expert based in Nairobi, says in the film, “To strictly say abstinence only is like walking into a hospital ward and having all these patients with different ailments and saying, ‘Okay, this is a prescription, it is the same prescription for all of you.’” 

Each day, some 16,000 people around the world become infected with HIV, most through unprotected sex. “If we are serious about stopping the spread of HIV/AIDS, we simply must end the ideological restrictions that are putting millions at risk and undermining much of the good work the U.S. is trying to do around the world,” said Population Action International President/CEO Amy Coen. “The recent HHS study confirms that we are exporting a program that simply doesn’t work. To continue this would be dangerous and unethical. Congress should refuse to impose these dangerous restrictions on international family planning when it reauthorizes PEPFAR this year.”

WHEN: Thursday, October 25, 2007, at 7:20 p.m.

WHERE: Annenberg Auditorium (Cummings Art Building), Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA

PRESENTER: Amy Coen, President/CEO of Population Action International

NOTE: To schedule an interview with Amy Coen or for more information on Abstaining from Reality, please contact Tyler LePard.

The documentary has been screened before the United States Congress, parliaments in several European countries and in New York City, San Francisco and Ottawa. It includes a Guide for Action that shows people how to take a stand against policies that withhold vital information about condom use and other forms of prevention, and in support of more responsible policies. 

Abstaining from Reality: U.S. Restrictions on HIV Prevention was written and directed by Daniele Anastasion and edited by Kris Kral for Population Action International.  More information and the nine-minute documentary itself are available at http://www.populationaction.org/multimedia/video/index.htm. 

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Population Action International (PAI) works to improve individual well-being and preserve global resources by mobilizing political and financial support for population, family planning and reproductive health policies and programs.]]> http://www.populationaction.org/Press_Room/Press_Releases/2007/10_22_Washingtonian.shtml?s_src=RSS 10/22/2007 PST Washingtonian Magazine awarded its biennial honor to Population Action International (PAI) as one of 60 “great places to work.” PAI was chosen from more than 225 candidates because of its “interesting work, good pay and benefits, collegial staff, employee development, and flexibility.” Washingtonian Magazine awarded its biennial honor to Population Action International (PAI) as one of 60 “great places to work.” PAI was chosen from more than 225 candidates because of its “interesting work, good pay and benefits, collegial staff, employee development, and flexibility.”

Washingtonian recognizes that PAI’s employees work for the greater good, grouping them with five other organizations in the “Where to Feed the Soul” section of the competition. People who work at PAI are dedicated to improving reproductive health and protecting global resources, but also enjoy the personal interaction with diverse colleagues, flexibility of the workplace and the chance to make a difference.  The organization’s family friendliness is recognized by The Washingtonian, as well as a supportive environment and an attractive workplace.

"It's not hard to be one of Washington's best places to work when you have such a stellar group of employees," said Amy Coen, President/CEO of PAI. "We spend long days working to improve the health and lives of women and their families around the world. It makes sense to ensure that PAI staff and their families also enjoy a sense of well being."

To select the Great Places to Work, Washingtonian offered surveys to companies, nonprofits and government agencies. After the application was filled out, employees took confidential online surveys. To make the final decisions, the magazine visited nominees. Because of the large number of candidates this year, the list expanded from 55 to 60 winners.

This year’s winning organizations are recognized in the November 2007 issue, which is available now. Washingtonian Magazine has been publishing its Great Places to Work feature every other year since 1999.

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Population Action International (PAI) works to improve individual well-being and preserve global resources by mobilizing political and financial support for population, family planning and reproductive health policies and programs.]]> http://www.populationaction.org/Press_Room/Press_Releases/2007/10_18_MOS.shtml?s_src=RSS 10/18/2007 PST Reproductive Health Supplies The risk of dying in pregnancy or childbirth still shows the largest gap between the rich and poor of all development statistics, despite 20 years of campaigning to improve the reproductive health of women throughout the world, according to Population Action International’s new report A Measure of Survival: Calculating Women’s Sexual and Reproductive Risk. The lifetime risk of maternal death is over 250 times higher in poor countries than in wealthy countries. Tragically, this grave risk is largely preventable. The risk of dying in pregnancy or childbirth still shows the largest gap between the rich and poor of all development statistics, despite 20 years of campaigning to improve the reproductive health of women throughout the world, according to Population Action International’s new report A Measure of Survival: Calculating Women’s Sexual and Reproductive Risk. The lifetime risk of maternal death is over 250 times higher in poor countries than in wealthy countries. Tragically, this grave risk is largely preventable.

Women are at highest sexual and reproductive health risk in Niger, Chad, Mali, Yemen and Ethiopia, while the Netherlands, Switzerland, Singapore, Germany and Belgium are the safest countries for women’s health.  In general, women’s sexual and reproductive health are riskiest in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, and the need for reproductive health services is greatest among the poorest women and men residing in the world’s lowest-income countries.

A Measure of Survival: Calculating Women’s Sexual and Reproductive Risk will be released by Population Action International at the Women Deliver conference in London on October 18th. This report is unique because it recognizes that there are many indicators of a woman’s sexual and reproductive health. A Measure of Survival puts all the pieces of the puzzle together to form a complete picture. The report ranks 130 developing and developed countries according to sexual and reproductive risk, and provides steps to improve the reproductive health of women in all countries.

“What’s your number?” asks Amy Coen, President/CEO of Population Action International. “It’s a measure of your country’s dedication to women’s well-being. But make no mistake, behind each number is a woman, a family, a community and generations.”

A Measure of Survival encourages action and gives strategies for countries to lower women’s sexual and reproductive risk. Examples of recommendations include making childbirth safer by increasing access to reproductive health care; ending harmful practices like very early marriage, intimate partner violence and female genital mutilation; and financing reproductive health supplies.

Findings from the report:

Voluntary family planning can reduce the number of maternal deaths by reducing unwanted pregnancies and preventing women from seeking often-unsafe abortion. More than 120 million women say they would prefer to avoid a pregnancy, but are not using any form of contraception.

Investing in women improves the health and well-being of families, communities and even nations. It can contribute toward reducing poverty and stimulating economic development.

Some countries— including low-income countries—have successfully reduced maternal mortality. Romania, Thailand, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Egypt and Honduras have used a variety of strategies including increasing access to hospitals and midwives, improving quality of care and controlling infectious diseases.

The United Kingdom lags behind a few surprising leaders like Croatia and Cuba, barely making the top 20 in the report’s “lowest risk” category, due to high rates of teenage pregnancy.  The U.K. has the highest adolescent fertility rate of all Western European countries, which leads to higher death and injury rates for young mothers and their infants.

Unprotected sex is the primary mode of HIV transmission for women. Although marriage is often seen as a protective factor, it is not.  Even in countries that have seen declines in HIV prevalence, the majority of new infections are now among monogamous married women.

Pregnancy and childbirth are deadly to more than half a million women worldwide every year; pregnancy is the leading cause of death for young women aged 15 to 19 worldwide.  This statistic has remained virtually unchanged for the past decade. Death and injury rates are also higher among infants born to young mothers.

In the next ten years, 100 million young women will marry before they turn 18.  In most developing countries (excluding China), one in seven girls marries before she is 15. Early marriage can mark the end of investments in the education and development of girls, contributing to persistent poverty among women, and young married girls are more likely to experience domestic violence and sexual abuse.

Skilled attendance at childbirth can make the difference between life and death.  In the early 1990s, it was estimated that one in four women in developing countries gave birth without skilled care.  Today—fifteen years later—this figure is still the same.

Unsafe abortion is preventable when women’s family planning needs are met and when abortion is legal and accessible.  Yet, it is estimated that 68,000 women die from unsafe abortion every year, and millions more suffer complications, primarily in developing countries.

More information about the report is available online at http://www.populationaction.org/mos.

A PRESS BRIEFING ON THE REPORT WILL BE HELD IN THE PLATINUM SUITE AT THE ExCel CENTRE AT 8:30 A.M., OCTOBER 18, 2007.

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Population Action International (PAI) works to improve individual well-being and preserve global resources by mobilizing political and financial support for population, family planning and reproductive health policies and programs.]]> http://www.populationaction.org/Press_Room/Press_Releases/2007/10_18_MOSd.shtml?s_src=RSS 10/18/2007 PST Reproductive Health Supplies Pregnancy and childbirth in the United States are more deadly than ever before, even though the causes are largely preventable. Yet the U.S. barely makes it into the top 25 in the "lowest risk" category of Population Action International’s new report, behind a few surprising leaders like Croatia and Cuba. Why isn't the U.S. in the top spot? This country has the highest adolescent fertility rate of all developed countries, which leads to higher death and injury rates for young mothers and their infants.

Pregnancy and childbirth in the United States are more deadly than ever before, even though the causes are largely preventable. Yet the U.S. barely makes it into the top 25 in the “lowest risk” category of Population Action International’s new report, behind a few surprising leaders like Croatia and Cuba. Why isn’t the U.S. in the top spot? This country has the highest adolescent fertility rate of all developed countries, which leads to higher death and injury rates for young mothers and their infants.

A Measure of Survival: Calculating Women’s Sexual and Reproductive Risk will be released by Population Action International at the Women Deliver conference in London on October 18th. This report is unique because it recognizes that there are many indicators of a woman’s sexual and reproductive health. A Measure of Survival puts all the pieces of the puzzle together to form a complete picture. The report ranks 130 developing and developed countries according to sexual and reproductive risks, and provides steps to improve the reproductive health of women in all countries.

The risk of dying in pregnancy or childbirth shows the largest gap between the rich and poor of all development statistics, despite 20 years of campaigning to improve the reproductive health of women throughout the world. The lifetime risk of maternal death is over 250 times higher in poor countries than in wealthy countries.

This report is especially critical for U.S. policymakers as they consider repealing the harmful Global Gag Rule. Also known as the Mexico City policy, these restrictions undermine sexual and reproductive health services around the world—leading to more unplanned pregnancies and more unsafe abortions.

Women are at highest sexual and reproductive health risk in Niger, Chad, Mali, Yemen and Ethiopia, while the Netherlands, Switzerland, Singapore, Germany and Belgium are the safest countries for women’s health. In general, women’s sexual and reproductive health are riskiest in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, and the need for reproductive health services is greatest among the poorest women and men residing in the world’s lowest-income countries.

“What’s your number?” asks Amy Coen, President/CEO of Population Action International. “It’s a measure of your country’s dedication to women’s well-being. But make no mistake, behind each number is a woman, a family, a community and generations.”

A Measure of Survival encourages action and gives strategies for countries to lower women’s sexual and reproductive risk. Examples of recommendations include making childbirth safer by increasing access to reproductive health care; ending harmful practices like very early marriage, intimate partner violence and female genital mutilation; and financing reproductive health supplies.

Findings from the report:

Voluntary family planning can reduce the number of maternal deaths by reducing unwanted pregnancies and preventing women from seeking often-unsafe abortion. More than 120 million women say they would prefer to avoid a pregnancy, but are not using any form of contraception.

Investing in women improves the health and well-being of families, communities and even nations. It can contribute toward reducing poverty and stimulating economic development.

Some countries— including low-income countries—have successfully reduced maternal mortality. Romania, Thailand, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Egypt and Honduras have used a variety of strategies including increasing access to hospitals and midwives, improving quality of care and controlling infectious diseases.

Unprotected sex is the primary mode of HIV transmission for women. Although marriage is often seen as a protective factor, it is not. Even in countries that have seen declines in HIV prevalence, the majority of new infections are now among monogamous married women.

Pregnancy and childbirth are deadly to more than half a million women worldwide every year; pregnancy is the leading cause of death for young women aged 15 to 19 worldwide. This statistic has remained virtually unchanged for the past decade. Death and injury rates are also higher among infants born to young mothers.

In the next ten years, 100 million young women will marry before they turn 18. In most developing countries (excluding China), one in seven girls marries before she is 15. Early marriage can mark the end of investments in the education and development of girls, contributing to persistent poverty among women, and young married girls are more likely to experience domestic violence and sexual abuse.

Skilled attendance at childbirth can make the difference between life and death. In the early 1990s, it was estimated that one in four women in developing countries gave birth without skilled care. Today—fifteen years later—this figure is still the same.

Unsafe abortion is preventable when women’s family planning needs are met and when abortion is legal and accessible. Yet, it is estimated that 68,000 women die from unsafe abortion every year, and millions more suffer complications, primarily in developing countries.

More information about the report is available online at http://www.populationaction.org/mos.

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Population Action International (PAI) works to improve individual well-being and preserve global resources by mobilizing political and financial support for population, family planning and reproductive health policies and programs.]]> http://www.populationaction.org/Press_Room/Press_Releases/2007/09_06_Senate_Appropriations.shtml?s_src=RSS 09/06/2007 PST U.S. Policies & Funding Despite President Bush’s veto threat, today the Senate voted, as part of the FY 2008 State-Foreign Operations Appropriations bill, to overturn the Global Gag Rule and other destructive policies impeding U.S. family planning and HIV/AIDS assistance. The Senate foreign assistance bill already included key provisions identical to the House-passed bill (H.R. 2764) -- exempting contraceptives from the Global Gag Rule and repealing the abstinence-only funding restrictions for HIV prevention programs. However, by a vote of 53-41, the Senate went a step further and voted to repeal the Gag Rule entirely. As a result, the bill will help correct some of the most egregious and harmful aspects of U.S. international family planning and reproductive health policy.

Today’s Senate vote marks the first time since the Global Gag Rule has been in force – from 1984 to 1993 and again since 2001 – that both the House and Senate have passed legislation to repeal or modify the restriction that has wreaked havoc on family planning efforts, especially in Africa. The Senate’s stance is significant in light of the all-important showdown that looms with the White House over President Bush’s threatened veto of the entire $34 billion foreign assistance bill because of the Gag Rule provisions.

What the Bill Does:

1. Overturns the Global Gag Rule (Mexico City Policy), an executive memorandum issued by President Bush upon taking office in January 2001. The restrictions were purportedly designed to reduce abortion by limiting a woman’s access to abortion services, and to ensure that U.S. funding for family planning services overseas is completely separate from abortion activities. From 1984 to 1992 there was no evidence that the policy reduced abortion. There is no evidence that it is any different this time around. Instead, the gag rule is likely having the opposite effect: it has reduced access to contraception, leading to more unwanted and high-risk pregnancies, more unsafe abortions, and more maternal illness, injury, and death.

2. Expands access to contraceptives in poor, impoverished nations by providing a limited exemption from the Global Gag Rule solely for USAID-donated contraceptives.

3. Provides greater effectiveness and flexibility in the fight against HIV/AIDS by allowing the President to waive the restriction under PEPFAR (President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief) that mandates at least one-third of U.S. HIV/AIDS prevention funding be limited to abstinence-until-marriage programs.

Why This Is Important:

Statement from Terri Bartlett, Vice President for Public Policy at Population Action International:

“Today the Senate joined the House of Representatives in sending a clear and strong message around the world. We are tired of talking about prevention and the needs of impoverished women and families, and then putting U.S. health assistance in a straightjacket. By voting to overturn the Global Gag Rule, expand access to contraceptives, and repeal rigid abstinence funding mandates, the Senate has brought common sense back to U.S. development assistance. Under the tremendous leadership of Chairman Leahy, the Senate has signaled to the world that the U.S. is ready to walk the walk.

The real winners today are the tens of millions of poor women overseas without basic reproductive health care that American women take for granted. The provisions included in today's bill will save tens of thousands of lives and improve the quality of life for countless women and families around the world. Contraceptives and condoms help prevent unintended pregnancy, unsafe abortion and HIV infection, and current U.S. policies that restrict their flow to women and couples make no sense. The American people overwhelmingly support family planning – and they know that the real way to reduce abortion is to expand access to contraceptives to those who want them. It's really that simple.”

Global Gag Rule

Since 1995, U.S. funding for international family planning programs has fallen more than $100 million – a 41 percent reduction when adjusted for inflation – despite a growing demand for contraceptives and reproductive health care in the developing world.

In addition to funding shortfalls, the imposition of the Global Gag Rule has had a devastating impact on family planning programs – particularly in poor, developing nations. In Zambia alone, the sole NGO to operate reproductive health clinics in that country has lost nearly 40 percent of its staff members, scaled back services, and ended vital community-based distribution of contraceptive supplies and health information.

Population Action International produced a seven minute documentary that details the impact of the Global Gag Rule on reproductive health programs in Zambia, one of the poorest countries in Africa. At a time when one in five adults is infected with HIV and nearly 70 percent of the population is under the age of 24, the gag rule has deprived Zambia's primary family planning agency of critical U.S. assistance. The video can be viewed online and is part of "Access Denied: U.S. Restrictions on International Family Planning," a collection of materials produced by the Global Gag Rule Impact Project.

Contraceptives Provision:

A provision in the bill expands access to contraceptives in poor, impoverished nations by providing a limited exemption from the Global Gag Rule solely for USAID-donated contraceptives and condoms. It does not provide financial assistance of any kind to family planning organizations. It simply would allow organizations to get donations of contraceptives from USAID.

Since the Gag Rule was reinstated in 2001, shipments of contraceptives from the U.S. government have been stopped in 20 developing countries in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. Leading indigenous family planning providers in several other countries have also stopped receiving contraceptives from the U.S.

Contraceptives help reduce abortion, HIV infection and other sexually transmitted infections, and save the lives of mothers and infants by reducing high-risk and unintended pregnancies.

Providing modern contraceptives to the 200 million women in the developing world who desire – but lack access to – this health care would avert 52 million unwanted pregnancies annually, preventing approximately 29 million abortions, 142,000 pregnancy-related deaths and 505,000 children from losing their mothers.

Abstinence-Only Repeal:

A provision in the bill provides greater effectiveness and flexibility in the fight against HIV/AIDS by allowing the President to waive the restriction under PEPFAR that mandates at least one-third of HIV prevention funding be limited to abstinence-until-marriage programs.

This will allow U.S.-funded HIV/AIDS programs to better respond to the differing features of the epidemic in each country.

In 2006, there were 4.3 million new HIV infections. According to the WHO, unprotected heterosexual sex is the leading cause of HIV infections worldwide, representing 80 percent of new infections in sub-Saharan Africa.

Marriage is not a protective factor from contracting HIV/AIDS. Over the next ten years, more than 100 million girls in developing countries will be married before their 18th birthdays – mostly to older men and against their will. These g