[afro-nets] U.S. Clout Raises Worries for World Health Agency

[Claudio Schuftan <claudio@hcmc.netnam.vn>]

U.S. Clout Raises Worries for World Health Agency
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By Bojana Stoparic
WeNews correspondent

(WOMENSENEWS)--Some women's and global health experts are
beginning to question whether Dr. Margaret Chan, the new
director-general of the World Health Organization, can stand up
to the historical interference from its biggest donor, the
United States. The Bush administration has been pushing a pro-
abstinence, anti-abortion agenda at WHO and has cut its funding
for comprehensive sexual and reproductive health services
worldwide.

"The U.S. has pressured WHO behind the scenes not to address
unsafe abortions and to remove references to sexual and
reproductive rights," says Jodi Jacobson, executive director of
Center for Health and Gender Equity in Takoma Park, Md.

When Chan in early February appeared to side with the U.S.
position against giving developing countries easy access to
cheap generic drugs, skeptics wondered whether it was a sign
that Chan might follow the U.S. lead on other issues as well.

"Chan's stance on generic drugs does not make me confident that
she will be able to stand up to Washington on sexual and
reproductive health issues," said Jacobson.

Chan declined through her office to be interviewed for this
story.

But in a Jan. 4 address to WHO staff from the organization's
headquarters in Geneva, Chan announced that improving women's
health would be one of her top two priorities.

"Women are a vulnerable group because of the work they do, their
care-giving role, the risks they face during pregnancy and
childbirth and their low status in some societies," Chan told
her staff.

'Public Commitment to Women'

"Dr. Chan is the first director-general to make such a public
commitment to women," said Adrienne Germain, president of the
International Women's Health Coalition in New York City. "She
has the potential to raise the profile of women's health issues
through her leadership."

Germain added that WHO has in the past failed to give women's
health issues the resources and attention they need. For the
2004-2005 biennial budget, totaling US$ 2.8 billion, US$ 15
million was allocated for women's health. Another US$ 39 million
was allocated to making pregnancy safer.

"That's a drop in the bucket compared to what's needed," said
Germain. According to a 2000 WHO report, US$ 9 billion a year is
necessary to reduce maternal mortality and increase access to
health care services for the millions of pregnant women facing
life-threatening complications.

Sexual and reproductive health worldwide is either stagnating or
in decline, according to a global study published in the British
medical journal the Lancet last November. This year, an
estimated 529,000 women, most of them in developing countries,
will die during pregnancy or childbirth from largely preventable
causes. Another 68,000 women will die from unsafe abortions.
Almost a quarter-million women will die from cervical cancer.

The same study pointed out that international aid for family
planning fell to US$ 460 million in 2003 from US$ 560 million in
1995.

Gag Rule Reinstated in 2001

When George Bush took office in January 2001, he reinstated the
Mexico City Policy, also called the global gag rule, which
prohibits U.S. aid to foreign nongovernmental organizations that
provide any abortion-related information or services, even if
those services are funded with other money.

"Local NGOs have lost crucial money, technical assistance and
access to contraceptive supplies as a result," said Wendy
Turnbull, a policy and research associate with the Washington-
based Population Action International.

At WHO, the United States has also delayed the approval of lists
of essential medicines because some of the medicines could be
used to induce abortion. These lists serve as guidelines for
what drugs countries should have available for their
populations.

In January, the 34-member executive board of WHO adopted a
strategy on gender, women and health that calls for enhancing
the organization's capacity for analyzing gender differences in
health services and outcomes and integrating gender
considerations into all areas of work. The strategy has been
developed over the past 15 years and was on the agenda before
Chan's appointment.

Germain reported that the U.S. delegation at the meeting opposed
a robust endorsement of the strategy. In the end it was
"recognized" but not "endorsed" by the executive committee. Such
wording can impact how seriously the resolution will be
considered by the World Health Assembly, WHO's governing body,
when it votes on whether to adopt the strategy at its next
meeting in May.

Chan is accountable to the World Health Assembly, which makes
the organization's policy decisions and is made up of ministers
of health from the 193 member states. While member dues
accounted for US$ 880 million in the 2004-2005 biennial budget,
voluntary contributions added up to over US$ 1.9 billion. The
United States is the biggest WHO donor, giving US$ 170 million
in member fees and an additional US$ 226 million in voluntary
contributions during the 2004-2005 financial year.