The United States was left isolated at the conclusion of the Fifth Annual Pacific Population Conference in Bangkok on 17 December when it was the only country not to sign up to a Programme for Action which reaffirmed support for the 1994 international family planning and population agreement. As previously reported on aidsmap, the Bush administration said that parts of the 1994 agreement which referred to “reproductive health services” and “reproductive rights” promoted abortion. The US delegation also asked for a reference to “consistent condom use” to be withdrawn, reflecting the Bush administration’s domestic policy which only provides government funding for sexual health education which advocates abstinence until marriage and only mentions condoms in the context of their (extremely low) failure rate.
US Assistant Secretary of State, Eugene Dewey tried to play down the US refusal to re-endorse the plan of action, saying “there should be no inference drawn from the fact that everyone else seems happy with the language…that we have a great gulf between us and the other representatives here.”
Delegates from aid agencies did not see the US action in this light, with Terri Bartlett of Population Action International saying “delegations came here prepared to strengthen language in the Plan of Action on areas of joint concern” including “HIV/AIDS and the elimination of poverty. Instead, they were met with a roadblock after roadblock erected by the US delegation in its singular determination to export a domestic political agenda.”