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Update March 2007
In a world where nearly half of our sisters and brothers live in poverty, our Catholic faith calls us to protect human life and dignity. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and Catholic Relief Services (CRS) invite Catholics throughout the U.S. to join us in a Catholic Campaign against Global Poverty. The Campaign works for U.S. policies that foster economic and social development for people living in poverty throughout the world. This update is a short summary of current Campaign activities on aid, trade and debt relief. Visit the Campaign website at www.usccb.or/globalpoverty or www.crs.org/global poverty for timely alerts and more information.
Foreign Aid
FY 2007: Failing to settle on a new FY 07 budget in the last session, Congress passed a Continuing Resolution (“CR”) that, with a few exceptions, funds government operations through September 2007 based on levels set in the FY 06 budget. The exceptions include a $1.14 billion or 3.6% increase over FY 06 for International Affairs (although this is 7.2% below the Administration’s original request for FY 07) and a $1.55 billion increase for global HIV/AIDS and Malaria. Without the increase for HIV/AIDS and Malaria, many of the sick would be at much greater risk, especially recipients of Anti-Retro Viral treatment. USCCB and CRS played a leading role in ensuring that these needs were addressed in the CR. With your help, USCCB and CRS will continue to take an active role in advocating for the poor and vulnerable. Action: Be sure to thank your member of Congress if he/she supported the increased funding for HIV/AIDS in the CR. Visit the CRS Action Center (actioncenter.crs.org).
FY 2008: The Administration’s Budget Request for FY 2008 was released on February 5 th. It includes:
- 11% or $3.54 billion increase over FY 2006 enacted levels of Foreign Aid.
- $3 billion for the Millennium Challenge Account to promote economic growth, good governance and democracy in eligible countries.
- Doubled funding to fight HIV/ADIS, Malaria, and Tuberculosis globally.
- Decrease funding for other long-standing initiatives, e.g. Child and Maternal Health, Disaster Assistance, and Basic Education.
Action: The full implications of the President’s budget request will become clearer over the next few weeks as the Administration reveals more details. USCCB and CRS will be tracking the changes as more information becomes available and will suggest ways to focus on the needs of the poor.
Foreign Aid Reform: Despite recent changes in the overall structure of U.S. foreign aid, USCCB and CRS have urged the Administration tocontinue to live up to the traditional emphasis on the alleviation of poverty and hunger. After significant dialogue with USCCB and CRS, the Administration approved a change in the new goal of foreign aid funding to include a commitment to combat widespread poverty. USCCB and CRS will continue to monitor the rollout and implementation of the FY 2008 budget to ensure that the Administration demonstrates its commitment to poverty reduction through its budget allocation priorities.
Trade
HOPE for Haiti in Congress: After several years of robust advocacy from the Catholic community, Congressed approve the Haitian Hemispheric Opportunity through Partnership Encouragement (HOPE) Act in December 2006. The HOPE Act provides trade preferences for Haitian exports in order to stimulate the Haitian economy and provide tens of thousands of jobs.
President Bush has to approve (or certify) HOPE, so we will keep you alerted to any attempts to derail Haiti’s certification and eventual receipt of trade preferences.
Trade Promotion Authority (TPA or “Fast Track”): The President’s authority to negotiate trade agreements and to submit them to Congress without the possibility of amendment will expire this summer. The new Congress is currently discussing potential ways to extend TPA, especially in light of on-going global trade talks at the World Trade Organization. Negotiating without TPA may weaken the U.S. negotiating position.
TPA guides how the U.S. negotiates trade agreements. Its reauthorization offers opportunities to incorporate stronger worker and environmental protections as well as requirements for transparency and participation by the groups likely to be affected by changes in trade.
2007 U.S. Farm Bill: Reforming the U.S. farm programs is an issue of global fairness. Currently, these subsidies give wealthy farmers an unfair advantage in both domestic and global markets.
More than half of the people facing absolute poverty are dependent on agriculture for their livelihoods. By subsidizing certain U.S. crops, U.S. policy hurts poor farmers in developing countries and even in the U.S.
An equitable trading system for global agriculture is a key element in stimulating growth and reducing global poverty. USCCB and CRS will urge reform of U.S. agricultural policies focusing on these priorities:
- Supporting small and medium-sized farmers in the United States and around the world;
- Protecting the environment;
- Promoting rural development; and
- Providing safe and healthy food to the hungry.
The Catholic Campaign Against Global Poverty will urge lawmakers to reform the Farm Bill by reducing trade-distorting subsidies and creating an environment where poor farmers can make a living and support their families.
World Trade Organization (WTO): Negotiations among WTO members have been suspended since last year because of an impasse over global agriculture. Recently talks have recommenced with rumors of a tentative agreement between the U.S. and European Union on their respective agriculture supports. A breakthrough is needed for the Bush Administration to persuade Congress to renew Fast Track trade authority (see above). The spotlight is on developments at the WTO because they may impact the final shape of the 2007 U.S. Farm Bill.
Free Trade Agreements (FTA) with Columbia and Peru: As happened during the U.S.-CAFTA debate, USCCB continues to promote robust worker and environmental protections within U.S. bi-lateral trade agreements. As Congress works to rewrite key sections of the U.S.-Columbia and U.S.-Peru FTAs, USCCB will consider how these agreements comport with the Bishops’ proposed moral criteria (see TRADE Backgrounder).
Debt Relief
The Catholic Campaign Against Global Poverty Calls for the U.S. to promote greater debt relief to free up resources in developing countries to reduce poverty through development.
USCCB and CRS have been major champions of poor country debt relief for many years. Debt cancellation allows countries to use more of their resources to reduce poverty.
This year USCCB will be exploring proposals that will extend debt relief beyond the current list of about 40 eligible countries. This may require legislation in Congress. USCCB and CRS will seek opportunities to:
- Advocate with Congress to fund debt relief by appropriating $1 billion for the International Development Association (IDA) for FY 2008:
- Encourage the Administration to work for:
- extension of debt relief programs to all poor countries entitled to grants from IDA; and
- implementation of debt cancellation by the Inter-American Development Bank for Honduras, Guyana, Bolivia, Nicaragua and Haiti.
For more information and timely action alerts, visit www.usccb.org/globalpoverty or www.crs.org/globalpoverty.
A Catholic Campaign Against Global Poverty
Trade Aid Debt
2006 Global Poverty Fact Sheet >>
2006 Overview >>
Advent 2006 Resources >>
Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me. - Matthew 25:40
In a world where nearly half of our sisters and brothers live in poverty, how can we say, “go in peace” to a Sudanese child who has lost her parents in war? How can we say, “keep warm” to an Indonesian brother and sister left homeless in the wake of a tsunami? How can we say, “eat well” to a Haitian family struggling to survive in one of the poorest nations on earth?
As believers, we cannot. And because disasters and emergencies hit the poor hardest, people of faith are quick to respond generously with food for the hungry, shelter and clothing for the displaced, medical care for the suffering.
But even our generous responses to such disasters are not sufficient to address the pervasive poverty experienced by our brothers and sisters around the world. We must also work against the causes of global poverty and deprivation so that those who are currently poor can live in dignity.
This ultimately requires U.S. policies to promote development for impoverished people and to overcome poverty and its devastating effects.
And it requires people of faith to call upon our elected officials and policy makers to make genuine human development for the poorest people and nations a top U.S. policy priority.
Acting on Our Faith
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and Catholic Relief Services (CRS) invite Catholics throughout the U.S. to join this campaign as we advocate for U. S. policies that foster economic and social development for people living in poverty throughout the world. The campaign focuses on three areas of U.S. economic policy:
- Trade: Shaping U.S. trade policies so that overcoming poverty and promoting human development are central priorities;
- Aid: Supporting effective programs that foster long-term development and empowerment of the poor.
- Debt: Eliminating the debt of the poorest countries in ways that reduce poverty and promote human dignity.
While this campaign focuses on international poverty, information on the Church’s concerns about poverty in the United States can be found at www.povertyusa.org, http://usccb.org/sdwp/national/index.htm, or http://www.catholiccharitiesusa.org/advocacy/. For more information on this campaign go to www.usccb.org/globalpoverty.
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