Catholic Groups Ask Congress to Mount Campaign on Global Health and African Development

Catholic Relief Services
Thursday, 9 May 2002

Catholic Relief Services Executive Director Ken Hackett today called on Congress to launch a sustained campaign to combat global health problems, including HIV/AIDS, and to expand development assistance to Africa. On behalf of Catholic organizations, Hackett also urged Congress to support deeper debt relief for the world's poorest countries and to increase funding for the resettlement of refugees in the United States.

"Investments in development assistance, global health, debt relief and migration and refugee assistance are wise national priorities, matters of moral responsibility and a contribution to a safer, and more just and peaceful world," said Hackett in written testimony to a House subcommittee submitted on behalf of the U.S. Catholic Conference of Bishops (USCCB) and Catholic Relief Services.

Hackett called for an urgent and special emphasis on HIV/AIDS in Africa, as 28 million Africans live with the disease and 3.5 million new infections were recorded on the continent last year. "In our African programs, we see daily the devastating impact of HIV/AIDS and other diseases ravaging the continent of Africa; they are undermining health and economic advances and creating conditions for future insecurity," he said. "We appeal to you to provide an additional $2 billion for global health programs for HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis, $1 billion of which should be targeted to Africa."

Stressing that development in the world's poorest countries lays the essential foundation for a more just and peaceful world, the Catholic groups asked for an additional $1 billion in poverty-focused aid to Africa. In the testimony, Hackett especially urged members of Congress to support programs in education, health, agriculture and economic development.

"We urge you to provide the means and opportunity to those struggling to improve their daily lives," Hackett said. "Poverty's bedfellows – despair, lack of opportunity, ignorance, disease, hopelessness – assault human dignity and create an environment conducive to terrorism."

Given that many developing countries are burdened with enormous debt owed to wealthy countries, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, the organizations requested that the U.S. support a system to provide greater debt relief. Hackett argued that an indebted country should pay no more than 10 percent of its government revenue for debt service annually, and no more than five percent for impoverished countries suffering from severe health crises as HIV/AIDS.

On behalf of the Catholic organizations, Hackett also called on Congress to authorize a budget of approximately $890 million to support the resettlement of refugees in this country. Through the USCCB Migration and Refugee Services and more than 100 Catholic dioceses, the U.S. Catholic community settled about 25 percent of all refugees in the U.S. in 2001.

While his testimony specifically intended to influence the FY2003 foreign assistance budget, Hackett also addressed the President's recently proposed Millennium Challenge Account This fund, which would increase U.S. foreign assistance by 50 percent, would not start until 2004. Hackett encouraged Congress to meet urgent needs now in the current budget, even while the new program is being developed.

Catholic Relief Services provides assistance to people in 87 countries and territories in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and Eastern Europe. Catholic Relief Services provides assistance on the basis of need, not race, creed or nationality.

For more information, or to contact Catholic Relief Services, see their website at: www.catholicrelief.org