[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 965 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







106th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 965

To restore a United States voluntary contribution to the United Nations 
                            Population Fund.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 5, 1999

 Mr. Jeffords (for himself, Ms. Snowe, Mr. Leahy, Mrs. Murray, and Mr. 
    Durbin) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
             referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To restore a United States voluntary contribution to the United Nations 
                            Population Fund.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``United Nations Population Fund 
(UNFPA) Funding Act of 1999''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) The renewed commitment of the world community to the 
        formulation of government policies that contribute to global 
        population stabilization and to improvements in the status of 
        women owes much to the efforts of the United Nations and its 
        specialized agencies and organizations, particularly the United 
        Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
            (2) Over one-half of the UNFPA's assistance is devoted to 
        maternal and child health programs, including the provision of 
        family planning services, and it is a major supplier of modern 
        methods of contraception. UNFPA also supports efforts aimed at 
        preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS and other sexually-
        transmitted diseases and activities aimed specifically at 
        enhancing the status of women.
            (3) UNFPA does not fund abortion services, rather, UNFPA 
        seeks to reduce the incidence of abortion by improving access 
        to contraceptive services and to reduce deaths and injuries 
        related to unsafe abortion by supporting treatment of women 
        suffering from its complications.
            (4) Operating in over 160 nations in all regions of the 
        world and as a politically neutral source of funds, UNFPA 
        complements the important work of the United States Agency for 
        International Development population assistance program.
            (5) As a result of the withdrawal of the United States 
        contribution to UNFPA as of 1999, it is estimated that 870,000 
        women in the developing world will be deprived of effective 
        modern contraception, leading to 500,000 unintended 
        pregnancies, 234,000 births, 200,000 abortions, and thousands 
        of maternal and child deaths.
            (6) Many global environmental problems, including water 
        shortages, pollution, tropical deforestation, and the loss of 
        wildlife habitat are linked to rapid population growth. UNFPA 
        has assisted countries around the world plan for and slow 
        population growth, therefore reducing its effects on the 
        environment.
            (7) Assistance provided by UNFPA conforms to the principle, 
        affirmed at the 1994 International Conference on Population and 
        Development by 180 nations, including the United States, that 
        ``all couples and individuals have the basic right to decide 
        freely and responsibly the number and spacing of their children 
        and to have the information, education, and means to do so.''.
            (8) UNFPA opposes coercion in any form. All of UNFPA's 
        programs are designed in conformity with universally recognized 
        human rights principles.
            (9) An appropriate way to express the legitimate concerns 
        of the United States Government about the population policies 
        of the People's Republic of China is by placing those concerns 
        on the bilateral agenda along with other important human rights 
        issues, not by singling out a United Nations agency by 
        withholding all funding thereby punishing the women and 
        families around the world who depend on its humanitarian aid.
            (10) UNFPA can and should play a constructive role in 
        helping to reduce the incidence of coercive practices in China 
        through its new country program that aims to expand voluntarism 
        and contraceptive method choice, to strengthen a broader range 
        of reproductive health services, and to enhance the status of 
        women.

SEC. 3. RESTORATION OF THE UNITED STATES VOLUNTARY CONTRIBUTION TO THE 
              UNITED NATIONS POPULATION FUND.

    In addition to amounts otherwise available to carry out the 
purposes of chapter 3 of part 1 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, 
there are authorized to be appropriated $25,000,000 for fiscal year 
2000 and $35,000,000 for fiscal year 2001 to be available only for 
United States voluntary contributions to the United Nations Population 
Fund.

SEC. 4. LIMITATION ON THE UNITED STATES VOLUNTARY CONTRIBUTION TO THE 
              UNITED NATIONS POPULATION FUND.

    (a) Limitation.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, of the 
funds appropriated for voluntary contributions to the United Nations 
Population Fund for each of the fiscal years 2000 and 2001, an amount 
equal to the amount allocated by the United Nations Population Fund for 
the country program in the People's Republic of China during each 
fiscal year shall be withheld from obligation and expenditure unless 
during such fiscal year, the President submits to the appropriate 
congressional committees the certification described in subsection (b).
    (b) Certification.--The President shall certify that the country 
program of the United Nations Population Fund in the People's Republic 
of China--
            (1) focuses on improving the delivery of voluntary family 
        planning information and services;
            (2) is designed in conformity with the human rights 
        principles affirmed at the International Conference on 
        Population and Development with the support of 180 nations 
        including the United States;
            (3) is implemented only in counties of the People's 
        Republic of China where all quotas and targets for the 
        recruitment of program participants have been abolished and the 
        use of coercive measures has been eliminated;
            (4) is carried out in consultation with and under the 
        oversight and approval of the UNFPA executive board, including 
        the United States representative;
            (5) is subject to regular, independent monitoring to ensure 
        compliance with the principles of informed consent and 
        voluntary participation; and
            (6) suspends operations in project counties found to be in 
        violation of program guidelines.
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