April 9, Dear Senator,

Transcription

1 April 9, 2013 Dear Senator, We, the undersigned members and partners of InterAction, write to urge you to support strong funding for international development and humanitarian assistance accounts in FY2014 as outlined in the attached account-level recommendations. With ongoing developing crises in Syria and Mali, and with critical work still to be done to combat extreme poverty around the world, we urge you to make necessary U.S. investments in vital programs in order to meet the rising need. As you may know, InterAction is the world s largest alliance of U.S.-based nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), working in every developing country around the world. Our 180-plus member organizations and dozens of partners act because our compassion, and for some our faith, calls us to do the right thing: help the world s poorest and most vulnerable citizens. Our work helps people and countries lift themselves out of poverty, building better lives for themselves and their children. These development programs build sustainability by helping family farmers increase their productivity, improving health, getting children to attend and learn in school, or providing access to safe water and sanitation. Our member organizations also operate humanitarian relief programs which provide emergency access to food, medical assistance, water and shelter helping to save lives and alleviate the suffering of those who have been affected by natural and man-made disasters such as conflict, drought and floods. We are able to do this work year in and year out through the generosity of millions of Americans who support our efforts, as well as through partnership with the U.S. government, which invests in these programs through the International Affairs Budget (150 account). While U.S. federal spending on poverty-focused development and humanitarian relief amounts to only seven-tenths of 1% of the total U.S. budget, overwhelming needs still exist across the globe. Violence in Syria has displaced 2 million people and resulted in over 1 million refugees, further destabilizing the Middle East. Political instability, coupled with severe drought, has displaced 300,000 people in the Sahel and affected President and CEO Samuel A. Worthington Chair Kathy Spahn Helen Keller International Vice Chair Neal Keny-Guyer Mercy Corps Treasurer Jonathan Quick Management Sciences for Health Board of Directors Nancy Aossey International Medical Corps Nan Dale Action Against Hunger US Pape Gaye IntraHealth Anne Goddard ChildFund International Cindy Hallberlin Good360 George Hamilton Institute for Sustainable Communities Susan Hayes ReSurge International Sarah Holewinski Center for Civilians in Conflict Sarah Kambou ICRW Ruth Messinger American Jewish World Service Carolyn Miles Save the Children John Nunes Lutheran World Relief Robert Radtke Episcopal Relief and Development Farshad Rastegar Relief International Jonathan Reckford Habitat for Humanity William S. Reese International Youth Foundation Tessie San Martin Plan USA Ron Sconyers Physicians for Peace Alison Smith InsideNGO Tsehaye Teferra Ethiopian Community Development Council Adam Weinberg World Learning David Weiss Global Communities th Street, NW Suite 210 Washington, DC Phone Fax ia@interaction.org

2 more than 9 million more. Another 13 million people have been affected by drought in the Horn of Africa. These and other hotspots demand active and engaged U.S. diplomacy and assistance both of which depend on strong funding of the international affairs account. Commitment and nimble investment in these regions now can help local people and communities build sustainable institutions that reduce the need for aid over the long term. We understand today s difficult fiscal climate requires redoubled efforts to protect every taxpayer dollar and ensure the government funds the most effective programs, which generate real results. That s why we don t just advocate for funding but also for smart and effective policies and practices within all of these accounts. We advocate for greater transparency and accountability to ensure we are delivering results. Our field experience in working directly with people in need ensures reliable information on tangible outcomes. By working together, we can help people around the world lead more prosperous, sustainable and healthier lives. Given the strong practical and moral arguments for investing in our international development and humanitarian programs, and the small fraction of the federal budget those programs constitute, we urge you to support strong funding for vital international development and humanitarian accounts. We understand that there may be proposals forthcoming from the Administration and Congress to restructure particular programs such as food aid and we look forward to discussing them in a transparent manner in the future. At this point, we have based our attached FY2014 funding recommendations for the U.S. government s poverty-focused international development and humanitarian relief programs on current funding structures and our decades of experience and analysis. Thank you for giving serious consideration to our recommendations. Please feel free to contact Jeremy Kadden at jkadden@interaction.org or for more information. Sincerely,

3 1. 1,000 Days Action Network 2. 3P Human Security 3. ACDI/VOCA 4. Action Against Hunger 5. ActionAid International USA 6. Adeso - African Development Solutions 7. ADRA International 8. All Hands Volunteers 9. Alliance for Peacebuilding 10. Alliance to End Hunger 11. American Jewish World Service 12. American Red Cross International Services 13. American Refugee Committee 14. AMEX International, Inc. 15. Amigos de las Americas 16. African Medical & Research Foundation (AMREF) 17. Basic Education Coalition 18. Better World Campaign 19. Bread for the World 20. Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation 21. CARE USA 22. Center for Civilians in Conflict 23. Center for Health and Gender Equity (CHANGE) 24. Center for Women Policy Studies 25. ChildFund International 26. Church World Service 27. CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation 28. Concern America 29. CONCERN Worldwide 30. Congressional Hunger Center 31. Counterpart International 32. Creative Learning 33. Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund 34. Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative 35. Education Development Center (EDC) 36. Empower And Care Organization (EACO) 37. The Episcopal Church 38. Episcopal Relief & Development 39. Evangelical Lutheran Church in America 40. Family Care International 41. FIND 42. Food for the Hungry 43. Friends of ACTED 44. Friends of the Global Fight Against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria 45. Global Alliance to Prevent Prematurity and Stillbirth, an initiative of Seattle Children's 46. Global Communities 47. Global Links 48. Global Ministries of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and United Church of Christ 49. Global Washington 50. GlobalGiving Foundation 51. Greenleaf Integrative Strategies 52. Habitat for Humanity 53. Handicap International 54. Heart to Heart, International 55. Heartland Alliance 56. Helen Keller International 57. HelpAgeUSA 58. HIAS 59. The Hunger Project 60. IMA World Health 61. INMED Partnerships for Children 62. Institute for Sustainable Communities 63. Integra Government Services International LLC 64. International Center for Research on Women 65. The International HIV/AIDS Alliance 66. International Housing Coalition 67. International Medical Corps 68. International Orthodox Christian Charities 69. International Relief & Development (IRD) 70. International Relief Teams

4 71. International Rescue Committee 72. International Youth Foundation 73. IntraHealth International 74. Juarez & Associates, Inc. 75. The Kaizen Company 76. Life for Relief and Development 77. Living Water International 78. Lutheran World Relief 79. Management Sciences for Health 80. Management Systems International 81. Medical Care Development, Inc. 82. Medical Emergency Relief International (MERLIN) USA, Inc. 83. MedShare 84. Mennonite Central Committee U.S. 85. Mercy Corps 86. Mercy-USA for Aid and Development 87. Millennium Water Alliance 88. National Association of Social Workers 89. NCBA/CLUSA International 90. Oasis Of Relief 91. Operation USA 92. Oxfam America 93. Pact 94. Pan American Development Foundation 95. Panagora Group 96. Partnership to Cut Hunger & Poverty in Africa 97. PATH 98. Pathfinder International 99. Pax Christi USA 100. PCI 101. Perkins International 102. Plan International USA 103. Planet Aid 104. Planned Parenthood Federation of America 105. Plant With Purpose 106. Population Action International 107. Population Institute 108. Professional Services Council, Council of International Development Companies 109. Public Health Institute 110. Relief International 111. RESULTS 112. ReSurge International 113. Save the Children 114. SBAIC 115. Self Help Africa 116. Seva Foundation 117. Sierra Care Inc 118. Sojourners 119. Trickle Up 120. U.S. Climate Action Network 121. U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants 122. U.S. Fund for UNICEF 123. U.S. International Council on Disabilities 124. Union for Reform Judaism 125. Unitarian Universalist Service Committee 126. United Church of Christ, Justice and Witness Ministries 127. United Methodist Church - Imagine No Malaria 128. United Methodist Church, General Board of Church and Society 129. WASH Advocates 130. WaterAid America 131. Waterlines 132. Winrock International 133. Women's Refugee Commission 134. World Concern 135. World Food Program USA 136. World Learning 137. World Neighbors 138. World Rehabilitation Fund, Inc World Renew (CRWRC) 140. World Society for the Protection of Animals 141. World Vision 142. World Wildlife Fund

5 InterAction FY2014 Funding Recommendations ACCOUNT (or sub-account) FY2014 Funding Recommendations (in $ thousands) GLOBAL HEALTH PROGRAMS USAID 3,268,000 Maternal and Child Health 750,000 Family Planning in All Accounts 750,000 Nutrition 200,000 Vulnerable Children 23,000 HIV/AIDS 350,000 Malaria 670,000 TB 400,000 Neglected Tropical Diseases 125,000 GLOBAL HEALTH PROGRAMS STATE (PEPFAR Only) 4,492,860 GLOBAL FUND TO FIGHT AIDS, TB & MALARIA 1,650,000 NIH GLOBAL HEALTH 605,700 CDC GLOBAL HEALTH 362,900 DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE 3,175,000 Food Security and Agriculture in All Bilateral Accounts 1,445,000 Microfinance 265,000 Basic Education in All Accounts 925,000 Climate Change in Bilateral Accounts 468,000 Biodiversity in All Accounts 200,000 Water in All Accounts 400,000 MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE ACCOUNT 900,000 INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS AND PROGRAMS 385,000 INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION 1,408,500 GLOBAL AGRICULTURE AND FOOD SECURITY PROGRAM 158,330 INTERNATIONAL FUND FOR AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT 32,243 MCGOVERN-DOLE INTERNATIONAL FOOD FOR EDUCATION & CHILD NUTRITION 209,500 LEAST DEVELOPED COUNTRIES FUND & SPECIAL CLIMATE CHANGE FUND 50,000 GREEN CLIMATE FUND 5,000 STRATEGIC CLIMATE FUND 100,000 CLEAN TECHNOLOGY FUND 300,000 INTERNATIONAL DISASTER ASSISTANCE 1,600,000 MIGRATION AND REFUGEE ASSISTANCE 2,800,000 EMERGENCY REFUGEE & MIGRATION ASSISTANCE 100,000 FOOD FOR PEACE TITLE II 1,840,000 CONTRIBUTIONS TO INTERNATIONAL PEACEKEEPING ACTIVITIES 2,179,000 PEACEKEEPING OPERATIONS 257,000 USAID OPERATING EXPENSES 1,400,000

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