[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 104 (Tuesday, July 22, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7866-S7867]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. JEFFORDS (for himself, Mrs. Murray, and Ms. Snowe):
  S. 1050. A bill to assist in implementing the plan of action adopted 
by the World Summit for Children; to the Committee on Foreign 
Relations.


    the james p. grant world summit for children implementation act

  Mr. JEFFORDS. Mr. President, I rise today, on behalf of myself, 
Senator Murray, and Senator Snowe, to introduce the James P. Grant 
World Summit for Children Implementation Act of 1997.
  At the 1990 World Summit for Children, the United States and 158 
other nations made a promise to the world's children. In signing the 
summit declaration and plan of action, they pledged, by the year 2000, 
to reduce child mortality rates by at least one-third, to reduce 
maternal deaths and child malnutrition by one-half, to provide all 
children access to basic education, and to provide all families access 
to clean water, safe sanitation and family planning information, and 
services. In the declaration they stated, ``We are prepared to make 
available the resources to meet these commitments.''
  We have, in fact, made some progress over the last several years in 
meeting these admittedly ambitious objectives. Child mortality rates 
have fallen. Over 80 percent of the world's children are now immunized, 
saving 3 million lives annually. Nonetheless, millions of children are 
still dying every year for want of a vaccine costing just a few dollars 
or a Vitamin A capsule costing a few cents. It is estimated that 12 
million children still die each year from preventable diseases and 
malnutrition.
  The objective of the legislation Senators Murray and Snowe and I are 
introducing today is to keep the United States focused on the 
commitments it made at the World Summit on Children. The bill would 
shift funds within the existing foreign assistance budget to meet the 
needs of children--without increasing overall foreign assistance. 
Specifically, it calls for increased allocations of funds for child 
survival, basic education, Vitamin A and other micronutrients, UNICEF, 
AIDS prevention and care, refugee assistance, family planning, and 
tuberculosis prevention and treatment.
  This is not just a foreign assistance bill. We can and must do more 
in our own country to improve the health and welfare of children at 
risk. Therefore, this legislation also calls for increased funding of 
domestic programs which touch the lives of children, namely Head Start 
and the Special Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants, and 
Children, also known as WIC. Both of these programs have proven track 
records of improving the lives and prospects of children from low-
income families.
  Mr. President, I appreciate that Congress is in the midst of serious 
fiscal belt tightening in order to meet our balanced budget objectives. 
This means that we must focus on our highest priorities. I would 
maintain, though, that we have no higher priority than our children and 
providing for their future. The programs cited in this bill, if 
properly funded, will improve the quality of life of children, here and 
abroad, and help them grow into healthy, productive adults. Moreover, 
it will do so without increasing our overall foreign assistance and 
with only a modest increase in the two domestic programs cited.
  Mr. President, this bill is good for children, good for their 
families, and good for our future. I urge my colleagues to support it.
  Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I am delighted to once again join my 
colleague from Vermont, Senator James Jeffords, in introducing the 
James P. Grant World Summit for Children Implementation Act. I 
particularly want to pay tribute to Senator Jeffords for his continuing 
leadership in the effort to aid all children.
  The World Summit for Children Implementation Act is our effort to 
ensure that the United States implements the plan of action adopted at 
the 1990 United Nations World Summit for Children. Our legislation 
proposes a series of life-saving, cost-effective programs to protect 
the health and well-being of children worldwide. Importantly, while 
this legislation proposes several increases in individual foreign 
assistance programs, it does not call for an increase in overall 
foreign aid levels.
  Specifically, the Jeffords-Murray bill increases funding allocations 
for child survival, basic education, vitamin A and other 
micronutrients, UNICEF, AIDS prevention and care, refugee assistance, 
and family planning. Our bill also calls for an increase in funding for 
two important domestic programs: WIC and Head Start.
  The world's children have a right to adequate nutrition, full 
immunization, a decent education, and health care. The United States 
has traditionally led the way in promoting the well-being of children. 
Because the nations of the world are more interdependent than ever 
before, the well-being of children around the globe affects us here in 
the United States. Children are not just the foundation of our society 
and our future; they are truly the foundation of the future of the 
world.
  According to UNICEF, more than 33,000 children die each and every 
day; most from easily preventable diseases. The under 5 mortality rate 
for children in the least developed countries is 20 times greater than 
that of the United States and other industrialized nations.
  More than 2 million children under age 5 die each year from vaccine 
preventable diseases like diphtheria, measles, pertussis, polio, 
tuberculosis, and tetanus. Diarrhoeal diseases, often caused by a total 
lack of clean sanitation facilities and clean water, kill an additional 
3 million children per year. And for every child that dies, several 
more live on with stunted growth, ill health, and diminished potential.
  The world's political leadership can ill-afford to ignore these 
statistics. These are just the mortality statistics for young children. 
Equally disturbing figures are available regarding access to education, 
the treatment of young girls, nutrition, and child labor. Clearly, our 
work on behalf of children is far from completed. While we have much to 
celebrate, we have much more to do. And I am delighted to be joining 
Senator Jeffords to unequivocally state our belief that the United 
States must continue to champion the future health, education, and 
economic well-being of children everywhere.
  Importantly, to reach children, we must reach out to the world's 
women including young mothers, family providers, and elders. Women are 
often overlooked in tradition development programs. Fortunately, the 
World

[[Page S7867]]

Summit for Children recognized to improve the lot of children, the 
status of women also had to improve.
  For example, recognizing the important link between child survival 
and family planning, the World Summit for Children called for universal 
access to family planning education and services by the end of this 
decade.
  Family planning saves the lives of both women and children. We know 
that babies born in quick succession to a mother whose body has not yet 
recovered from a previous birth are the least likely to survive. 
Increasing funds in this area has been a top priority for me in my work 
in the Senate, and is addressed positively in the legislation we are 
introducing today.
  Basic education is another important component of this legislation. 
Of the 143 million children in the developing world not attending 
school, 56 percent are girls. Of the world's 900 million illiterate 
adults, nearly two thirds are women. World Bank studies have estimated 
that each additional year of education for a young girl results in a 
10-percent decrease in birth rates and child death rates, and a 10 to 
20 percent increase in wages earned.
  Foreign aid is never a popular item. I applaud Secretary of State 
Madeleine Albright for her advocacy work in support of foreign aid and 
U.S. assistance abroad. And I am pleased that the both bodies of the 
Congress have voted to provide additional moneys for foreign assistance 
in fiscal year 1998. In my view, our foreign aid dollars are best spent 
when we are investing in programs that strengthen families around the 
globe, and give a special hand to women and children.
  That is exactly what Senator Jeffords and I propose to do with the 
James P. Grant World's Summit for Children Implementation Act. I urge 
my colleagues to review and support this important legislation.
                                 ______