[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 154 (Tuesday, September 26, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6143-S6144]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF THE SENATE ON HUMANITARIAN CRISES IN NIGERIA,
SOMALIA, SOUTH SUDAN, AND YEMEN
Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate
proceed to the consideration of Calendar No. 115, S. Res. 114.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
The bill clerk read as follows:
A resolution (S. Res. 114) expressing the sense of the
Senate on humanitarian crises in Nigeria, Somalia, South
Sudan, and Yemen.
There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill,
which had been reported from the Committee on Foreign Relations, with
an amendment to strike all after the resolving clause and insert the
part printed in italic, and with an amendment to strike the preamble
and insert the part printed in italic, as follows:
Whereas Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, and Yemen are all in
famine, pre-famine, or at risk of famine in 2017;
Whereas, according to the United Nations Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), 20,000,000
people are at risk of starvation this year in Nigeria,
Somalia, South Sudan, and Yemen;
Whereas, on March 22, 2017, Mr. Yves Daccord, the Director-
General of the International Committee of the Red Cross,
testified before Congress that the crisis represents ``one of
the most critical humanitarian issues to face mankind since
the end of the Second World War'' and warned that ``we are at
the brink of a humanitarian mega-crisis unprecedented in
recent history'';
Whereas, according to the United States Agency for
International Development (USAID), ``[m]ore than 5.1 million
people face severe food insecurity in northeastern Nigeria'';
Whereas, according to USAID, ``An estimated 6.2 million
people--more than half of Somalia's total population--
currently require urgent humanitarian assistance.'';
Whereas, according to USAID, ``An estimated 5.5 million
people--nearly half of South Sudan's population--will face
life threatening hunger by July.'';
Whereas, according to USAID, in Yemen, ``More than
seventeen million people--an astounding 60% of the country's
population--are food insecure, including seven million people
who are unable to survive without food assistance.'';
Whereas, according to the United Nations Children's Fund
(UNICEF), ``[s]ome 22 million children have been left hungry,
sick, displaced and out of school in the four countries'' and
``Nearly 1.4 million are at imminent risk of death this year
from severe malnutrition.'';
Whereas the humanitarian crises in each of these regions
are, to varying degrees, man-made and preventable--
exacerbated by armed conflict and deliberate restrictions on
humanitarian access;
Whereas parties to the conflicts, including even some
government forces, have harassed, attacked, and killed
humanitarian workers, blocked and hindered humanitarian
access, and continue to deprive the world's most hungry
people of the food they need;
Whereas humanitarian actors, coordinated by OCHA, have
appealed for $5,600,000,000 in 2017 to address famines in
Yemen, South Sudan, Nigeria, and Somalia; and
Whereas Mr. Daccord testified before Congress on March 22,
2017, ``Our main message is clear: immediate, decisive action
is needed to prevent vast numbers of people starving to
death.'': Now, therefore, be it
Resolved,
That it is the sense of the Senate that--
(1) the United States should lead an urgent and
comprehensive international diplomatic effort to address
obstacles in Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, and Yemen that
are preventing humanitarian aid from being delivered to
millions of people who desperately need it;
(2) the United States should encourage other governments to
join the United States in providing the resources necessary
to address the humanitarian crises in Nigeria, Somalia, South
Sudan, and Yemen;
(3) parties to the conflicts in Nigeria, Somalia, South
Sudan, and Yemen should allow and facilitate rapid and
unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief for civilians in
need and respect and protect humanitarian and medical relief
personnel and objects; and
(4) the United States, working with international partners,
should support efforts to hold accountable those responsible
for deliberate restrictions on humanitarian access in
Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, and Yemen.
Mr. CORNYN. I ask unanimous consent that the committee amendment to
the resolution be withdrawn; the Lee amendment at the desk be agreed
to; the resolution, as amended, be agreed to; the amendment to the
preamble be agreed to; the preamble, as amended, be agreed to; and the
motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The committee-reported amendment in the nature of a substitute to the
resolution was withdrawn.
The amendment (No. 1103) in the nature of a substitute was agreed to,
as follows:
[[Page S6144]]
(Purpose: To recognize that charities, non-profit organizations,
religious organizations, and businesses of the United States have an
important role in addressing humanitarian crises)
Strike all after the resolving clause and insert the
following:
SECTION 1. SENSE OF THE SENATE.
It is the sense of the Senate that--
(1) an urgent and comprehensive international diplomatic
effort is necessary to address obstacles in Nigeria, Somalia,
South Sudan, and Yemen that are preventing humanitarian aid
from being delivered to millions of people who desperately
need it;
(2) the United States should encourage other governments to
join in providing the resources necessary to address the
humanitarian crises in Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, and
Yemen;
(3) parties to the conflicts in Nigeria, Somalia, South
Sudan, and Yemen should allow and facilitate rapid and
unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief for civilians in
need and respect and protect humanitarian and medical relief
personnel and objects;
(4) the United States, working with international partners,
should support efforts to hold accountable those responsible
for deliberate restrictions on humanitarian access in
Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, and Yemen; and
(5) the contributions of charities, non-profit
organizations, religious organizations, and businesses of the
United States have an important role in addressing
humanitarian crises.
SEC. 2. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.
Nothing in this resolution shall be construed as a
declaration of war or authorization to use force.
The resolution (S. Res. 114), as amended, was agreed to.
The committee-reported amendment in the nature of a substitute to the
preamble was agreed to.
The preamble, as amended, was agreed to.
The resolution, as amended, with its preamble, as amended, reads as
follows:
S. Res. 114
Whereas Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, and Yemen are all in
famine, pre-famine, or at risk of famine in 2017;
Whereas, according to the United Nations Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), 20,000,000
people are at risk of starvation this year in Nigeria,
Somalia, South Sudan, and Yemen;
Whereas, on March 22, 2017, Mr. Yves Daccord, the Director-
General of the International Committee of the Red Cross,
testified before Congress that the crisis represents ``one of
the most critical humanitarian issues to face mankind since
the end of the Second World War'' and warned that ``we are at
the brink of a humanitarian mega-crisis unprecedented in
recent history'';
Whereas, according to the United States Agency for
International Development (USAID), ``[m]ore than 5.1 million
people face severe food insecurity in northeastern Nigeria'';
Whereas, according to USAID, ``An estimated 6.2 million
people--more than half of Somalia's total population--
currently require urgent humanitarian assistance.'';
Whereas, according to USAID, ``An estimated 5.5 million
people--nearly half of South Sudan's population--will face
life threatening hunger by July.'';
Whereas, according to USAID, in Yemen, ``More than
seventeen million people--an astounding 60% of the country's
population--are food insecure, including seven million people
who are unable to survive without food assistance.'';
Whereas, according to the United Nations Children's Fund
(UNICEF), ``[s]ome 22 million children have been left hungry,
sick, displaced and out of school in the four countries'' and
``Nearly 1.4 million are at imminent risk of death this year
from severe malnutrition.'';
Whereas the humanitarian crises in each of these regions
are, to varying degrees, man-made and preventable--
exacerbated by armed conflict and deliberate restrictions on
humanitarian access;
Whereas parties to the conflicts, including even some
government forces, have harassed, attacked, and killed
humanitarian workers, blocked and hindered humanitarian
access, and continue to deprive the world's most hungry
people of the food they need;
Whereas humanitarian actors, coordinated by OCHA, have
appealed for $5,600,000,000 in 2017 to address famines in
Yemen, South Sudan, Nigeria, and Somalia; and
Whereas Mr. Daccord testified before Congress on March 22,
2017, ``Our main message is clear: immediate, decisive action
is needed to prevent vast numbers of people starving to
death.'': Now, therefore, be it
Resolved,
SECTION 1. SENSE OF THE SENATE.
It is the sense of the Senate that--
(1) an urgent and comprehensive international diplomatic
effort is necessary to address obstacles in Nigeria, Somalia,
South Sudan, and Yemen that are preventing humanitarian aid
from being delivered to millions of people who desperately
need it;
(2) the United States should encourage other governments to
join in providing the resources necessary to address the
humanitarian crises in Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, and
Yemen;
(3) parties to the conflicts in Nigeria, Somalia, South
Sudan, and Yemen should allow and facilitate rapid and
unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief for civilians in
need and respect and protect humanitarian and medical relief
personnel and objects;
(4) the United States, working with international partners,
should support efforts to hold accountable those responsible
for deliberate restrictions on humanitarian access in
Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, and Yemen; and
(5) the contributions of charities, non-profit
organizations, religious organizations, and businesses of the
United States have an important role in addressing
humanitarian crises.
SEC. 2. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.
Nothing in this resolution shall be construed as a
declaration of war or authorization to use force.
=========================== NOTE ===========================
On page S6144, September 26, 2017, near the top of the second
column, the following language appears: Resolved, That it is the
sense of the Senate that-- (1) the United States should lead an
urgent and comprehensive international diplomatic effort to
address obstacles in Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, and Yemen that
are preventing humanitarian aid from being delivered to millions
of people who desperately need it; (2) the United States should
encourage other governments to join the United States in providing
the resources necessary to address the humanitarian crises in
Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, and Yemen; (3) parties to the
conflicts in Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, and Yemen should allow
and facilitate rapid and unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief
for civilians in need and respect and protect humanitarian and
medical relief personnel and objects; and (4) the United States,
working with international partners, should support efforts to
hold accountable those responsible for deliberate restrictions on
humanitarian access in Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, and Yemen.
The online Record has been corrected to read: Resolved, SECTION
1. SENSE OF THE SENATE. It is the sense of the Senate that-- (1)
an urgent and comprehensive international diplomatic effort is
necessary to address obstacles in Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan,
and Yemen that are preventing humanitarian aid from being
delivered to millions of people who desperately need it; (2) the
United States should encourage other governments to join in
providing the resources necessary to address the humanitarian
crises in Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, and Yemen; (3) parties to
the conflicts in Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, and Yemen should
allow and facilitate rapid and unimpeded passage of humanitarian
relief for civilians in need and respect and protect humanitarian
and medical relief personnel and objects; (4) the United States,
working with international partners, should support efforts to
hold accountable those responsible for deliberate restrictions on
humanitarian access in Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, and Yemen;
and (5) the contributions of charities, non-profit organizations,
religious organizations, and businesses of the United States have
an important role in addressing humanitarian crises. SEC. 2. RULE
OF CONSTRUCTION. Nothing in this resolution shall be construed as
a declaration of war or authorization to use force.
========================= END NOTE =========================
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