Americans for UNFPA's name was changed to Friends of UNFPA in 2012. Friends of UNFPA identifies itself as an organization which "supports the health and dignity of women everywhere." This U.S.-based

NGO A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active i ...

was formed in 1998 (as "The U.S. Committee for the United Nations Population Fund") to raise political and financial support within the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...

for the work of the

United Nations Population Fund The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), formerly the United Nations Fund for Population Activities, is a UN agency aimed at improving reproductive and maternal health worldwide. Its work includes developing national healthcare strategies ...

(UNFPA). During the Bush Administration, Friends of UNFPA advocated for the administration to restore United States funding to UNFPA, which President Bush had withheld for seven years for a total of $244 million. (Like all UN agencies, UNFPA is funded by voluntary contributions.) Currently, Americans for UNFPA advocates for fighting for the United States to contribute a significant contribution to UNFPA to "signal a return of American leadership to global women's health". UNFPA provides women's health care and promotes the rights of women in more than 140 countries around the world, making it the largest multilateral source of such assistance. UNFPA's support of women's health care includes

family planning Family planning is the consideration of the number of children a person wishes to have, including the choice to have no children, and the age at which they wish to have them. Things that may play a role on family planning decisions include marita ...

, maternal health and HIV prevention programs. Additionally, UNFPA programs prevent

gender-based violence Gender-related violence or gender-based violence includes any kind of violence directed against people due to their gender or gender identification. Types of gender-related violence include: * Violence against women (sometimes referred to simply a ...

and promote girls' access to education. Friends of UNFPA is headquartered in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * ...

, with offices in Washington, D.C., and

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

. Its president is Valerie DeFillipo.

References

External links

* http://www.friendsofunfpa.org
Americans for UNFPA

Get Involved with Americans for UNFPA

UNFPA
{{DEFAULTSORT:Americans For Unfpa Political advocacy groups in the United States United Nations Population Fund