GOAL 1
Eradicate Extreme Poverty and Hunger
TARGETS
1. Halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people whose income is less than $1 a day
2. Achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all, including women and young people
3. Halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people who suffer from hunger
Quick Facts
* The number of people living under the international poverty line of $1.25 a day declined from 1.8 billion to 1.4 billion
between 1990 and 2005.
* The proportion of people living in extreme poverty in developing regions dropped from 46 per cent to 27 per cent — on
track to meet the target globally.
* The economic crisis is expected to push an estimated 64 million more people into extreme poverty in 2010.
* About one in four children under the age of five is underweight in the developing world, down from almost one in three in 1990.
WHERE DO WE STAND?
The world is on track to meet the MDG target of halving the proportion of people living on less than $1 a day between 1990 and 2015. Overall poverty rates fell from 46 per cent in 1990 to 27 per cent in 2005 in developing regions, and progress in many developing countries is being sustained. This is despite setbacks caused by the 2008-09 economic downturn and the effects of the food and energy crises. However, even if these positive trends continue, in 2015, roughly 920 million people would still be living under the international poverty line of $1.25 a day, as adjusted by the World Bank in 2008. Achievements so far are largely the result of extraordinary success in Asia, mostly East Asia. Over a 25-year period, the poverty rate in East Asia fell from nearly 60 per cent to under 20 per cent. Poverty rates are expected to fall to around 5 per cent in China and 24 per cent in India by 2015. In contrast, little progress has been made in reducing extreme
poverty in sub-Saharan Africa, where the poverty rate has declined only slightly, from 58 to 51 per cent between 1990 and 2005. Sub-Saharan Africa, Western Asia and parts of Eastern Europe and Central Asia are the few regions not expected to achieve the MDG poverty reduction target.
UNITED NATIONS SUMMIT
20-22 September 2010, New York
High-level Plenary Meeting of the General Assembly
The World Bank estimates that the effects of the economic crisis will push an additional 64 million people into extreme poverty in 2010, and that poverty rates will be slightly higher in 2015 and beyond than they would have been without the crisis, mostly in sub-Saharan Africa and Eastern and South-Eastern Asia.
The proportion of people suffering from hunger is declining, but at an unsatisfactory pace. Even though the proportion of people worldwide suffering from malnutrition and hunger has fallen since the early 1990s, progress has stalled since 2000-2002. The estimate of the number of people who will suffer chronic hunger this year is 925 million, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN — down from 1.023 billion in 2009, but still more than the number of
undernourished people in 1990 (about 815 million). Between 1990 and 2008, the proportion of underweight children under five declined from 31 per cent to 26 per cent in developing regions with particular success in Eastern Asia, notably China. Despite such improvements, progress
is currently not fast enough to reach the MDG target, and particular focus is required in Southern Asia. This region alone accounts for almost half the world’s undernourished children. In all developing regions, children in rural areas are nearly twice as likely to be underweight as those in urban areas.
FACT SHEET
WHAT HAS WORKED?
• Subsidy programmes in Malawi and Ghana: Since 2005, Malawi’s voucher programme for fertilizers and seeds has helped boost its agricultural productivity, turning the country into a net food exporter after decades of famine as a perennial food importer. Malawi needs 2.2 million tons of maize a year to reach self-sufficiency. In 2005, the harvest fell to a low of 1.2 million tons of
maize. The National Input Subsidy Programme resulted in a dramatic increase to 3.2 million tons of maize in 2007. Through a similar nationwide fertilizer subsidy programme, Ghana increased food production by 40 per cent, contributing to an average decline of 9 per cent in hunger between 2003 and 2005.
• Investing in agriculture research in Vietnam: Vietnam’s investment in agriculture research and development helped cut the prevalence of hunger by more than half, from 28 per cent in 1991 to 13 per cent in 2004-06. The prevalence of underweight children was also more than halved from 45 per cent in 1994 to 20 per cent in 2006.
• Innovative finance schemes in Nigeria and Bangladesh: Nigeria’s National Special Programme for Food Security helped almost double agricultural yields and farmers’ incomes. Farmers were able to buy inputs using interestfree loans to be repaid following harvest. In Bangladesh, $107 million is to be distributed in the form of Agricultural Input Assistance Cards, targeting poor households.
• Employment programmes in Argentina: In Argentina, the Jefes y Jefas de Hogar programme employed two million workers within a few months after its initiation in 2002.
This contributed to the country’s rapid poverty reduction from 9.9 per cent that year to 4.5 per cent in 2005.
WHAT IS THE UN DOING?
• In India, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) is supporting the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme which provides a right to a minimum of 100 days of paid work a year for landless laborers and marginal farmers, benefiting some 46 million households. Almost half of the beneficiaries are women.
• UNDP provided technical expertise to establish the Ethiopian Commodity Exchange, bringing together farmers, farming co-operatives, domestic traders, agro-industrial processors, commodity exporters and institutional buyers to meet and trade through a secure, low-cost platform. An estimated 850,000 small-holder farmers (mostly producers of coffee, sesame and other cash crops) are now involved in the Exchange system, which facilitates an average of 14,527 trades per day, equal to about US$5 million to 10 million.
• The World Food Programme (WFP) provides food assistance, including cash and voucher transfers to the hungry, especially in the aftermath of a natural disaster.
WFP’s mapping tools and assessments of exactly where the hungry live help to ensure that food assistance is targeted to where it is most needed.
• The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) provides technical advice and support in many countries, such as in Nepal, and Liberia, on integrating human rights into MDG-based development planning.
• In Mali, UNDP is working with a women’s mango cooperative which aims to give women farmers the right skills to grow and treat their produce for export.
Thanks to the project, Mali’s mango exports have risen sharply, from 2,915 tons in 2005 to 12,676 tons in 2008.
The average price paid to the mango producer increased by approximately US$70 per ton.
• The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) in 2008-2009 carried out the first comparative study of child poverty in the region to promote inclusive, universal and efficient public policies for children and
adolescents.
Sources: The Millennium Development Goals Report 2010, United
Nations; UN MDG Database (mdgs.un.org); MDG Monitor Website
(http://www.mdgmonitor.org); What Will It Take to Achieve the Millennium
Development Goals? – An International Assessment 2010, UN
Development Programme (UNDP); UN Girls’ Education Initiative,
UNICEF (http://www.ungei.org); UN Population Fund (UNFPA); UN
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO); World
Food Programme (WFP); UN Regional Commissions, New York Office.
For more information, please contact mediainfo@un.org or see
http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals.
Issued by the UN Department of Public Information – DPI/2650 A/Rev.1 – September 2010
http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/pdf/MDG_FS_1_EN.pdf
109th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 3605
To require the President to develop and implement a comprehensive strategy to further the United States foreign policy objective of vastly reducing global poverty and eliminating extreme global poverty, to require periodic reports on the progress toward implementation of the strategy, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 28, 2005
Mr. Smith of Washington (for himself and Mr. Bachus) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on International Relations
A BILL
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. Short Title.
This Act may be cited as the “Global Poverty Act of 2005”.
SEC. 2. Findings.
Congress makes the following findings:
(1) More than one billion people worldwide live on less than $1 per day, and another 1.6 billion people struggle to survive on less than $2 per day, according to the World Bank.
(2) At the United Nations Millennium Summit in 2000, the United States joined more than 180 other countries in committing to work toward goals to improve life for the world’s poorest people by 2015.
(3) Such goals include reducing by one-half the proportion of people worldwide, between 1990 and 2015, that live on less than $1 per day, cutting in half the proportion of people suffering from hunger and unable to access safe drinking water and sanitation, reducing child mortality by two-thirds, ensuring basic education for all children, and reversing the spread of HIV/AIDS and malaria, while sustaining the environment upon which human life depends.
(4) On March 22, 2002, President George W. Bush stated: “We fight against poverty because hope is an answer to terror. We fight against poverty because opportunity is a fundamental right to human dignity. We fight against poverty because faith requires it and conscience demands it. We fight against poverty with a growing conviction that major progress is within our reach.”.
(5) The 2002 National Security Strategy of the United States notes: “[A] world where some live in comfort and plenty, while half of the human race lives on less than $2 per day, is neither just nor stable. Including all of the world’s poor in an expanding circle of development and opportunity is a moral imperative and one of the top priorities of U.S. international policy.”.
(6) The bipartisan Final Report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States recommends: “A comprehensive U.S. strategy to counter terrorism should include economic policies that encourage development, more open societies, and opportunities for people to improve the lives of their families and enhance prospects for their children.”.
(7) At the summit of the Group of Eight (G–8) nations in July 2005, leaders from all eight countries committed to increase aid to Africa from the current $25 billion annually to $50 billion by 2010, and to cancel 100 percent of the debt obligations owed to the World Bank, African Development Bank, and International Monetary Fund by 18 of the world’s poorest nations.
(8) The United States has recognized the need for increased financial and technical assistance to countries burdened by extreme poverty, as well as the need for strengthened economic and trade opportunities for those countries, through significant initiatives in recent years, including the United States Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Act of 2003, the Millennium Challenge Act of 2003, the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative, and trade preference programs for developing countries, such as the African Growth and Opportunity Act.
SEC. 3. Declaration of policy.
It is a major priority of United States foreign policy to vastly reduce global poverty and to eliminate extreme poverty in developing countries.
SEC. 4. Requirement to Develop Comprehensive Strategy.
(a) Strategy.—The President, acting through the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, and in consultation with the heads of other appropriate departments and agencies of the Government of the United States, international organizations, international financial institutions, recipient governments, United States and international nongovernmental organizations, civil society organizations, and other appropriate entities, shall develop and implement a comprehensive strategy to further the United States foreign policy objective of vastly reducing global poverty and eliminating extreme global poverty.
(b) Contents.—The strategy required by subsection (a) shall include, but not be limited to, the following:
(1) Specific and measurable goals, benchmarks, and timetables to achieve the global poverty reduction objectives described in subsection (a).
(2) An explanation of how these goals, benchmarks, and timetables will enable the United States to fulfill its commitment to help achieve the internationally recognized goal of reducing by one-half the proportion of people worldwide, between 1990 and 2015, who live on less than $1 per day.
(c) Guidelines.—The strategy required by subsection (a) should adhere to the following guidelines:
(1) Continued investment in existing United States initiatives related to international poverty reduction, such as the United States Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Act of 2003, the Millennium Challenge Act of 2003, the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative, and trade preference programs for developing countries, such as the African Growth and Opportunity Act.
(2) Increasing overall United States development assistance levels while at the same time improving the effectiveness of such assistance.
(3) Enhancing and expanding debt relief.
(4) Leveraging United States trade policy where possible to enhance economic development prospects for developing countries.
(5) Coordinating efforts and working in cooperation with developed and developing countries, international organizations, and international financial institutions.
(6) Mobilizing and leveraging the participation of businesses, United States and international nongovernmental organizations, civil society, and public-private partnerships.
(7) Coordinating the goal of poverty reduction with other development goals, such as combating the spread of preventable diseases such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria, increasing access to potable water and basic sanitation, and reducing hunger and malnutrition.
(8) Integrating principles of sustainable development into policies and programs.
(d) Reports.—
(1) INITIAL REPORT.—Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the President, acting through Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, shall transmit to the appropriate congressional committees a report that describes the strategy required by subsection (a).
(2) SUBSEQUENT REPORTS.—Not less than once every year after the submission of the initial report under paragraph (1) until 2015, the President shall transmit to the appropriate congressional committees a report on the status of the implementation of the strategy, progress made in achieving the global poverty reduction objectives described in subsection (a), and any changes to the strategy since the date of the submission of the last report.
SEC. 5. Definitions.
In this Act:
(1) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES.—The term “appropriate congressional committees” means—
(A) the Committee on International Relations and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives; and
(B) the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate.
(2) EXTREME GLOBAL POVERTY.—The term “extreme global poverty” refers to the conditions in which individuals live on less than $1 per day, adjusted for purchasing power parity in 1993 United States dollars, according to World Bank statistics.
(3) GLOBAL POVERTY.—The term “global poverty” refers to the conditions in which individuals live on less than $2 per day, adjusted for purchasing power parity in 1993 United States dollars, according to World Bank statistics.
http://thomas.loc.gov/home/gpoxmlc109/h3605_ih.xml
II
110TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION S. 2433
To require the President to develop and implement a comprehensive strategy
to further the United States foreign policy objective of promoting the
reduction of global poverty, the elimination of extreme global poverty,
and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goal of reducing
by one-half the proportion of people worldwide, between 1990 and 2015,
who live on less than $1 per day.
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
DECEMBER 7, 2007
Mr. OBAMA (for himself, Mr. HAGEL, and Ms. CANTWELL) introduced the following
bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign
Relations
A BILL
To require the President to develop and implement a comprehensive
strategy to further the United States foreign
policy objective of promoting the reduction of global poverty,
the elimination of extreme global poverty, and the
achievement of the Millennium Development Goal of reducing
by one-half the proportion of people worldwide,
between 1990 and 2015, who live on less than $1 per
day.
1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Global Poverty Act
3 of 2007’’.
4 SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
5 Congress makes the following findings:
6 (1) More than 1,000,000,000 people worldwide
7 live on less than $1 per day, and another
8 1,600,000,000 people struggle to survive on less
9 than $2 per day, according to the World Bank.
10 (2) At the United Nations Millennium Summit
11 in 2000, the United States joined more than 180
12 other countries in committing to work toward goals
13 to improve life for the world’s poorest people by
14 2015.
15 (3) The year 2007 marks the mid-point to the
16 Millennium Development Goals deadline of 2015.
17 (4) The United Nations Millennium Develop18
ment Goals include the goal of reducing by one-half
19 the proportion of people worldwide, between 1990
20 and 2015, that live on less than $1 per day, cutting
21 in half the proportion of people suffering from hun22
ger and unable to access safe drinking water and
23 sanitation, reducing child mortality by two-thirds,
24 ensuring basic education for all children, and revers25
ing the spread of HIV/AIDS and malaria, while sus-
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3
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1 taining the environment upon which human life de2
pends.
3 (5) On March 22, 2002, President George W.
4 Bush stated: ‘‘We fight against poverty because hope
5 is an answer to terror. We fight against poverty be6
cause opportunity is a fundamental right to human
7 dignity. We fight against poverty because faith re8
quires it and conscience demands it. We fight
9 against poverty with a growing conviction that major
10 progress is within our reach.’’.
11 (6) The 2002 National Security Strategy of the
12 United States notes: ‘‘[A] world where some live in
13 comfort and plenty, while half of the human race
14 lives on less than $2 per day, is neither just nor sta15
ble. Including all of the world’s poor in an expanding
16 circle of development and opportunity is a moral im17
perative and one of the top priorities of U.S. inter18
national policy.’’.
19 (7) The 2006 National Security Strategy of the
20 United States notes: ‘‘America’s national interests
21 and moral values drive us in the same direction: to
22 assist the world’s poor citizens and least developed
23 nations and help integrate them into the global econ24
omy.’’.
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4
•S 2433 IS
1 (8) The bipartisan Final Report of the National
2 Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United
3 States recommends: ‘‘A comprehensive United
4 States strategy to counter terrorism should include
5 economic policies that encourage development, more
6 open societies, and opportunities for people to im7
prove the lives of their families and enhance pros8
pects for their children.’’.
9 (9) At the summit of the Group of Eight (G–
10 8) nations in July 2005, leaders from all eight par11
ticipating countries committed to increase aid to Af12
rica from the current $25,000,000,000 annually to
13 $50,000,000,000 by 2010, and to cancel 100 percent
14 of the debt obligations owed to the World Bank, Af15
rican Development Bank, and International Mone16
tary Fund by 18 of the world’s poorest nations.
17 (10) At the United Nations World Summit in
18 September 2005, the United States joined more
19 than 180 other governments in reiterating their
20 commitment to achieve the United Nations Millen21
nium Development Goals by 2015.
22 (11) The United States has recognized the need
23 for increased financial and technical assistance to
24 countries burdened by extreme poverty, as well as
25 the need for strengthened economic and trade oppor-
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5
•S 2433 IS
1 tunities for those countries, through significant ini2
tiatives in recent years, including the Millennium
3 Challenge Act of 2003 (22 U.S.C. 7701 et seq.), the
4 United States Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tu5
berculosis, and Malaria Act of 2003 (22 U.S.C.
6 7601 et seq.), the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries
7 Initiative, and trade preference programs for devel8
oping countries, such as the African Growth and Op9
portunity Act (19 U.S.C. 3701 et seq.).
10 (12) In January 2006, United States Secretary
11 of State Condoleezza Rice initiated a restructuring
12 of the United States foreign assistance program, in13
cluding the creation of a Director of Foreign Assist14
ance, who maintains authority over Department of
15 State and United States Agency for International
16 Development (USAID) foreign assistance funding
17 and programs.
18 (13) In January 2007, the Department of
19 State’s Office of the Director of Foreign Assistance
20 added poverty reduction as an explicit, central com21
ponent of the overall goal of United States foreign
22 assistance. The official goal of United States foreign
23 assistance is: ‘‘To help build and sustain democratic,
24 well-governed states that respond to the needs of
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6
•S 2433 IS
1 their people, reduce widespread poverty and conduct
2 themselves responsibly in the international system.’’.
3 (14) Economic growth and poverty reduction
4 are more successful in countries that invest in the
5 people, rule justly, and promote economic freedom.
6 These principles have become the core of several de7
velopment programs of the United States Govern8
ment, such as the Millennium Challenge Account.
9 SEC. 3. DECLARATION OF POLICY.
10 It is the policy of the United States to promote the
11 reduction of global poverty, the elimination of extreme
12 global poverty, and the achievement of the Millennium De13
velopment Goal of reducing by one-half the proportion of
14 people worldwide, between 1990 and 2015, who live on less
15 than $1 per day.
16 SEC. 4. REQUIREMENT TO DEVELOP COMPREHENSIVE
17 STRATEGY.
18 (a) STRATEGY.—The President, acting through the
19 Secretary of State, and in consultation with the heads of
20 other appropriate departments and agencies of the United
21 States Government, international organizations, inter22
national financial institutions, the governments of devel23
oping and developed countries, United States and inter24
national nongovernmental organizations, civil society orga25
nizations, and other appropriate entities, shall develop and
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1 implement a comprehensive strategy to further the United
2 States foreign policy objective of promoting the reduction
3 of global poverty, the elimination of extreme global pov4
erty, and the achievement of the Millennium Development
5 Goal of reducing by one-half the proportion of people
6 worldwide, between 1990 and 2015, who live on less than
7 $1 per day.
8 (b) CONTENT.—The strategy required by subsection
9 (a) shall include specific and measurable goals, efforts to
10 be undertaken, benchmarks, and timetables to achieve the
11 objectives described in subsection (a).
12 (c) COMPONENTS.—The strategy required by sub13
section (a) should include the following components:
14 (1) Continued investment or involvement in ex15
isting United States initiatives related to inter16
national poverty reduction, such as the United
17 States Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis,
18 and Malaria Act of 2003 (22 U.S.C. 7601 et seq.),
19 the Millennium Challenge Act of 2003 (22 U.S.C.
20 7701 et seq.), and trade preference programs for de21
veloping countries, such as the African Growth and
22 Opportunity Act (19 U.S.C. 3701 et seq.).
23 (2) Improving the effectiveness of development
24 assistance and making available additional overall
25 United States assistance levels as appropriate.
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8
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1 (3) Enhancing and expanding debt relief as ap2
propriate.
3 (4) Leveraging United States trade policy
4 where possible to enhance economic development
5 prospects for developing countries.
6 (5) Coordinating efforts and working in co7
operation with developed and developing countries,
8 international organizations, and international finan9
cial institutions.
10 (6) Mobilizing and leveraging the participation
11 of businesses, United States and international non12
governmental organizations, civil society, and public13
private partnerships.
14 (7) Coordinating the goal of poverty reduction
15 with other development goals, such as combating the
16 spread of preventable diseases such as HIV/AIDS,
17 tuberculosis, and malaria, increasing access to pota18
ble water and basic sanitation, reducing hunger and
19 malnutrition, and improving access to and quality of
20 education at all levels regardless of gender.
21 (8) Integrating principles of sustainable devel22
opment and entrepreneurship into policies and pro23
grams.
24 (d) REPORTS.—
25 (1) INITIAL REPORT.—
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9
•S 2433 IS
1 (A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year
2 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the
3 President, acting through the Secretary of
4 State, shall submit to the appropriate congres5
sional committees a report on the strategy re6
quired under subsection (a).
7 (B) CONTENT.—The report required under
8 subparagraph (A) shall include the following
9 elements:
10 (i) A description of the strategy re11
quired under subsection (a).
12 (ii) An evaluation, to the extent pos13
sible, both proportionate and absolute, of
14 the contributions provided by the United
15 States and other national and international
16 actors in achieving the Millennium Devel17
opment Goal of reducing by one-half the
18 proportion of people worldwide, between
19 1990 and 2015, who live on less than $1
20 per day.
21 (iii) An assessment of the overall
22 progress toward achieving the Millennium
23 Development Goal of reducing by one-half
24 the proportion of people worldwide, be-
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10
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1 tween 1990 and 2015, who live on less
2 than $1 per day.
3 (2) SUBSEQUENT REPORTS.—Not later than
4 December 31, 2012, and December 31, 2015, the
5 President shall submit to the appropriate congres6
sional committees reports on the status of the imple7
mentation of the strategy, progress made in achiev8
ing the global poverty reduction objectives described
9 in subsection (a), and any changes to the strategy
10 since the date of the submission of the last report.
11 SEC. 5. DEFINITIONS.
12 In this Act:
13 (1) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMIT14
TEES.—The term ‘‘appropriate congressional com15
mittees’’ means—
16 (A) the Committee on Foreign Relations
17 and the Committee on Appropriations of the
18 Senate; and
19 (B) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and
20 the Committee on Appropriations of the House
21 of Representatives.
22 (2) EXTREME GLOBAL POVERTY.—The term
23 ‘‘extreme global poverty’’ refers to the conditions in
24 which individuals live on less than $1 per day, ad-
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11
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1 justed for purchasing power parity in 1993 United
2 States dollars, according to World Bank statistics.
3 (3) GLOBAL POVERTY.—The term ‘‘global pov4
erty’’ refers to the conditions in which individuals
5 live on less than $2 per day, adjusted for purchasing
6 power parity in 1993 United States dollars, accord7
ing to World Bank statistics.
8 (4) MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS.—The
9 term ‘‘Millennium Development Goals’’ means the
10 goals set out in the United Nations Millennium Dec11
laration, General Assembly Resolution 55/2 (2000).
Æ
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http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-110s2433is/pdf/BILLS-110s2433is.pdf
You might ask, how in the world does this apply to the USA? It is a noble goal, however, we have our own problems. We have had attempts to pass legislation for quite some time:
110th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 1302
To require the President to develop and implement a comprehensive strategy to further the United States foreign policy objective of promoting the reduction of global poverty, the elimination of extreme global poverty, and the achievement of the United Nations Millennium Development Goal of reducing by one-half the proportion of people worldwide, between 1990 and 2015, who live on less than $1 per day.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 1, 2007
Mr. Smith of Washington (for himself and Mr. Bachus) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs
A BILL
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. Short title.
This Act may be cited as the “Global Poverty Act of 2007”.
SEC. 2. Findings.
Congress makes the following findings:
(1) More than one billion people worldwide live on less than $1 per day, and another 1.6 billion people struggle to survive on less than $2 per day, according to the World Bank.
(2) At the United Nations Millennium Summit in 2000, the United States joined more than 180 other countries in committing to work toward the United Nations Millennium Development Goals to improve life for the world’s poorest people by 2015.
(3) The United Nations Millennium Development Goals include the goal of reducing by one-half the proportion of people worldwide, between 1990 and 2015, that live on less than $1 per day, cutting in half the proportion of people suffering from hunger and unable to access safe drinking water and sanitation, reducing child mortality by two-thirds, ensuring basic education for all children, and reversing the spread of HIV/AIDS and malaria, while sustaining the environment upon which human life depends.
(4) On March 22, 2002, President George W. Bush stated: “We fight against poverty because hope is an answer to terror. We fight against poverty because opportunity is a fundamental right to human dignity. We fight against poverty because faith requires it and conscience demands it. We fight against poverty with a growing conviction that major progress is within our reach.”.
(5) The 2002 National Security Strategy of the United States notes: “[A] world where some live in comfort and plenty, while half of the human race lives on less than $2 per day, is neither just nor stable. Including all of the world’s poor in an expanding circle of development and opportunity is a moral imperative and one of the top priorities of United States international policy.”.
(6) The 2006 National Security Strategy of the United States notes: “America’s national interests and moral values drive us in the same direction: to assist the world’s poor citizens and least developed nations and help integrate them into the global economy.”.
(7) The bipartisan Final Report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States recommends: “A comprehensive United States strategy to counter terrorism should include economic policies that encourage development, more open societies, and opportunities for people to improve the lives of their families and enhance prospects for their children.”.
(8) At the summit of the Group of Eight (G–8) nations in July 2005, leaders from all eight countries committed to increase aid to Africa from the current $25 billion annually to $50 billion by 2010, and to cancel 100 percent of the debt obligations owed to the World Bank, African Development Bank, and International Monetary Fund by 18 of the world’s poorest nations.
(9) At the United Nations World Summit in September 2005, the United States joined more than 180 other governments in reiterating their commitment to achieve the United Nations Millennium Development Goals by 2015.
(10) The United States has recognized the need for increased financial and technical assistance to countries burdened by extreme poverty, as well as the need for strengthened economic and trade opportunities for those countries, through significant initiatives in recent years, including the United States Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Act of 2003, the Millennium Challenge Act of 2003, the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative, and trade preference programs for developing countries, such as the African Growth and Opportunity Act.
(11) In January 2006, United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice initiated a restructuring of the United States foreign assistance program, including the creation of a Director of Foreign Assistance, who maintains authority over Department of State and United States Agency for International Development (USAID) foreign assistance funding and programs.
(12) In January 2007, Director of Foreign Assistance Randall L. Tobias added poverty reduction as an explicit, central component of the overall goal of United States foreign assistance. The official goal of United States foreign assistance is: “To help build and sustain democratic, well-governed states that respond to the needs of their people, reduce widespread poverty and conduct themselves responsibly in the international system.”.
SEC. 3. Declaration of policy.
It is the policy of the United States to promote the reduction of global poverty, the elimination of extreme global poverty, and the achievement of the United Nations Millennium Development Goal of reducing by one-half the proportion of people worldwide, between 1990 and 2015, who live on less than $1 per day.
SEC. 4. Requirement to develop comprehensive strategy.
(a) Strategy.—The President, acting through the Secretary of State, and in consultation with the heads of other appropriate departments and agencies of the Government of the United States, international organizations, international financial institutions, the governments of developing and developed countries, United States and international nongovernmental organizations, civil society organizations, and other appropriate entities, shall develop and implement a comprehensive strategy to further the United States foreign policy objective of promoting the reduction of global poverty, the elimination of extreme global poverty, and the achievement of the United Nations Millennium Development Goal of reducing by one-half the proportion of people worldwide, between 1990 and 2015, who live on less than $1 per day.
(b) Contents.—The strategy required by subsection (a) shall include, but not be limited to, specific and measurable goals, efforts to be undertaken, benchmarks, and timetables to achieve the objectives described in subsection (a).
(c) Guidelines.—The strategy required by subsection (a) should adhere to the following guidelines:
(1) Continued investment in existing United States initiatives related to international poverty reduction, such as the United States Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Act of 2003, the Millennium Challenge Act of 2003, the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative, and trade preference programs for developing countries, such as the African Growth and Opportunity Act.
(2) Increasing overall United States development assistance levels while at the same time improving the effectiveness of such assistance.
(3) Enhancing and expanding debt relief.
(4) Leveraging United States trade policy where possible to enhance economic development prospects for developing countries.
(5) Coordinating efforts and working in cooperation with developed and developing countries, international organizations, and international financial institutions.
(6) Mobilizing and leveraging the participation of businesses, United States and international nongovernmental organizations, civil society, and public-private partnerships.
(7) Coordinating the goal of poverty reduction with other development goals, such as combating the spread of preventable diseases such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria, increasing access to potable water and basic sanitation, and reducing hunger and malnutrition.
(8) Integrating principles of sustainable development into policies and programs.
(d) Reports.—
(1) INITIAL REPORT.—Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the President, acting through the Secretary of State, shall transmit to the appropriate congressional committees a report that describes the strategy required by subsection (a).
(2) SUBSEQUENT REPORTS.—Not less than once every year after the submission of the initial report under paragraph (1) until and including 2015, the President shall transmit to the appropriate congressional committees a report on the status of the implementation of the strategy, progress made in achieving the global poverty reduction objectives described in subsection (a), and any changes to the strategy since the date of the submission of the last report.
SEC. 5. Definitions.
In this Act:
(1) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES.—The term “appropriate congressional committees” means—
(A) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives; and
(B) the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate.
(2) EXTREME GLOBAL POVERTY.—The term “extreme global poverty” refers to the conditions in which individuals live on less than $1 per day, adjusted for purchasing power parity in 1993 United States dollars, according to World Bank statistics.
(3) GLOBAL POVERTY.—The term “global poverty” refers to the conditions in which individuals live on less than $2 per day, adjusted for purchasing power parity in 1993 United States dollars, according to World Bank statistics.
http://thomas.loc.gov/home/gpoxmlc110/h1302_ih.xml
111th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 2639
To require the President to develop and implement a comprehensive strategy to further the United States foreign policy objective of promoting the reduction of global poverty, the elimination of extreme global poverty, and the achievement of the United Nations Millennium Development Goal of reducing by one-half the proportion of people worldwide, between 1990 and 2015, who live on less than $1 per day.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
May 21, 2009
Mr. Smith of Washington introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs
A BILL
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. Short title.
This Act may be cited as the “Global Poverty Act of 2009”.
SEC. 2. Findings.
Congress makes the following findings:
(1) More than one billion people worldwide live on less than $1 per day, and another 1,600,000,000 people struggle to survive on less than $2 per day, according to the World Bank.
(2) At the United Nations Millennium Summit in 2000, the United States joined more than 180 other countries in committing to work toward the United Nations Millennium Development Goals to improve life for the world’s poorest people by 2015.
(3) The United Nations Millennium Development Goals include the goal of reducing by one-half the proportion of people worldwide, between 1990 and 2015, that live on less than $1 per day, cutting in half the proportion of people suffering from hunger and unable to access safe drinking water and sanitation, reducing child mortality by two-thirds, ensuring basic education for all children, and reversing the spread of HIV/AIDS and malaria, while sustaining the environment upon which human life depends.
(4) On March 22, 2002, President George W. Bush stated: “We fight against poverty because hope is an answer to terror. We fight against poverty because opportunity is a fundamental right to human dignity. We fight against poverty because faith requires it and conscience demands it. We fight against poverty with a growing conviction that major progress is within our reach.”.
(5) The 2002 National Security Strategy of the United States notes: “[A] world where some live in comfort and plenty, while half of the human race lives on less than $2 per day, is neither just nor stable. Including all of the world’s poor in an expanding circle of development and opportunity is a moral imperative and one of the top priorities of United States international policy.”.
(6) The 2006 National Security Strategy of the United States notes: “America’s national interests and moral values drive us in the same direction: to assist the world’s poor citizens and least developed nations and help integrate them into the global economy.”.
(7) The bipartisan Final Report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States recommends: “A comprehensive United States strategy to counter terrorism should include economic policies that encourage development, more open societies, and opportunities for people to improve the lives of their families and enhance prospects for their children.”.
(8) At the summit of the Group of Eight (G–8) nations in July 2005, leaders from all eight countries committed to increase aid to Africa from the current $25,000,000,000 annually to $50,000,000,000 by 2010, and to cancel 100 percent of the debt obligations owed to the World Bank, African Development Bank, and International Monetary Fund by 18 of the world’s poorest nations.
(9) At the United Nations World Summit in September 2005, the United States joined more than 180 other governments in reiterating their commitment to achieve the United Nations Millennium Development Goals by 2015.
(10) The United States has recognized the need for increased financial and technical assistance to countries burdened by extreme poverty, as well as the need for strengthened economic and trade opportunities for those countries, through significant initiatives in recent years, including the United States Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Act of 2003, the Millennium Challenge Act of 2003, the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative, and trade preference programs for developing countries, such as the African Growth and Opportunity Act.
(11) In January 2006, United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice initiated a restructuring of the United States foreign assistance program, including the creation of a Director of Foreign Assistance, who maintains authority over Department of State and United States Agency for International Development (USAID) foreign assistance funding and programs.
(12) In January 2007, the Department of State’s Office of the Director of Foreign Assistance added poverty reduction as an explicit, central component of the overall goal of United States foreign assistance. The official goal of United States foreign assistance is: “To help build and sustain democratic, well-governed states that respond to the needs of their people, reduce widespread poverty and conduct themselves responsibly in the international system.”.
SEC. 3. Declaration of policy.
It is the policy of the United States to promote the reduction of global poverty, the elimination of extreme global poverty, and the achievement of the United Nations Millennium Development Goal of reducing by one-half the proportion of people worldwide, between 1990 and 2015, who live on less than $1 per day.
SEC. 4. Requirement to develop comprehensive strategy.
(a) Strategy.—The President, acting through the Secretary of State, and in consultation with the heads of other appropriate departments and agencies of the Government of the United States, international organizations, international financial institutions, the governments of developing and developed countries, United States and international nongovernmental organizations, civil society organizations, and other appropriate entities, shall develop and implement a comprehensive strategy to further the United States foreign policy objective of promoting the reduction of global poverty, the elimination of extreme global poverty, and the achievement of the United Nations Millennium Development Goal of reducing by one-half the proportion of people worldwide, between 1990 and 2015, who live on less than $1 per day.
(b) Contents.—The strategy required by subsection (a) shall include, but not be limited to, specific and measurable goals, efforts to be undertaken, benchmarks, and timetables to achieve the objectives described in subsection (a).
(c) Components.—The strategy required by subsection (a) should include, but not be limited to, the following components:
(1) Continued investment in existing United States initiatives related to international poverty reduction, such as the United States Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Act of 2003, the Millennium Challenge Act of 2003, the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative, and trade preference programs for developing countries, such as the African Growth and Opportunity Act.
(2) Improving the effectiveness of development assistance and making available additional overall United States assistance levels as appropriate.
(3) Enhancing and expanding debt relief as appropriate.
(4) Leveraging United States trade policy where possible to enhance economic development prospects for developing countries.
(5) Coordinating efforts and working in cooperation with developed and developing countries, international organizations, and international financial institutions.
(6) Mobilizing and leveraging the participation of businesses, United States and international nongovernmental organizations, civil society, and public-private partnerships.
(7) Coordinating the goal of poverty reduction with other development goals, such as combating the spread of preventable diseases such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria, increasing access to potable water and basic sanitation, reducing hunger and malnutrition, and improving access to and quality of education at all levels regardless of gender.
(8) Integrating principles of sustainable development into policies and programs.
(d) Reports.—
(1) INITIAL REPORT.—Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the President, acting through the Secretary of State, shall transmit to the appropriate congressional committees a report that describes the strategy required by subsection (a).
(2) SUBSEQUENT REPORTS.—Not less than once every two years after the submission of the initial report under paragraph (1) until and including 2015, the President shall transmit to the appropriate congressional committees a report on the status of the implementation of the strategy, progress made in achieving the global poverty reduction objectives described in subsection (a), and any changes to the strategy since the date of the submission of the last report.
SEC. 5. Definitions.
In this Act:
(1) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES.—The term “appropriate congressional committees” means—
(A) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives; and
(B) the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate.
(2) EXTREME GLOBAL POVERTY.—The term “extreme global poverty” refers to the conditions in which individuals live on less than $1 per day, adjusted for purchasing power parity in 1993 United States dollars, according to World Bank statistics.
(3) GLOBAL POVERTY.—The term “global poverty” refers to the conditions in which individuals live on less than $2 per day, adjusted for purchasing power parity in 1993 United States dollars, according to World Bank statistics.
http://thomas.loc.gov/home/gpoxmlc111/h2639_ih.xml
