[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 318 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. CON. RES. 318

 Supporting the ideals and objectives of the United Nations Millennium 
Declaration and related Millennium Development Goals and calling on the 
 President to ensure the United States contributes meaningfully to the 
   achievement of the Millennium Development Goals by the year 2015.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 16, 2010

    Ms. Lee of California (for herself, Mr. Grijalva, Mr. Moran of 
Virginia, Ms. Woolsey, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Mr. Payne, Mr. Carnahan, 
and Mr. Moore of Kansas) submitted the following concurrent resolution; 
         which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
 Supporting the ideals and objectives of the United Nations Millennium 
Declaration and related Millennium Development Goals and calling on the 
 President to ensure the United States contributes meaningfully to the 
   achievement of the Millennium Development Goals by the year 2015.

Whereas at the 2000 United Nations Millennium Summit on September 8, 2000, the 
        United States joined 189 nations in adopting the United Nations 
        Millennium Declaration, which set a series of time-bound targets to 
        reduce extreme poverty by 2015 known as the Millennium Development 
        Goals;
Whereas the Millennium Development Goals set measurable targets related to 
        ending hunger and poverty, universal education, gender equity, child 
        health, maternal health, combating HIV/AIDS, environmental 
        sustainability, and global partnership, all to be achieved by 2015, 
        including--

    (1) reducing by half the proportion of people living on less than $1 a 
day;

    (2) reducing by half the proportion of people who suffer from hunger;

    (3) ensuring that all boys and girls complete a full course of primary 
schooling;

    (4) eliminating gender disparity in primary and secondary education 
preferably by 2005, and at all levels by 2015;

    (5) reducing by two-thirds the mortality rate among children under 5;

    (6) reducing by three-quarters the maternal mortality ratio;

    (7) achieving, by 2015, universal access to reproductive health;

    (8) halting and beginning to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS;

    (9) achieving, by 2010, universal access to treatment for HIV/AIDS for 
all those who need it;

    (10) halting and beginning to reverse the incidence of malaria and 
other major diseases;

    (11) integrating the principles of sustainable development into country 
policies and programs to reverse loss of environmental resources;

    (12) reducing biodiversity loss, achieving a significant reduction in 
the rate of loss by 2010;

    (13) reducing by half the proportion of people without sustainable 
access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation;

    (14) achieving significant improvement in the lives of at least 
100,000,000 slum dwellers, by 2020;

    (15) developing further an open trading and financial system that is 
rule-based, predictable, and non-discriminatory and includes a commitment 
to good governance, development, and poverty reduction nationally and 
internationally;

    (16) addressing the least developed countries' special needs which 
includes tariff-free and quota-free access for their exports, enhanced debt 
relief for heavily indebted poor countries, cancellation of official 
bilateral debt, and more generous official development assistance for 
countries committed to poverty reduction;

    (17) addressing the special needs of landlocked and small island 
developing countries;

    (18) dealing comprehensively with developing countries' debt problems 
through national and international measures to make debt sustainable in the 
long term;

    (19) developing decent and productive work for youth in cooperation 
with the developing countries;

    (20) providing access to affordable essential drugs in developing 
countries in cooperation with pharmaceutical companies; and

    (21) making available the benefits of new technologies, especially 
information and communications technologies, in cooperation with the 
private sector;

Whereas the Millennium Development Goals have been agreed to by 192 United 
        Nations Member States including the United States as well as leading 
        international development and financial institutions such as the World 
        Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and regional development 
        banks;
Whereas the United Nations Millennium Declaration reaffirmed the values and 
        principles of the United Nations General Assembly, including fundamental 
        values of freedom, equality, solidarity, tolerance, respect for nature, 
        and shared responsibility;
Whereas, on March 22, 2002, the United States, the European Union, and other 
        countries concluded the Monterrey Consensus, which included agreement on 
        new development aid commitments, debt relief, fighting corruption, 
        country ownership, and policy coherence to fulfill internationally 
        agreed development goals including those contained in the Millennium 
        Declaration;
Whereas in 2005, the United Nations General Assembly convened a high level 
        meeting known as the ``2005 World Summit'', reiterating a determination 
        by both developed and developing nations to ensure the timely and full 
        realization of development goals and objectives including the Millennium 
        Development Goals and recognizing that ``development, peace and security 
        and human rights are interlinked and mutually reinforcing'';
Whereas at the 2005 World Summit, developing nations committed to the 
        development and implementation of national plans to achieve the 
        Millennium Development Goals, and identified good governance and the 
        rule of law as ``essential for sustained economic growth, sustainable 
        development and the eradication of poverty and hunger'';
Whereas nearly one decade after the signing of the United Nations Millennium 
        Declaration, the international community has made significant progress 
        in addressing the root causes of extreme poverty, particularly in the 
        areas of global health, education, and safe drinking water;
Whereas net official development assistance by the United States, totaling 
        $28,700,000,000 in 2009, has roughly tripled since 2001;
Whereas the United States was the leading source of remittances, which totaled 
        $34,700,000,000 in 2008;
Whereas in the developing world as a whole, enrollment in primary education rose 
        from 83 to 88 percent from the year 2000 to 2007;
Whereas the deaths of children under 5 declined from 12,600,000 to 9,000,000 
        annually, from the year 1990 to 2007;
Whereas from 2001 to 2008, new HIV infections declined by 16 percent globally, 
        and in 2006, the annual number of AIDS deaths began to decline for the 
        first time since the earliest reported cases of the HIV/AIDS epidemic;
Whereas access to lifesaving antiretroviral therapy (ART) to treat HIV/AIDS 
        continues to increase, and an estimated 5,000,000 people are now 
        receiving AIDS treatment, or about one-third of those currently in need;
Whereas based off the 1990 estimate for global drinking water coverage of 77 
        percent, studies indicate that the world is ahead of schedule in 
        reducing by half the proportion of the global population without 
        sustainable access to safe drinking water;
Whereas the lasting impacts of the global economic crisis, food, and natural 
        resource price volatility, the persistence of conflict, and rising 
        scarcity of food and water resources have increased the vulnerability of 
        the world's poor, and threaten to impede or even reverse progress made 
        in improving and protecting the health, environment, physical, and 
        economic security of those suffering from extreme poverty;
Whereas the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs indicates 
        that in June 2009, progress was either insufficient, absent, or 
        deteriorating for more than half of key targets related to compliance 
        with the United Nations Millennium Development Goals;
Whereas gaps in strategy, implementation, policies, capacity, and resources have 
        resulted in regional disparities inconsistent with the spirit of the 
        Millennium Declaration to uphold the international community's 
        collective responsibility and duty ``to all the world's people, 
        especially the most vulnerable'';
Whereas according to the United Nations Department of Economic and Social 
        Affairs, 100 percent of key targets in sub-Saharan Africa fall into 
        underperforming categories;
Whereas the World Bank estimates that in 2005, 1,400,000,000 people across the 
        globe, and more than one-quarter of the developing world's population, 
        were experiencing extreme poverty, living on less than $1.25 a day;
Whereas the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates 
        that the number of undernourished people in the world rose to 
        1,020,000,000 in 2009, equivalent to 15 percent of the world population 
        and representing an increase of roughly 200,000,000 people from 1990;
Whereas in 2007, 72,000,000 children were denied the right to education, half of 
        these children having never seen the inside of a classroom;
Whereas the agreed upon target for eliminating gender disparities in primary and 
        secondary education by 2005 has already been missed;
Whereas recent estimates indicate that 342,000 to half a million women and 
        girls, nearly all of them in developing countries, die each year as a 
        result of obstetric complications during pregnancy, during childbirth, 
        or in the weeks following delivery, the vast majority of which are 
        preventable or treatable with quality reproductive health services;
Whereas in 2006, 1,400,000,000 people remained without access to basic 
        sanitation, which has been tied to the need for improvements in health 
        and the quality of the environment;
Whereas studies indicate that more than 20 percent of all known mammals, 35 
        percent of freshwater fish species, 25 percent of reptiles, and 70 
        percent of plant species around the world are under threat of extinction 
        due to a variety of factors including loss of habitat, change in 
        climate, invasive species, over-hunting or harvesting, pollution, and 
        disease;
Whereas President Obama has committed to doubling United States foreign 
        assistance to $50,000,000,000;
Whereas, on May 5, 2009, President Obama announced a new Global Health 
        Initiative, pledging $63,000,000,000 over 6 years, to strengthen 
        national health systems and better integrate and coordinate the delivery 
        of health services across a range of existing programs with a particular 
        focus on improving the health of women, newborns, and children through 
        programs addressing infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS, nutrition, 
        maternal and child health, neglected tropical diseases, safe water, and 
        sanitation;
Whereas, on July 10, 2009, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton announced 
        that the United States Department of State and United States Agency for 
        International Development will conduct the first Quadrennial Diplomacy 
        and Development Review to provide short-, medium-, and long-term 
        blueprints for a whole-of-government approach to diplomacy and 
        development including a clear statement of objectives, necessary tools 
        and resources, and expected results;
Whereas, on August 31, 2009, President Obama signed a Presidential Study 
        Directive (PSD) on Global Development Policy, which authorizes a United 
        States Government-wide review of global development policies and 
        procedures;
Whereas, on September 25, 2009, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton 
        announced a new Global Food Security Initiative ``to sustainably reduce 
        chronic hunger, raise the income of the rural poor, and reduce the 
        number of children suffering from under-nutrition'', for which President 
        Obama has pledged $3,500,000,000 over 3 years;
Whereas, on January 6, 2010, United States Secretary of State Hillary Rodham 
        Clinton declared development a ``strategic, economic, and moral 
        imperative'' and called for ``elevat[ing] development as a central 
        pillar of our foreign policy'';
Whereas, on April 21, 2010, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates expressed in 
        writing to the Senate Budget Committee, ``the work performed by 
        diplomatic and development professionals helps build the foundation for 
        more stable, democratic and prosperous societies'';
Whereas United Nations Secretary General Ban-Ki Moon has indicated his intention 
        to make 2010 the ``year of the Millennium Development Goals'', with a 
        particular focus on sustainable development;
Whereas broad-based country- and community-ownership, including the engagement 
        of marginalized populations and vulnerable groups such as women, are 
        critical to the long-term success of development programs aimed at 
        reducing extreme poverty;
Whereas efforts to improve health and governance, expand access to education, 
        address gender disparity, empower women and girls, sustain and develop 
        global partnerships, and ensure environmental sustainability will not be 
        successful in isolation and are all essential and mutually reinforcing 
        activities in the fight to eradicate extreme poverty;
Whereas at the opening of the 65th Session of the General Assembly of the United 
        Nations from September 20, 2010, to September 22, 2010, global leaders 
        will convene a high-level summit, the largest gathering of heads of 
        state since the 2000 United Nations Millennium Summit, to review the 
        implementation of the 2000 United Nations Millennium Declaration and 
        redouble efforts to meet the Millennium Development goals;
Whereas, on September 24, 2009, President Obama affirmed the United States 
        ``will support the Millennium Development Goals, and approach next 
        year's summit with a global plan to make them a reality. And we will set 
        our sights on the eradication of extreme poverty in our time'';
Whereas, on July 30, 2010, the United States Agency for International 
        Development, the lead United States agency responsible for administering 
        nonmilitary foreign assistance, released ``The United States' Strategy 
        for Meeting the Millennium Development Goals'' to be guided by four 
        imperatives to leverage innovation, invest in sustainability, track 
        development outcomes and not just dollars, and enhance the principle and 
        practice of mutual accountability;
Whereas in preparation for the 2010 high-level summit, and in recognition of the 
        vital role of indigenous and international civil society, the private 
        sector, and Diaspora networks in reviewing and implementing strategies 
        for sustainable development, from June 14, 2010, to June 15, 2010, the 
        United Nations convened ``Informal Interactive Hearings of the General 
        Assembly with Non-governmental organizations, Civil society 
        organizations and the Private sector'';
Whereas studies indicate that a majority of the people of the United States 
        support United States efforts abroad to improve health, build climate 
        resilience, and reduce hunger and poverty in poor countries, including 
        by increasing public funding to achieve the Millennium Development 
        Goals; and
Whereas the strong support of individuals, businesses, and philanthropic 
        organizations across the United States for foreign assistance programs 
        and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals demonstrates 
        United States values and ideals, including the compassion, generosity, 
        and openness to the exchange of ideas and knowledge of the people of the 
        United States: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That Congress--
            (1) supports the ideals and objectives of the United 
        Nations Millennium Declaration and related Millennium 
        Development Goals and targets including to eradicate extreme 
        poverty and hunger, achieve universal primary education, 
        promote gender equality and empower women, reduce child 
        mortality, improve maternal health, combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, 
        and other diseases, ensure environmental sustainability, and 
        develop a global partnership for development;
            (2) commends the progress made to date through 
        international efforts to reduce instances of poverty, hunger, 
        disease, and environmental degradation, as well as the 
        sustained commitment of the international community to build 
        upon these achievements in future years;
            (3) acknowledges the achievements of developing nations 
        that have prioritized principles of accountability and 
        inclusive ownership in the design and execution of development-
        related programs and the contribution of these efforts to the 
        universal realization of the Millennium Development Goals;
            (4) recognizes the critical importance of global 
        development programs and partnerships to the national security 
        of the United States;
            (5) calls on the President to ensure the United States 
        contributes meaningfully to the achievement of the Millennium 
        Development Goals, and specified targets therein, by the year 
        2015, including by providing the global plan that was affirmed 
        on September 24, 2009, and that supports the goals and 
        commitments of the 2010 Millennium Development Goals Summit;
            (6) commits to work with and support the Administration in 
        its efforts to accomplish by 2015 the goals and targets set 
        forth in the United Nations Millennium Declaration and related 
        Millennium Development Goals, including by providing the 
        necessary resources to achieve these development objectives;
            (7) encourages the President to recommend and work in 
        coordination with Congress to implement reforms to United 
        States foreign assistance programs in order to achieve the 
        Millennium Development Goals;
            (8) requests that the President's forthcoming United States 
        development policy include benchmarks, timelines, and resource 
        estimates to guide the implementation, monitoring, and 
        evaluation of these efforts;
            (9) commends private sector institutions as well as 
        indigenous and international civil society organizations 
        seeking to hold their governments accountable to the 
        achievement of the Millennium Development Goals by 2015; and
            (10) urges all responsible nations within the international 
        community to uphold their commitment to meet the Millennium 
        Development Goals, including through actions to improve 
        governance and the rule of law, expand debt relief programs, 
        provide additional resources and technical assistance, and 
        promote sustainable and responsible trade opportunities in 
        order to support development efforts in the poorest nations.
                                 <all>