And according to what the agency stated in a statement, the United Kingdom informed it that it will reduce its contribution to the Agency for Sexual and Reproductive Health by 85 percent, which means that instead of the $ 211 million committed, it will receive only $ 23 million of this amount. Year.
The United Nations Population Fund indicated that this decline will be devastating to women and girls and their families around the world, after claiming that with the loss of 180 million dollars, 250 thousand deaths of mothers and infants, 14.6 million unintended pregnancies, and 4.3 million abortions. Unsafe.
Although aware of the difficult economic situation that donor countries face due to the Covid-19 epidemic, the United Nations expressed its regret that its largest shareholder decided to breach its obligations at a time when inequalities deepened and international solidarity became more necessary than ever before.
Last November, the British Conservative government announced that it would cut its development aid amount by nearly $ 5 billion due to the economic impact of Covid-19.
As the Finance Minister, Rishi Sunak, explained during the presentation of the draft budget to Parliament for this fiscal year, instead of the equivalent of 0.7 percent of GDP specified by law, the United Kingdom will contribute in 2021 with 0, 5 percent, despite Promise to return to the previous figure as soon as circumstances permit.
The decision is criticized by non-governmental organizations, charitable institutions and religious leaders such as the Archbishop of Canterbury and lawmakers from across the British political spectrum, believing that it will contribute to exacerbating terrorism, immigration and the refugee problem in the poorest regions of the country. Planet.
Although the British government has not yet published the list of affected countries and institutions or the size of the cuts, the Independent said last week that Syria, Somalia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Libya, Nigeria and Lebanon would lose more than half of the funding.
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