President Biden and Vice President Harris,
On your first day in office, we are calling on your administration to immediately restore funding to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), rejoin the World Health Organization (WHO), and repeal the global gag rule. These crucial actions would reverse dangerous Trump-era decisions that hurt people and cost lives:
1. The UNFPA brings critical services to women, girls, and communities, to help them reach contraception and reproductive health care they would otherwise go without. The $100 million contribution from the U.S. is just a sliver of the $2.3 trillion U.S. federal budget.
2. The WHO plays a key role in family planning, HIV, maternal health, and malaria programs around the world. To rejoin, you must simply halt the withdrawal initiated by President Trump.
3. The Global Gag Rule, which prohibits U.S. foreign aid from funding programs that even mention abortion, costs women’s lives. An immediate Executive Order is critical to remedy this injustice.
These three steps are the beginning of what will be a sustained journey toward re-establishing the United States as the world’s leader and critical partner in advancing global health and ensuring essential health care is within the reach of communities around the world, no matter their circumstance.
I join Pathfinder International’s call on the incoming Biden-Harris administration to support these urgent global health priorities starting on Day 1.