[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 152 (Friday, December 12, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1832-E1833]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  IN SUPPORT OF H.R. 2901 ``SEN. PAUL SIMON WATER FOR THE WORLD ACT''

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. SHEILA JACKSON LEE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, December 11, 2014

  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 2901, 
the Paul Simon Water for the World Act of 2014, which makes the 
provision of safe water and sanitation a stated goal of U.S. foreign 
assistance policy and requires the President, through the State 
Department, to develop and implement a strategy to further such efforts 
in developing countries.
  Safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene are among the most basic 
needs a person can have, yet 748 million people in the world do not 
have access to safe water; roughly 1/10 of the world's population.
  In countries such as Ethiopia, Madagascar, Mozambique, Niger and 
Papua New Guinea, less than 50% of the population has access to safe 
water.
  More than 2.5 billion people in the world lack access to adequate 
sanitation, which is approximately 35 percent of the global population.
  The lack of clean water and basic sanitation facilities leaves 
millions trapped in a cycle of poverty and disease, costing the lives 
of around 500,000 children per year--dying from diarrhea caused by 
unsafe water and poor sanitation.
  The Senator Paul Simon Water for the World Act will make better use 
of existing WASH (``Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene'') funds, strengthen 
accountability for WASH programs already underway, and ensure the 
greatest impact on communities worldwide without spending new money or 
creating new bureaucracy.
  For every $1 invested in WASH, $4 is returned in increased economic 
productivity, making WASH one of the most effective and efficient 
choices we can make for global child health, nutrition, resource 
conservation, women's empowerment and education.
  Specifically, H.R. 2901, the Water for the World Act, will:
  1. Institutionalize existing capacity in the U.S. government to 
ensure WASH remains a political priority and expertise is available at 
USAID and State Department headquarters to guide strategic 
implementation of effective and sustainable WASH programs
  2. Enhance criteria for choosing high-priority countries to ensure 
that limited funds are directed to the countries and communities most 
in need
  3. Advance best practices of effective aid, such as improved 
monitoring and evaluation and a focus on leveraging non-Federal 
partnerships and funds
  4. Improve the strategic approach to international safe water, 
sanitation, hygiene, and water resources management by providing smart 
guidance that builds off USAID's own strategy
  The bill before us today also provides for a Global Water Coordinator 
to be designated to oversee water, sanitation, and hygiene assistance, 
and to develop a complementary strategy to further the U.S. foreign 
assistance objective to provide affordable and equitable drinking 
water, sanitation, and hygiene in developing countries.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2901 will provide effective, long-term, sustainable 
impacts by improving coordination and oversight of safe water, 
sanitation, and hygiene projects and activities.
  By voting in support of this act, we have the power to improve the 
well-being, education, economic opportunity, safety and dignity of the 
2.5 billion people in the world who live without a basic latrine every 
day.
  I strongly encourage my colleagues to join me in supporting the 
passage of the Water for the World Act to save lives, reduce poverty, 
and help drive economic growth by bringing safe drinking water and 
improved sanitation and hygiene to those most in need.
  Mr. Speaker, access to clean, potable water will be one of the 
world's most pressing problems over the next century and further 
contribute to instability within and between nations as is the case in 
the Darfur conflict.
  In the developing world, water-related diseases kill 5,000 children 
every day.
  Sick children miss nearly 300 million school days a year from water-
related causes, and an estimated 320 million productive work days are 
lost to illness--with much of the burden carried by girls and women.
  Mr. Speaker, I agree with Senator Richard Durbin of Illinois, Senator 
Paul Simon's successor and the lead Democratic sponsor of the Senate 
companion to H.R. 2901, that:

       Water access is no longer simply a global health and 
     development issue; it is a mortal and long-term threat that 
     is increasingly becoming a national security issue. The 
     United States needs to do much more to ensure that global 
     water access is protected and expanded.

  Passing H.R. 2901 is an essential first step in ensuring that global 
water access is protected and expanded.
  I urge all members to join me in supporting this important 
legislation and fitting memorial to the late great Senator from 
Illinois, Senator Paul Simon.

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