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March 30, 2000, Thursday

SECTION: PREPARED TESTIMONY

LENGTH: 3607 words

HEADLINE: PREPARED TESTIMONY OF FAITH ACTION FOR PEOPLE-CENTERED DEVELOPMENT POLICY FAPCDP

BEFORE THE HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE FOREIGN OPERATIONS, EXPORT FINANCING AND RELATIONS SUBCOMMITTEE

SUBJECT - HONORING THE PROMISE OF JUBILEE

BODY:
Submitted by

Africa Faith and Justice Network American Friends Service Committee, Washington Office Bread for the World Church of the Brethren, Washington Office Church World Service Columban Fathers' Justice and Peace Office Friends Committee on National Legislation General Board of Church and Society of the United Methodist Church Lutheran Office for Governmental Affairs, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Lutheran World Relief Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns Mennonite Central Committee, Washington Office National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA NETWORK: A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Washington Office United Church of Christ, Office for Church in Society Washington Office on Africa Washington Office on Latin America Honoring the Promise of Jubilee

Introduction

A new millennium is upon us. In the spirit of the biblical Jubilee year described in Leviticus 25 and Luke 4, we call for a Jubilee in today's world to provide a fresh start to those living in hunger and need. Our message has its roots in our shared religious convictions: "And you shall hallow the fiftieth year and you shall proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants (Lev. 25:10)." The God we strive to follow is one who hears the cries of suffering people and inspires us to work for a better world. Jesus, the Prince of Peace and the Good Shepherd, calls us to acts of justice, mercy and reconciliation. As churches and faith-based organizations, we believe that these teachings compel us to advocate for public policies and laws based on justice and compassion. Faith Action Recommendations

As we consider the needs of those we serve in years to come, we would like to highlight several areas that we believe deserve priority attention by the Committee this year:

I. Cancel the Crushing Debt of Poor Countries

Our churches and organizations support the call of the international Jubilee 2000 movement to cancel the crushing debts of the poorest countries by the end of the year 2000. There are now Jubilee 2000 campaigns in over 60 countries. In Luke 4:16-21 Jesus refers to the Jubilee when he proclaims "the year of the Lord's favor": good news for the poor, release to the captives and freedom for the oppressed. Jesus taught that Jubilee means liberation from every kind of captivity -- spiritual, social, economic and political,

The churches and religious organizations that comprise Faith Action believe this Jubilee principle should be applied today to heavily indebted poor countries. As Jubilee 2000/USA has said, "When foreign debt, however incurred, so drams the economic resources of a people that all hope of a better future is foreclosed, it is time to admit the inhumanity of maintaining the fiction of repayment." It is time to let people living in poor countries have a fresh start!

As a result of the Jubilee 2000 initiative, last summer in Cologne, Germany the leaders of the G-7 nations made a commitment to expand an already existing debt relief measure and to ensure that it includes a focus on poverty reduction. President Clinton subsequently submitted a supplemental budget request to Congress that would provide almost 5;1 billion for the US share of bilateral and multilateral debt cancellation that would result from this initiative. Congress approved part of this request last November, during end of the year budget negotiations.

Also last fall, in response to this advocacy by churches and nongovernmental organizations, the World Bank and IMF created a new framework for determining how countries receive debt relief and new loans. If these proposals are implemented as described, they could represent a major step forward. Key elements of this new plan represent a tremendous shift in the way these institutions operate, including: that macroeconomic policies be adapted to ensure sustainable growth and the reduction of poverty; that debtor countries should take the lead role in designing long-term poverty reduction plans that are developed through an open and participatory process; and that the IMF, World Bank and US government would accept the leadership and priorities of each national government in terms of setting priorities and policies.

The focus now is on the implementation of these recommendations. It is possible that some of these countries will not use broad consultation in the design and implementation of poverty reduction and economic reform packages, and the transparency of such arrangements will also be an issue. Without strong pressure on the World Bank and IMF from the full international community it is unlikely that efforts to reduce poverty will take precedence over other standard structural and economic reform conditions. There is also concern that this new process may create additional mandates that are inappropriate for monetary institutions, while increasing the conditions that impoverished countries will have to comply with in order to receive relief. We take all these issues quite seriously, and are already working with our partners in indebted nations to support their efforts to affect the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper process.

As people of faith, we would like to believe that a break from the past is possible, not just for the world's most impoverished nations, but for international financial institutions and wealthy nations as well. We could all use a fresh start for the new millennium.

We urge Congress to continue to act generously to meet this pressing need. We ask for Members to approve the funds and authority needed to provide for cancellation of both bilateral and multilateral debts owed by the highly indebted and impoverished countries that now qualify for debt relief under US law. In addition to providing bilateral relief, the U.S., at a minimum, must meet its commitment to contribute its full and proportionate share towards the cancellation of impoverished country debts to multilateral institutions, as agreed to at the G-7 meeting in Cologne last June. We would anticipate similar contributions to both bilateral and multilateral debt cancellation in future years until these debts are canceled entirely. However, funding debt relief must not come at the cost of reducing funds available for other development or lending programs.

II. Development Assistance for a Sustainable Future There is a compelling need to increase the U.S. commitment to sustainable development assistance.

One need not believe that aid can do everything to see that foreign assistance can do more. Despite our nation's great wealth, we rank last in the industrialized world in terms of the percentage of our GDP which is directed to help those most in need. This trend must be reversed, especially at a time of budget surplus. We ask that you increase funding sufficiently to implement the following recommendations:

Africa: The designation for the Development Fund for Africa should be restored. Funds for these programs should be increased to at least $1 billion. Assistance to sub-Saharan Africa, one of the poorest regions of the world, continues to decrease disproportionately in comparison to allocations for other regions of the world. Funding for this region must be sufficient to fully implement the critical array of programs for Africa, including the African Development Foundation, microenterprise lending, child survival, conflict resolution, AIDS response, and the Africa: Seeds of Hope Act. We urge you to restore funding for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to its previously higher level in order to help meet the pressing needs of this region. Additionally, we urge Congress to fully replenish the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), in order to promote food security in Africa. UNDP and IFAD are some of the more effective multilateral institutions in promoting people-centered development.

While we continue to work with other organizations to monitor and press for reforms at the World Bank, we believe that International Development Association (IDA) financing remains of critical importance to sub-Saharan Africa. We recognize the importance of IDA as a funding mechanism for creating new opportunities for persons and nations. Congress should fully fund IDA, while maintaining the provision which it included in the FY 98 foreign operations appropriation that directed the Administration to use the U.S. voice and vote to encourage the World Bank and IDA to "systematically consult with local communities on the potential impact of loans as part of the normal lending process, and expand the participation of affected peoples and nongovernment organizations in decisions on the selection, design, and implementation of policies and projects."

HIV/AIDS Response: We are encouraged to see the serious attention that both Congress and the Administration have directed toward AIDS/HIV around the world, especially the pandemic in Africa. No matter how often they may be repeated, the statistics remain staggering. Some 85 percent of the 2.6 million AIDS-related deaths worldwide in 1999 were in Africa, the part of the world least able to confront the challenge. Each day AIDS buries another 5,500 African men, women and children, a figure that is projected to reach 13,000 daily by 2005. By the end of this year, 10.4 million African children under the age of 15 will be AIDS orphans. Under these circumstances, we urge the U.S. to address this human tragedy by passing meaningful legislation and appropriating the funds necessary funds to make a useful contribution to prevention and treatment.Meaningful legislation would apply these standards:

1. These programs must to a maximum degree respect the right of men and women to make their own choices among effective means to prevent HIV transmission;

2. They should help to protect those who are infected from discrimination;

3. They should provide assistance to those who are infected to get treatment for opportunistic infections;

4. They should provide pain alleviation to those who are infected; and

5. They should encourage compassionate care as those who are infected die. Further, programs are appropriate that serve to decrease the impact of those factors that contribute to the spread and impact of the pandemic, by improving economic status, decreasing gender inequality, assisting in adaptations of culture and tradition that facilitate prevention and care, and increasing access to health and nutrition services.

We are worried that the concerns of the pharmaceutical industry may supersede the needs for effective treatment of those living in poverty, at home and abroad. We therefore urge you to approach the issue of compulsory licensing generously.

Latin America & Caribbean: The reconstruction of the Central American nations whose economies and infrastructures were destroyed by Hurricane Mitch continues to be a critical priority, as is responding to the recent disaster in Venezuela. We urge you to follow up on the special funding for reconstruction approved last year with a continuing commitment to long-term rebuilding in that devastated region. Development assistance to Latin America should be increased above last year's levels, to meet the needs of the region. We also recommend renewed support for the Inter-American Foundation.

Middle East: The Israeli-Arab peace process has, in its progress from Camp David to Wye, claimed large portions of the foreign aid budgets for over 20 years. With the optimistic expectation of peace agreements in the near future comes the expectation of additional and very large requests for U.S. foreign assistance. We are encouraged by the decision of Israel, the highest income recipient of aid, to voluntarily accept an annual reduction in its economic assistance by $120 million for each of the next eight years. We ask you to rededicate this full amount to development programs. We urge against the request by Israel that half of that $120 million be redirected into additional yearly military assistance.

While we join the Congress in enthusiastically supporting the Middle East Peace Process we also urge that:

1. Supplemental peacemaking appropriations to Israel be directed toward the actual costs of Israel's implementation of peace agreements and not for Israel's strategic military uses.

2. Supplemental peacemaking appropriations to the Palestinians and to Jordan be directed to development and infrastructure purposes and not for the provision of additional weaponry.3. The full amount of future Israeli and Egyptian reductions be rededicated to peace process related needs and development programs in the Middle East and elsewhere, and not used to increase military assistance to Israel.

4. Israeli-Arab peace process related needs not be met at the expense of other regions.

III. Respond to the Needs of Refugees

The Administration has proposed a reduction in the number of refugee admissions to the United States. In the midst of America's unprecedented post-Cold War boom, a new global anarchy has spread, producing nearly fourteen million refugees and over seventeen million internally displaced persons. Many of those driven from their homes will never be able to return. The United States has long been the world leader in welcoming such refugees to its shores. But during the past eight years, refugee admissions have declined over 40 percent. We advocate returning admissions to their historic levels of over 100,000 per year.

While we were encouraged last year by a substantial supplemental bill that provided funds for refugees from Kosovo, there was still a reduction in the Migration and Refugee Assistance account, which reduced our ability to meet the needs in other parts of the world. This funding shortfall is continued in the present budget request, meaning that once again millions of refugees living under harsh conditions worldwide will feel the effects of the funding shortfall.

In Europe, refugees in the Balkans continue to face daunting challenges of repatriation or permanent resettlement, and political tensions in Montenegro are cause for alarm. In Southeast Asia, secular violence and separatist movements will likely continue to produce refugees in Indonesia and Burma. In the Middle East, millions of refugees still cannot return home safely to Afghanistan, and a permanent Arab-Israeli peace will ultimately require a solution to the region's refugee situation. In the Americas, intensified warfare in Colombia could produce sizable new refugee populations, and Haiti remains politically fragile.

Africa poses the greatest need for improved refugee assistance funding. Twenty-two African countries have suffered armed conflict, serious social tensions, or received significant new refugee populations in the past year. A murderous, almost 30-year war continues in Sudan, with two million dead and over four million uprooted. Peacekeeping forces are being deployed in Sierra Leone, where more than 300,000 refugees and thousands of amputees await assistance and stability. A regional war threatens to re-ignite in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where hundreds of thousands have already been pushed from their homes, many into neighboring countries. There are currently ten million children orphaned by AIDS in Africa and forty million are expected by the end of this decade.

We urge Congress to restore a higher level of funding to the Migration and Refugee Assistance account, to help meet these pressing needs.

IV. Renew Congressional Leadership in Favor of Conflict Resolution, Peacekeeping and U.S. Participation in a Ban on Land Mines

Truly sustainable development will be impossible for those regions torn by conflict. We urge you to fund programs that contribute to conflict resolution and reconciliation and support multilateral peacekeeping efforts at as high a level as possible.

Enormous human suffering by innocent people, particularly children, caused by tens of millions of landmines has deeply moved people around the world. These committed people joined together to call on governments to agree to ban the production, stockpiling, transfer and use of landmines. Many of our organizations were among those calling on the President to join with 133 other countries in signing the treaty to put in place such a ban. Many of our organizations have programs in countries most affected by the scourge of these weapons. We see first hand the tremendous costs they continue to inflict. We were deeply troubled by President Clinton's continued refusal to sign this treaty and we continue to urge him to reverse that decision. We are also disturbed by last year's decision to fund a new landmine weapons system that will not comply with the Ottawa treaty./1 The leadership of Congress on the issue of landmines has been critically important. We commend Congress for its 1996 approval of a moratorium on U.S. use of anti-personnel landmines.

We urge the Committee to:

1. Fund conflict resolution, peacekeeping and demining efforts at the highest possible level;

2. Support renewed congressional efforts to call on the President to sign the Ottawa treaty and quickly bring the U.S. into full compliance.

V. Reject Funding for Ineffective and Abusive Anti-Narcotics Programs

We are troubled by the dramatic increase over the last few years in counter-narcotics assistance, particularly because a considerable portion will be channeled into security forces in countries with severe human rights violations, such as Colombia. Funding for international narcotics control and law enforcement activities is one of the fastest growing foreign operations accounts. Levels have risen from around $200 million in FY98 to an astounding request this year of over $1 billion. We urge attention to the human rights impact of such assistance and greater consideration of more positive approaches such as crop substitution programs and judicial reform. In particular, we urge that assistance to Colombia be supportive of, and not undermine, the peace process. We urge you to oppose the $1.7 billion proposed assistance for counternarcotics operations in the Andes, particularly the $500 million program "Push Into Southern Colombia." Assistance for the Colombian Army to target the coca growing regions of southern Colombia will escalate the violence and undercut efforts for a negotiated peace settlement to Colombia's 40-year civil war. We urge you instead to support much-needed assistance for peace, human rights, justice reform, alternative development, and humanitarian assistance to Colombia's internally displaced people.

Colombia is currently the third largest recipient of U.S. military assistance. Yet reports from the United Nations, the U.S. Department of State, independent human rights organizations, and Colombian judicial authorities point to continuing ties between the Colombian security forces and brutal paramilitary groups responsible for massacres, assassinations of community leaders and human rights defenders, and over 70% of Colombia's human fights abuses. A report released by Human Rights Watch earlier this year links half of Colombia's 18 brigade-level army units to paramilitary activity.

Colombia's internal conflict has produced 1.6 million internally displaced persons, more than in Kosovo or East Timor, and an increasing number of refugees fleeing to Panama and Venezuela. It is our fear that this additional aid package will draw the U.S. deeper into Colombia's civil war, intensify the conflict, and make the U.S. complicit in violations of human rights. Even more disturbing, the package includes plans for intensive aerial fumigation that will displace 10,000 more people from southern Colombia, forcing them off of their lands and deeper into the fragile rainforests, causing great human suffering and incalculable environment damage.

On October 24, 1999, more that 10 million Colombians marched for peace. Talks between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), the largest guerrilla force, have resumed. Progress is being made toward opening negotiations with the National Liberation Army (ELN), the second largest guerrilla group. We ask you to honestly assess the possible negative effects on U.S. military aid on those peace efforts. It is our judgment that such aid will undermine them.

We urge you to vote against increased U.S. military involvement in Colombia and to vote instead for large scale U.S. support for:

1. A negotiated peace process in Colombia with the active participation of civil society; 2. Reform of Colombia's judicial system to overcome impunity - including prosecuting within civilian courts of all military personnel implicated in human rights abuses;

3. Programs for the protection of threatened human rights defenders, civic and religious leaders, and judicial investigators;

4. Alternative agricultural and marketing development programs for coca and poppy producers;

5. Increased humanitarian and development assistance to the internally displaced;

6. Drug treatment and prevention programs to reduce the demand for drugs in the U.S.

We hope that you will vote for such measures that will help build a just peace in Colombia and reduce the consumption of drugs in the United States.

We thank the Committee for this opportunity to express our views. We look forward to ongoing discussions with members of Congress and the President on how best to express in law and public policy our common commitment to the principles of justice, compassion and human solidarity.

END

LOAD-DATE: April 19, 2000

Document 1 of 17.


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