Congressional Briefing
February 23, 1998

• FY 1997 Development of Assistance: $ 31,650,000
• FY 1997 International Narcotics Fund: $ 20,000,000
• FY 1997 P.L. 480, Title II Requests: $55,600,000
• Total 1997 funding requested for population and health:
  • $13,047,000 is planned for population activities
  • $6,019,000 is planned for health activities
• To address Peru's evolving development needs and U.S. foreign policy objectives, USAID pursues four strategic objectives. They are: (1) broader citizen participation with more responsive public institutions; (2) increased incomes of the poor; (3) improved health, including family planning, of high risk populations; and (4) improved environmental conditions in targeted areas.
• P.L. Title II activities are used to achieve dual humanitarian and development assistance objectives. Approximately two million poor Peruvians are direct or indirect beneficiaries of the Title II funds, and are thus vulnerable to coercion (see next point below).
• Preliminary Ministry of Health data show a nationwide rise in contraceptive use of 33% with all methods experiencing an absolute increase. "USAID's achievement, as the major donor in family planning, has been great," according to the agency.
• Many NGOs provide temporary food support to extremely poor women while simultaneously working to educate them on nutrition, health and family planning.
• "Contraceptive prevalence" increased by 33% between 1986 and 1995, according to the agency.
• In FY 1997, USAID will continue to support U.S. and local NGOs and Peruvian public-sector institutions in efforts to: (1) strengthen the quality of basic health care services, such as immunization, family planning and related maternal and child health services.
• USAID remains the largest donor in family planning, investing annually about seven times more than the second one, the United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA). UNFPA and the Overseas Development Administration (the United Kingdom bilateral agency) donate complimentary contraceptives and fund small-scale activities in population research, management and service delivery. Other bilateral donors, such as the Netherlands, Canada, Germany and France, as well as the European Union, hold regular meetings with USAID, particularly in reproductive health issues, following the Cairo and Beijing Plans of Action. Estimated host country counterpart contributions for the life of the strategic objective are $68,760,000.