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Note: This document is from the archive of the Africa Policy E-Journal, published
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Africa: Debt and U.S. Congress
Africa: Debt and U.S. Congress
Date distributed (ymd): 000612
Document reposted by APIC
+++++++++++++++++++++Document Profile+++++++++++++++++++++
Region: Continent-Wide
Issue Areas: +economy/development+ +US policy focus+
Summary Contents:
This posting contains a press release and an action alert on
congressional actions this week and next which will determine how
much funding is available for U.S. support for international debt
relief programs.
Note: As material with particular relevance for U.S. citizens and
residents, this posting is only going to addresses on the Africa
Policy Electronic Distribution List with U.S.-registered (threeletter)
computer domains. However, if you are not a U.S. resident
or citizen, we hope that it is useful for your background
information, and that you will pass it on to those of your U.S.
contacts who may be interested.
For actions on debt related to the upcoming G-8 Summit in Okinawa
in July, please consult the web sites of Jubilee 2000 UK
(http://www.jubilee2000uk.org/action/japan0100.html) and Jubilee
2000 USA (http://www.j2000usa.org/action/g8.html).
+++++++++++++++++end profile++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Africa Fund,
50 Broad Street, Suite 711,
New York, NY 10004 USA
June 8, 2000
For more information contact: Richard Knight (212) 785-1024
E-mail: africafund@igc.org
Web: http://www.theafricafund.org
National Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials Calls for Debt
Cancellation for African Countries
The National Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials (NBC-LEO)
adopted a resolution at its spring conference calling for active
debt cancellation and relief for African countries. The resolution
urges full appropriation of President Clinton's request for funding
of the Cologne Initiative, an international effort of the G-7
industrialized countries to bring debt relief to highly indebted
poor countries. The NBC-LEO resolution comes as Congress appears
poised to appropriate only a small portion of the money requested
for debt relief. NBC-LEO "requests that poor country debt
cancellation be supported by the United States to improve the
political and economic development of African countries and improve
the lives of African people."
The Clinton Administration has proposed a multi-year package for
debt relief for the fiscal years 2000-2004 including $320 million
for bilateral debt relief and $600 million for multilateral Cologne
Initiative debt relief. To date, Congress has done little to
support debt cancellation or relief - last year Congress only
appropriated $110 million for bilateral debt cancellation and none
for multilateral debt relief. The Senate Foreign Operations bill,
now before Congress, has only $75 million for all debt relief for
FY 2001 compared to the request of $435 million for multilateral
debt relief ($210 million for FY 2000 and $225 million for FY
2001). The House Foreign Appropriations Committee, scheduled to
take up the matter on June 13, is expected to adopt no more than
one-third of the Administration request.
"By adopting this resolution stressing the importance of
appropriating full funding for debt relief and cancellation the
National Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials is providing
important leadership and guidance on U.S.-Africa policy," said
Jennifer Davis of The Africa Fund. Davis addressed the spring
conference on the African debt crisis at the invitation of NBC-LEO
President Cleveland City Council Member Roosevelt Coats.
NBC-LEO, with members in 34 states, is a caucus of the National
League of Cities working to influence national policy positions to
promote the special interests and needs of the African American
community. The Africa Fund, founded in 1966 by the American
Committee on Africa, works for a positive U.S. policy toward
Africa and supports African human rights, democracy and
development.
The following is the full text of the resolution:
National Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials Resolution
Supporting Debt Forgiveness and Relief For African Countries March
12, 2000 at Washington. D.C.
WHEREAS the National Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials
(NBC-LEO) is committed to economic and social justice for Africa
and to the importance of Africa for NBC-LEO and its constituents;
and
WHEREAS Africa is laboring under a debt burden that stifles life,
economic progress, and political stability; and
WHEREAS the debt burden translates into $400 for every African man,
woman and child on a continent where the average annual wage for
most countries is less than $400 per person; and
WHEREAS African countries cannot move forward with needed
modernization and improvement of the lives of African people with
this continuing debt burden; and
WHEREAS it is in the interest of all cities and their citizens that
poverty reduction in Africa be supported by the United States; and
WHEREAS after hundreds of years of exploitation of Africa's natural
and human resources, modern African nations lack the ability to
repay international debt incurred for survival in the aftermath of
this exploitation; and
WHEREAS thirty-five of the world's forty most debt burdened
countries are in sub-Saharan Africa; and
WHEREAS in response to the international campaign for poor country
debt cancellation, the leaders of the G-7 adopted the Cologne
Initiative in June, 1999; and
WHEREAS the Cologne Initiative includes a provision for deeper
relief of more highly indebted poor countries and President Clinton
has requested supplemental funding from Congress to meet the United
States' commitment made at Cologne in connection with this debt
eradication plan;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED BY THE NATIONAL BLACK CAUCUS OF LOCAL
ELECTED OFFICIALS, AS FOLLOWS:
Section One. The National Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials
supports full funding for the Cologne Initiative to address debt
reduction and debt elimination in sub-Saharan Africa.
Section Two. NBC-LEO urges the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee
to include $210 million for the fiscal year 2000 supplemental bill
for Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Trust Fund.
Section Three. NBC-LEO urges full approval of the $600 million for
the HIPC Trust Fund over the next three years consistent with the
Cologne Initiative.
Section Four. NBC-LEO requests that poor country debt cancellation
be supported by the United States to improve the political and
economic development of African countries and the lives of the
African people.
ADOPTED BY THE NATIONAL BLACK CAUCUS OF LOCAL ELECTED OFFICIALS
this twelfth day of March, 2000, in Washington, D.C.
Roosevelt Coats, Council Member, Cleveland, Ohio
President, NBC-LEO
Jubilee 2000/USA Campaign
June 8, 2000
Congress Needs Pressure Now!
==> Immediate, special focus on members of the House
Appropriations Committee! Subcommittee vote on debt relief
financing June 13; Full Committee vote week of June 19! We must
urge that the full appropriation be approved, as a step toward
the goals of Jubilee 2000 -- phone calls and faxes needed now!
(details below)
Issue: The House Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee is
scheduled to vote on a foreign aid spending bill for FY2001 next
Tuesday, June 13. Debt relief for impoverished countries will be
one of the principal matters under consideration. Then, the
following week, the week of June 19th, the full Appropriations
Committee will take up the matter.
Everyday, over 18, 000 children die as a result of the burden of
debt on impoverished nations (according to UN statistics). A
total of $810 million is required for bilateral and multilateral
debt relief, requested to fulfill the US commitment to the
Cologne debt initiative. This funding is intended to allow as
many as 33 heavily indebted poor countries to receive substantial
debt relief by 2003. To fulfill this commitment, $435 million
is needed by the end of fiscal year2001, with the remainder
provided in FY2002-2003. Additionally, Congress must not delay
debt relief by tying it to additional conditions.
Senate appropriators have only allocated a paltry $75 million thus
far. It was expected last month that the full Senate might act on
the spending bill during May. However, the Senate leadership has
decided to defer floor action until the House has acted on its
version of the bill. Thus, House action on the bill is critical
at this stage!
While Jubilee 2000/USA is insisting on definitive cancellation of
crushing debt, without harmful conditions, the Campaign strongly
believes that full financing of the Cologne Initiative could
deliver substantial debt relief for some countries that are
desperately in need, as an initial step forward. The Campaign
welcomes a debate on the powers of the IMF and the World Bank,
but believes that debt relief financing should not be held hostage
to that debate. (See more info in Background, below).
==> News flash: Today, eighty-one members of the House of
Representatives sent a letter, co-authored by Reps Waters and
Campbell, to House leaders (Rep. Armey and Rep. Gephardt) urging
support for full funding of debt relief for impoverished countries!
Action: Urge members of the House Appropriations Committee to
approve a minimum of $435 million in the FY2001 foreign aid
spending bill to fund multilateral and bilateral debt relief for
the world's impoverished countries, without added conditions
that harm people or the environment, as a step toward the
Platform goals of Jubilee 2000/USA. For residents of the relevant
districts (see list below), contact Committee members by phone
and fax. FLOOD THOSE OFFICES WITH CALLS! Note: calls and faxed
letters are preferred over email messages. Ask for the staff
person in the Representative's office who handles foreign aid
spending. (These mark-ups may be covered on the cable TV network
C-Span...check the schedule at http://www.c-span.org )
If your House member is not on this committee, contact your
Representative's foreign policy aide and urge that he/she contact
Committee Chairperson Young's office, urging that a full
appropriation be approved.
You don't need to be an expert!! For additional talking points
or any help call David Bryden at 202-783-0214. (Note: next month
request a personal meeting with your legislator to take place
during the August recess.)
(See contact info for Members of Congress below)
Additional Background:
Last year, President Clinton and leaders of other industrial
countries agreed to write off approximately $90 billion in debt for
about 33 impoverished countries. This $90 billion in debt
cancellation would cost creditors $27 billion primarily due to
heavy discounting of the face value of the loans.
Unfortunately, Congress has yet to fully fund the Administration's
commitment of $920 million over four years toward this global debt
reduction plan. Funding, particularly the amount needed for
*multilateral* debt reduction, is critical to the success of the
plan, as other wealthy nations are waiting for the U.S. to take
the lead before unlocking billions of dollars in contributions. The
delay is already being felt by debtor countries. Bolivia, for
example, has been declared eligible for new debt relief under the
plan, but must wait because the necessary funding is not
available.
Thus far, Congress has authorized cancellation of 100% of United
States *bilateral* debt owed by heavily-indebted poor countries,
and it appropriated $110 million for this purpose for FY2000. The
Senate Appropriations Committee has approved appropriation of $75
million for bilateral debt reduction for FY2001. In the House, a
decision on the amount to be included for debt relief in the
foreign aid appropriations bill for FY2001 is pending before the
Subcommittee on Foreign Operations.
No funds have been appropriated so far for multilateral debt
reduction. However, the House Banking Committee (last year) and
the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (this year) authorized
appropriation of the amounts needed for *multilateral* debt
reduction. The Senate Banking Committee has also taken the matter
under consideration, and the committee chairman (Sen. Gramm,
R-TX) wants to make authorization of multilateral debt reduction
conditional on changes in the operation of the International
Monetary Fund. (If your Representative raises the issue of IMF
"reform," we suggest you say that while changes at the IMF are
needed, it is likely to be a long, complex process and should
not be allowed to cause further delays in debt relief for
struggling countries.) The appropriation needed for multilateral
debt reduction in FY 2001 is $360 million.
The total appropriation needed for FY2001 is $435 million ($75
million bilateral, $360 multilateral). Another $375 million will
be needed for multilateral and bilateral debt reduction in FY2002
and 2003. These amounts, added to the $110 million appropriated
last year, will complete the U.S.'s $920 million contribution to
the global plan. The Administration has requested an advance
appropriation of $375 million covering the needs for FY2002 and
FY2003, but we suggest focusing at this time on the $435 million
needed for FY2001.
For the full Jubilee 2000/USA position statement see
<http://www.j2000usa.org/updates/clinton4.html>
House Appropriations Committee:
Name, phone, fax, email:
* Representative belongs to the Subcommittee on Foreign
Operations, voting June 13. The full Committee will take up the
matter the following week of June 19th
More contact info on these and other members is available at
http://www.house.gov/
Aderholt, Robert, AL, (202)225-4876, (202)225-5587,
robert.aderholt@mail.house.gov
Bonilla, Henry, TX, (202) 225-4511, (202) 225-2237
Boyd, F. Allen, FL, (202) 225-5235, (202) 225-5615
*Callahan, Sonny, AL, (202) 225-4931, (202)225-0562,
sonny.callahan@mail.house.gov
Cramer, Bud, AL, (202) 225-4801, (202) 225-4392,
budmail@mail.house.gov
Cunningham, Randy, CA, (202) 225-5452, (202) 225-2558
DeLauro, Rosa, CT, (202) 225-3661, (202) 225-4890
DeLay, Tom, TX, (202) 225-5951, (202) 225-5241
Dickey, Jay, AR, (202) 225-3772, (202) 225-1314,
talk2jay@mail.house.gov
Dicks, Norman D., WA, (202) 225-5916, (202) 226-1176
Dixon, Julian C., CA, (202) 225-7084, (202) 225-4091
Edwards, Chet, TX, (202) 225-6105, (202) 225-0350
Emerson, Jo Ann H., MO, (202) 225-4404,
joann.emerson@mail.house.gov
Farr, Sam, CA, (202) 225-2861, (202) 225-6791,
samfarr@mail.house.gov
Forbes, Michael P., NY, (202) 225-3826, (202)225-3143,
mike.forbes@mail.house.gov
Frelinghuysen, Rodney, NJ, (202)225-5034, (202)225-3186,
rodney.frelinghuysen@mail.house.gov
Goode, Virgil H., VA, (202) 225-4711, (202) 225-5681,
rep.goode@mail.house.gov
Granger, Kay, TX, (202) 225-5071, (202) 225-5683,
texas.granger@mail.house.gov
Hinchey, Maurice, NY, (202) 225-6335, (202) 226-0774,
mhinchey@mail.house.gov
Hobson, David L., OH, (202) 225-4324, (202) 225-1984
Hoyer, Steny H., MD, (202) 225-4131, (202) 225-4300
Istook, Ernest, OK, (202) 225-2132, (202) 226-1463,
istook@mail.house.gov
*Jackson, Jesse, IL, (202) 225-0773, (202) 225-0899
Kaptur, Marcy, OH, (202) 225-4146, (202) 225-7711,
rep.kaptur@mail.house.gov
*Kilpatrick, Carolyn Cheeks, MI, (202) 225-2261, (202) 225-5730
*Kingston, Jack, GA, (202) 225-5831, (202) 226-2269,
jack.kingston@mail.house.gov
*Knollenberg, Joseph, MI, (202) 225-5802, (202)226-2356,
rep.knollenberg@mail.house.gov
Kolbe, Jim, AZ, (202) 225-2542, (202) 225-0378,
jim.kolbe@mail.house.gov
Latham, Tom, IA, (202) 225-5476, (202) 225-3301,
latham.ia05@mail.house.gov
*Lewis, Jerry, CA, (202) 225-5861, (202) 225-6498
*Lowey, Nita M., NY, (202) 225-6506, (202) 225-0546,
nita.lowey@mail.house.gov
Meek, Carrie, FL, (202) 225-4506, (202) 226-0777,
cpm@mail.house.gov
Miller, Dan, FL, (202) 225-5015, (202) 226-0828,
miller13@mail.house.gov
Mollohan, Alan B., WV, (202) 225-4172, (202) 225-7564
Moran, James P., VA, (202) 225-4376, (202) 225-0017,
jim.moran@mail.house.gov
Murtha, John P., PA, (202) 225-2065, (202) 225-5709,
murtha@mail.house.gov
Nethercutt, George R., WA, (202)225-2006, (202)225-3392,
george.nethercutt-pub@mail.house.gov
Northup, Anne Meagher, KY, (202) 225-5401, (202)225-5776,
rep.northup@mail.house.gov
Obey, David R., WI, (202) 225-3365
Olver, John, MA, (202) 225-5335, (202) 226-1224
*Packard, Ron, CA, (202) 225-3906, (202) 225-0134,
rep.packard@mail.house.gov
Pastor, Ed, AZ, (202) 225-4065, (202) 225-1655,
ed.pastor@mail.house.gov
*Pelosi, Nancy, CA, (202) 225-4965, (202) 225-8259,
sf.nancy@mail.house.gov
Peterson, John E., PA, (202) 225-5121, (202)225-5796,
john.peterson@mail.house.gov
*Porter, John Edward, IL, (202) 225-4835, (202) 225-0837
Price, David E., NC, (202) 225-1784, (202) 225-2014,
david.price@mail.house.gov
Regula, Ralph, OH, (202) 225-3876, (202) 225-3059
Rogers, Harold, KY, (202) 225-4601, (202) 225-0940,
talk2hal@mail.house.gov
Roybal-Allard, Lucille, CA, (202) 225-1766, (202) 226-0350
*Sabo, Martin Olav, MN, (202) 225-4755, (202)225-4886,
martin.sabo@mail.house.gov
Serrano, Jose, NY, (202) 225-4361, (202) 225-6001,
jserrano@mail.house.gov
Skeen, Joe, NM, (202) 225-2365, (202) 225-9599,
joe.skeen@mail.house.gov
Sununu, John E., NH, (202) 225-5456, (202) 225-5822,
rep.sununu@mail.house.gov
Taylor, Charles H., NC, (202) 225-6401,
repcharles.taylor@mail.house.gov
Tiahrt, Todd, KS, (202) 225-6216, (202) 225-3489,
tiahrt@mail.house.gov
Visclosky, Peter J., IN, (202) 225-2461, (202) 225-2493
Walsh, James T., NY, (202) 225-3701, (202)225-4042,
rep.james.walsh@mail.house.gov
Wamp, Zachary P., TN, (202) 225-3271, (202) 225-3494
*Wicker, Roger F., MS, (202) 225-4306, (202)225-3549,
roger.wicker@mail.house.gov
*Wolf, Frank R., VA, (202) 225-5136, (202) 225-0437
Young, C.W., FL, (202) 225-5961, (202) 225-9764
Sample letter to be faxed (If writing in the name of an
organization, be sure to use letterhead):
June XX, 2000
NAME House Appropriations Committee United States House of
Representatives Washington, DC 20510-4302
Dear Representative XX:
I urge you to act promptly to appropriate critically needed funding
for debt relief for impoverished countries, as a critical step
toward the goals of the Jubilee 2000 campaign, which I support.
Last fall it was announced that as many as 11 countries would
receive debt relief as soon as this April through the debt
initiative agreed to by the G-7 in Cologne. To date, only five
countries have benefitted. Debt relief must not be further
delayed! According to United Nations statistics, over 17, 600
children under the age of five die a day in these highly indebted
and impoverished countries.
Congress must appropriate the $810 million for bilateral and
multilateral debt relief, requested to fulfill the US commitment
to the Cologne debt initiative. This funding is intended to allow
as many as 33 heavily indebted poor countries to receive
substantial debt relief by 2003. To fulfill this commitment,
$435 million is needed by the end of fiscal year 2001, with the
remainder provided in FY2002-2003. Your decisive action for full
funding will send a strong message to Senate appropriators who
have only allocated a paltry $75 million thus far. Additionally,
Congress must not delay debt relief by tying it to additional
conditions.
It is crucial to the international debt relief effort that the U.S.
Congress fully support the President's request. This contribution
will cost little and leverage much. Every $1 contributed by the US
will be matched by over $27 from other creditors. The total
package is intended to cancel $90 billion in debts owed by these
countries. Congress should also act to permit the remainder of the
IMF re-evaluated gold reserves designated for debt relief to be
used for that purpose and that purpose only.
Sincerely,
This material is being reposted for wider distribution by the
Africa Policy Information Center (APIC). APIC provides
accessible information and analysis in order to promote U.S.
and international policies toward Africa that advance economic,
political and social justice and human and cultural rights.
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