Ringing the Opening Bell in Recognition of Restored US Support to UNFPA

NEW YORK - Anika Rahman, president of Americans for UNFPA, rang the opening bell of the NASDAQ Stock Market today.

The honour of opening the NASDAQ Stock Market was in recognition of restored US support for UNFPA and the world’s women. Last month, the United States joined over 180 governments in providing financial support for UNFPA’s global women’s health programmes. For the first time since 2001, Congress, with support of the Obama Administration, announced a $50 million allocation for UNFPA in fiscal year 2009.

"While the world loses $15 billion in productivity because of maternal death," Ms. Rahman told the assembly, "it would only cost $6 billion to provide the health services to save the lives of women around the world."  A woman dies every minute from preventable, pregnancy-related causes, she noted.

Americans for UNFPA builds moral, political and financial support for the work of UNFPA within the United States.