Archive for April, 2009
Howard Berman (D-CA), Chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, and Mark Kirk (R-IL) have introduced a bi-partisan bill requiring the President to draft and implement a comprehensive National Strategy for Global Development. The Strategy requirement is one part of H.R. 2139 – Initiating Foreign Assistance Reform Act of 2009 – legislation that also strengthens monitoring and evaluation of US foreign aid programs and mandates greater transparency of aid resources provided by the United States.
With at least 12 departments, 25 different agencies, and nearly 60 government offices involved in US foreign assistance operations, a key element of the Strategy will be its interagency approach to set out a coherent framework to guide US efforts to reduce global poverty and promote broad-based economic growth in the developing world. Ideally, this will be led by the National Security Council, reaching out across all of government. Importantly, the Strategy will go beyond simply development assistance programs and consider broadly US development policies that affect poverty and economic growth in poor countries, including trade, debt relief, climate change and others. The legislation further requires the creation of a process to improve and strengthen coordination among the various departments and agencies engaged in foreign assistance.
With Development as one of the three pillars of US national security, along with Defense and Diplomacy, a National Strategy on Global Development is long over-due. President Obama has committed to a series of important global development actions, including a doubling of foreign assistance and major agriculture, education, and health initiatives. To avoid the existing fragmentation and conflicting purposes of US foreign aid policies, the implementation of a National Strategy will be a significant first step. But a more comprehensive overhaul of aid programs and apparatus is necessary. Chairman Berman promises that this bill is a “down payment” on a much broader and much more difficult task to re-write the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, an effort he plans for later this year.
-Larry Nowels
You have just one day left to submit your story to The Big Read, a book that will be translated and distributed in over 100 countries as a tool for promoting literacy and good quality, free and public education for everyone. The Global Campaign for Education will present this book to President Obama on June 16.
Learn more about the contest and submit your story here.
We’re looking for the 1,000-word-or-less story of a ONE member who has something to say about education. Whether you have actively campaigned for education initiatives through ONE, have your own unique experience with how education has impacted your life, or have brought education to others directly, we want your story.
On May 8, we will announce the one story to appear in The Big Read along with writings by Nelson Mandela, Queen Rania, Desmond Tutu, Natalie Portman and other notable figures.
Send us your story before midnight tomorrow — Friday, May 1 — to have it considered for the book.
-Emily Stivers
Apr 30th, 2009 2:53 PM UTC
By Field
Yesterday, a couple ONE members and I met with a top aide at Senator Ben Nelson’s office in Omaha. We had a very good meeting.; the Senator’s staff was really receptive to us. We all sat down together and talked for a good 20 minutes. We presented him with information on ONE and answered any questions that he had. He was very impressed by the number of ONE members in our state, and we plan to meet with Senator Nelson when he returns to Omaha. Myself and the other ONE members had a good time and enjoyed the opportunity to play a role in the ONE organization and its fight against global poverty.
-Steve White, ONE Volunteer- Valley, NE
It’s time once again for the RESULTS International Conference — an exciting opportunity for activists who want to learn more about how to talk to their elected leaders and local press about ending poverty. From June 20-24, RESULTS and RESULTS Educational Fund will be hosting our annual International Conference, featuring RESULTS activists from across the U.S. and around the world. Participants will learn how to improve their lobbying and communication skills in workshops that are designed both for those just starting out, and those who have strong relationships with their elected officials! Split plenary sessions will address global and domestic issues separately.
Activities won’t be limited to the conference site. The last day of the conference will be devoted to meetings with our activists and their members of Congress, and meetings at the World Bank and IMF for our international partners. At the end of each day, my colleagues and I will host optional walking tours of DC, under-30 socials, and karaoke dance parties to make sure that participants can have some fun during their time in DC.
RESULTS and RESULTS Educational Fund provides our partners in the U.S. and around the world with the tools they need to get informed about fighting poverty both in the U.S. and abroad, and how to engage their policymakers and editorial boards. We focus on campaigns pertaining to global health, education, health care for all, microcredit, and ending hunger through nutrition programs. To learn more about us, or to register for our conference, please visit our website. I hope to see you there!
-Robyn Shepherd, RESULTS
Apr 30th, 2009 10:35 AM UTC
By Field
Recently, a handful of volunteers made time in their busy schedules to represent the interests of those living in extreme poverty. Representing ONE Salt Lake were Kate, Laura, Suzanne, Drew, and me. We met with senior advisors to Senator Robert Bennett, Jessica Christopher and Mary Maughn. They were inspired by what we are doing and impressed with the numbers that ONE has behind it. We are on the list to meet with the senator himself.
It all comes down to each person doing that one extra thing to make a difference. Thank you to those of you who came today. For those who couldn’t make it, please watch for new opportunities to be involved in the coming weeks. I have a feeling this is a strong start to a new relationship that will bring rewards for everyone.
So congratulations to you all…but we still have far to go.
Stay committed, be informed, and keep in touch!
-Naresh Kumar, ONE Volunteer- Salt Lake City, Utah
The Washington Post writes how diseases, from influenza to tuberculosis to cholera and now swine flu, are spreading ever more quickly in an increasingly globalized world. But so, too, are the tools necessary to combat outbreaks of disease: expertise, medicine, money and information.
Washington Post—Diseases Travel Fast, but So Do Tools to Fight Them
Dr. Eric Goosby, a pioneer in the fight against AIDS, is President Obama’s choice to run the American effort to combat the disease globally, the White House announced this week. “The Pepfar program has already saved millions of lives in sub-Saharan Africa and other hard-hit areas around the world,” Dr. Goosby said in a statement. “But significant challenges relating to the prevention and treatment of H.I.V. remain.”
NY Times—Obama Picks Leader for Global AIDS Effort
Zimbabwe’s leaders this week failed for the fourth time in a fortnight to resolve a series of contentious issues threatening to paralyze the country’s shaky coalition government. The crisis talks remained deadlocked after long hours of intense discussions, signaling a serious political problem besetting the new government. A fierce power struggle is raging behind the scenes as President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai intensify their battle for political control.
Business Day (South Africa) – No Aid for Zimbabwe as Leaders Struggle to Overcome Political Impasse
Growing evidence indicates battle-hardened extremists are filtering out of safe havens along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border and into eastern Africa, bringing sophisticated terrorist tactics that include suicide attacks. The alarming shift, according to U.S. military and counterterrorism officials, is fueling concern that Somalia is increasingly on a path to become the next Afghanistan — a sanctuary where al-Qaida-linked groups could train and plan attacks against the West.
Associated Press – Terrorists filter into Africa
-Steve Wilson
ONE volunteers Sara Friar and Daisy Rosales joined me on the Hill today to talk to Congressman Wolf’s staff about his efforts to fight global poverty. Sara first thanked the congressman for his support of important, life-saving legislation like PEPFAR. Rep. Wolf has a long history defending human rights and promoting development abroad during his congressional career representing the 10th district of Virginia.
Elyse Anderson, his Appropriations Legislative Assistant, assured us that the congressman would continue to search for economically sound ways to defend the international affairs budget to continue his good work in the developing world. She said that Congressman Wolf has been dedicated to helping Africa ever since he visited the continent for the first time in the 1980s with Rep. Tony Hall, a Democrat from Ohio. Ms. Anderson said that he is interested in bipartisan solutions to address issues of poverty and preventable disease in Africa and other places in need.
-Lauren Conn
