Consequences of UNFPA's resource situation
UNFPA resource targets
UNFPA's resource mobilization plan
Measures to strengthen resource mobilization
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Funding constraints have dramatically affected the development of a number of UNFPA
programmes. Due to the unpredictability of the Fund’s income base, and the recent
two-year stagnation in general resources, UNFPA has been forced to take a more
conservative fiscal approach to programme development. In practical terms this has meant
that the Fund has been unable to accommodate a significant portion of country needs as
identified by various needs assessment missions.
Reports from UNFPA's field offices confirm that the Fund's country programmes are
suffering from inadequate resources. At the end of 1996, for example, the Lebanon field
office requested $10 million for the next country programme, which could have easily been
absorbed in that country’s post-emergency situation, but resource limitations forced
the Fund to propose a programme of only $3.5 million for the period 1997- 2001. Likewise,
the Viet Nam country office requested from $36 to $40 million dollars for its next
programme, which would have kept annual funding levels similar to the previous programme,
but the request had to be scaled back to $24 million over four years. These examples could
be repeated for many, if not most, of the Fund’s programmes.
In general, the Fund's programme activities are constrained by insufficient resources,
unpredictable funding levels from year to year, fluctuating exchange rates, and late
payments by donor governments. It is clear that as developing countries move towards
fulfilling the goals of the ICPD they are in a position to use far more resources for
population programmes than they are presently receiving, and funding constraints have kept
UNFPA from delivering the assistance that it could.
Given its current staffing and organizational structure, the Fund has the existing
capacity to increase its assistance to developing countries by approximately 15 per cent
by 1999. This would mean boosting the Fund’s income base from $345 million in 1998 to
about $400 million in 1999. This modest increase in funding would allow UNFPA to respond
more adequately to the escalating needs of developing countries and in the process would
make a greater positive impact on the reproductive health needs of individuals and
couples. Furthermore, by 2002 UNFPA is fully prepared to channel approximately 20 per cent
– or $1.14 billion – of the $5.7 billion in international donor assistance that
was pledged in the ICPD Programme of Action to assist developing countries in meeting
their population needs. ______________________________________________
Positive Consequences from Increased UNFPA Income
UNFPA has been able to come up with some tentative, but striking, conclusions for the
years 1997 through 2002 if the Fund is able to reach its financial goals. It calculates a
number of positive consequences for people in the developing countries and countries in
transition were UNFPA's income to grow from the 1997 level of $320 million to $1.14
billion by 2002. The following examples illustrate what could be achieved in human terms
if this additional income were available for UNFPA programmes:
- In 2002, 38 million additional couples and individuals would have access to modern
family planning services. Over the entire 1997-2002 period, about 75 million additional
couples and individuals would have used UNFPA-supported reproductive health services.
- In sub-Saharan Africa alone, 4.4 million additional people would be using reproductive
health and family planning services.
- Over the course of the five-year period, around 31 million unwanted pregnancies would be
avoided as a direct result of increased access to reproductive health and family planning
services provided by UNFPA-supported programmes.
- Preventing unwanted pregnancies would lead to other beneficial consequences.
Cumulatively over the period 1997-2002, over 15 million fewer unwanted births would occur;
3.4 million of them in sub-Saharan Africa.
- Preventing unwanted pregnancies would also lead to fewer abortions being performed.
During 1997-2002 , it is estimated that 12 million abortions would be prevented if
additional services due to increased UNFPA support were to materialize.
- By reducing unwanted pregnancies and unintended births, maternal mortality would also be
reduced. It is estimated that around 60,000 women's lives would be saved over the
1997-2002 period as a direct result of the extra support UNFPA could provide to developing
countries. The number of women spared from serious complications due to pregnancy and
childbirth would total 770,000; nearly half of them would reside in sub-Saharan Africa.
- Reducing the number of unintended births would also reduce infant and child mortality.
Over the 1997-2002 period, increased UNFPA resources would be able to support reproductive
health and family planning programmes that would lead to 1.3 million fewer infant and
child deaths. About 480,000 of these infants and children who would survive would be from
sub-Saharan Africa.
Other benefits from fewer unwanted pregnancies and births would also occur, but these
are harder to quantify. Lower fertility rates would lead to increased female participation
in the labour force and greater gender empowerment in general. Household savings would
increase, leading to greater opportunities for human development through better health,
education and nutrition. These benefits would operate not only at the family level but
also at the societal level in terms of more resources per pupil and more preventive health
measures per person.
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