Resolution important to Africa introduced in US Senate
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Dear Friend of Africa,
Bread for the World is pleased to announce the introduction of the
'Africa: Hunger to Harvest Resolution' in the US Senate. Senator Hagel
(Republican of Nebraska) and Senator Leahy (Democrat of Vermont) in-
troduced Senate Concurrent Resolution 53 which encourages the devel-
opment of strategies to reduce hunger and poverty, and to promote
free market economies and democratic institutions, in sub-Saharan Af-
rica. A similar measure (HConRes 102) was introduced in the US House
of Representatives by Rep. Leach (Republican of Iowa) and Rep. Donald
Payne (Democrat of New Jersey).
While a Concurrent Resolution does not have the force of law, it is a
valuable vehicle for expressing the sense of the entire Congress on
an issue. It requires dialogue between the two houses of Congress =97
dialogue which, in this case, focuses on hunger and poverty in sub-
Saharan Africa. Because the problems of poverty and hunger cut across
and interact with all other sectors, it is important that the chal-
lenges and opportunities in African development be dealt with as com-
prehensively as possible.
We urge all friends of Africa to make the time to contact their US
Senator and urge them to become a cosponsor of S. Con. Res 53 and
support increased funding for poverty focused development assistance
in Sub-Saharan Africa that will build African capacity to manage Af-
rica's development.
Call + 1-202-225-3121 and ask for your Senator's office or mail your
comments to your Senator c/o US Senate, Washington, DC 50510, USA.
All the best!
Ray Almeida
Friends of Africa
Bread for the World
mailto:africa@bread.org
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Attached is a press release from Bread for the World on the Senate
Introduction
The text of the resolution follows:
107th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. CON. RES. 53
Encouraging the development of strategies to reduce hunger and pov-
erty, and to promote free market economies and democratic institu-
tions, in sub-Saharan Africa.
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
June 21, 2001
Mr. HAGEL (for himself, Mr. LEAHY, and Mr. LEVIN) submitted the fol-
lowing concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on
Foreign Relations
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Encouraging the development of strategies to reduce hunger and pov-
erty, and to promote free market economies and democratic institu-
tions, in sub-Saharan Africa.
Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring),
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This concurrent resolution may be cited as the 'Hunger to Harvest:
Decade of Support for Sub-Saharan Africa Resolution'.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) Despite some progress in recent years, sub-Saharan Africa enters
the new millennium with many of the world's poorest countries and is
the one region of the world where hunger is both pervasive and in-
creasing.
(2) Thirty-three of the world's 41 poorest debtor countries are in
sub-Saharan Africa and an estimated 291,000,000 people, nearly one-
half of sub-Saharan Africa's total population, currently live in ex-
treme poverty on less than $1 a day.
(3) One in three people in sub-Saharan Africa is chronically under-
nourished, double the number of three decades ago. One child out of
seven dies before the age of five, and one-half of these deaths are
due to malnutrition.
(4) Sub-Saharan Africa is the region in the world most affected by
infectious disease, accounting for one-half of the deaths worldwide
from HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, cholera, and several other dis-
eases.
(5) Sub-Saharan Africa is home to 70 percent of adults, and 80 per-
cent of children, living with the HIV virus, and 75 percent of the
people worldwide who have died of AIDS lived in Africa.
(6) The HIV/AIDS pandemic has erased many of the development gains of
the past generation in sub-Saharan Africa and now threatens to under-
mine economic and social progress for the next generation, with life
expectancy in parts of sub- Saharan Africa having already decreased
by 10-20 years as a result of AIDS.
(7) Despite these immense challenges, the number of sub- Saharan Af-
rican countries that are moving toward open economies and more ac-
countable governments has increased, and these countries are begin-
ning to achieve local solutions to their common problems.
(8) To make lasting improvements in the lives of their people, sub-
Saharan Africa governments need support as they act to solve con-
flicts, make critical investments in human capacity and infrastruc-
ture, combat corruption, reform their economies, stimulate trade and
equitable economic growth, and build democracy.
(9) Despite sub-Saharan Africa's enormous development challenges,
United States companies hold approximately $12,800,000,000 in invest-
ments in sub-Saharan Africa, greater than United States investments
in either the Middle East or Eastern Europe, and total United States
trade with sub-Saharan Africa currently exceeds that with all of the
independent states of the former Soviet Union, including the Russian
Federation. This economic relationship could be put at risk unless
additional public and private resources are provided to combat pov-
erty and promote equitable economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa.
(10) Bread for the World Institute calculates that the goal of reduc-
ing world hunger by one-half by 2015 is achievable through an in-
crease of $4,000,000,000 in annual funding from all donors for pov-
erty-focused development. If the United States were to shoulder one-
fourth of this aid burden--approximately $1,000,000,000 a year--the
cost to each United States citizen would be one penny per day.
(11) Failure to effectively address sub-Saharan Africa's development
needs could result in greater conflict and increased poverty, height-
ening the prospect of humanitarian intervention and potentially
threatening a wide range of United States interests in sub-Saharan
Africa.
SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS.
It is the sense of Congress that--
(1) the years 2002 through 2012 should be declared `A Decade of Sup-
port for Sub-Saharan Africa';
(2) not later than 90 days after the date of adoption of this concur-
rent resolution, the President should submit a report to Congress
setting forth a five-year strategy, and a ten-year strategy, to
achieve a reversal of current levels of hunger and poverty in sub-
Saharan Africa, including a commitment to contribute an appropriate
United States share of increased bilateral and multilateral poverty-
focused resources for sub- Saharan Africa, with an emphasis on--
(A) health, including efforts to prevent, treat, and control
HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, and other diseases that contribute
to malnutrition and hunger, and to promote maternal health and child
survival;
(B) education, with an emphasis on equal access to learning for girls
and women;
(C) agriculture, including strengthening subsistence agriculture as
well as the ability to compete in global agricultural markets, and
investment in infrastructure and rural development;
(D) private sector and free market development, to bring sub- Saharan
Africa into the global economy, enable people to purchase food, and
make health and education investments sustainable;
(E) democratic institutions and the rule of law, including strength-
ening civil society and independent judiciaries;
(F) micro-finance development; and
(G) debt relief that provides incentives for sub-Saharan African
countries to invest in poverty-focused development, and to expand de-
mocratic participation, free markets, trade, and investment;
(3) the President should work with the heads of other donor countries
and sub-Saharan African countries, and with United States and sub-
Saharan African private and voluntary organizations and other civic
organizations, including faith-based organizations, to implement the
strategies described in paragraph (2);
(4) Congress should undertake a multi-year commitment to provide the
resources to implement those strategies; and
(5) 120 days after the date of adoption of this concurrent resolu-
tion, and every year thereafter, the Administrator of the United
States Agency for International Development, in consultation with the
heads of other appropriate Federal departments and agencies, should
submit to Congress a report on the implementation of those strate-
gies, including the action taken under paragraph (3), describing--
(A) the results of the implementation of those strategies as of the
date of the report, including the progress made and any setbacks suf-
fered;
(B) impediments to, and opportunities for, future progress;
(C) proposed changes to those strategies, if any; and
(D) the role and extent of cooperation of the governments of sub-
Saharan countries and other donors, both public and private, in com-
bating poverty and promoting equitable economic development.
--
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