Congressional Black Caucus
"The Conscience of Congress since 1969"
www.congressionalblackcaucus.net

(Washington, D.C.)- The Congressional Black Caucus commended British Prime Minister Tony Blair, today, for his bold efforts to achieve major debt relief and a significant increase in aid to Africa.

Mr. Blair, who is the host of this year’s G-8 Summit, which is comprised of the major eight industrialized democracies, has asked the world’s richest countries to make a $25 billion increase in support for Africa.

“We commend you for having the wisdom to insist that the risk of increasing aid to Africa is worth taking, particularly since the amount of aid you are proposing can readily be afforded by all Summit participants,” the CBC said in a letter to Mr. Blair. “We strongly support your efforts to ensure that debt cancellation is a critical item on the agenda during the July G-8 Summit in Scotland.”

President Bush, who was initially cold to the idea, recently announced that the U.S. will pledge $674 million for famine relief, which is considerably much less than the Prime Minister’s initial ask. Mr. Bush’s explanation: “It doesn’t fit our budgetary process.”

The Caucus’ letter explains that Africa’s debt crisis is the single biggest obstacle to the continent’s development, to the fight against HIV/AIDS and represents a crippling load that undermines economic and social progress. The idea of 100 percent debt relief is not about handouts, but about mutual interest and mutual security, the Caucus notes.

Noting the urgency and importance of time, the CBC said that Africa remains the only part of the developing world that remains no better off than it was 25-years ago.

“Time is not on our side and this is not a time for timidity or a time to fear reaching too high,” the CBC said. “More than 25 million of sub-Saharan Africa’s 700 million people are infected with HIV, and life expectancy, which peaked at about 50 years in 1992, has since fallen to about 46 years. Child nutrition, illiteracy and lack of access to clean water are serious problems throughout the continent.”

The Caucus noted that it stands firmly with Mr. Blair in fighting for a new partnership with Africa. “Although there is much work to be done to convince some stakeholders of all the steps that need to be taken, the momentum for change is real,” the letter states.

Mr. Blair has been pushing a broad, long-term effort to help Africa’s economy get on its feet, not just emergency food aid. He also wants G-8 countries to commit new money for Africa rather than reallocating funds already earmarked for foreign assistance.

The G-8 Summit will take place in Gleneagles, Scotland.

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A copy of the letter follows:

June 7, 2005

The Honorable Tony Blair
Prime Minister
The United Kingdom
c/o The British Embassy
3100 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20008-3600

Dear Prime Minister Blair:

The 43 members of the Congressional Black Caucus commend your bold efforts to achieve major debt relief and a significant increase in aid for Africa. We wholeheartedly support your efforts to reduce the debilitating effects of poverty in Africa by encouraging new policies toward Africa.

2005 is indeed a vital year for Africa and significant poverty reduction will be impossible without considerably more aid and attention to Africa in the near future. As you and your government have recently acknowledged, time is not on our side and this is not a time for timidity or a time to fear reaching too high.

As the report released by the Commission for Africa confirmed, Africa remains the only part of the developing world that remains no better off than it was 25 years ago. More than 25 million of sub-Saharan Africa’s 700 million people are infected with HIV, and life expectancy, which peaked at about 50 years in 1992, has since fallen to about 46 years. Child malnutrition, illiteracy, and lack of access to clean water are serious problems throughout the continent. A January 2005 report issued by the United Nations Millennium Project indicated that Africa stood no chance of meeting the Millennium Development Goals without a massive infusion of aid.

Africa’s debt crisis is the single biggest obstacle to the continent's development and to the fight against HIV/AIDS. Debt represents a crippling load that undermines economic and social progress. Many poor countries in Africa spend 30 to 40 percent of their annual budgets on repaying their foreign-held debt, spending more on interest and debt than they spend on their own country’s health and education budgets combined.

Furthermore, most of Africa's foreign debt is illegitimate in nature, as much of it was incurred by unrepresentative regimes. Sadly, the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative has not reduced the debts of African countries to sustainable levels, and today it is clear that Africa’s creditors must move beyond this framework. The idea of 100 percent debt relief is not about handouts, but about mutual interest and mutual security.

We strongly support your efforts to ensure that debt cancellation is a critical item on the agenda during the July G-8 Summit in Scotland. In addition, we commend you for having the wisdom to insist that the risk of increasing aid to Africa is worth taking, particularly since the amounts of aid you are proposing can readily be afforded by all the Summit participants and all of them would gain new markets and help create an environment in which violence and terrorism are much less likely.

The Congressional Black Caucus stands firmly with you in fighting for a partnership with Africa that is based on mutual respect and solidarity, one that will require the most serious reevaluation of Western policy on Africa in a generation. Although there is much work to be done to convince some stakeholders (including the Bush Administration) of all the steps that need to be taken, the momentum for change you are helping to fuel is real. We believe that there is common ground that needs to be found between your government and the other G-8 participants on securing debt relief, increasing aid, and removing trade-distorting subsidies and other barriers to trade in Africa.

Marshalling the resources needed to significantly reduce poverty in sub-Saharan Africa will not be easy. However, if we work closely together, a new deal for Africa can be negotiated. These are big goals, but the stakes could not be higher. Therefore, as we pledged to Nelson Mandela, the former President of South Africa during his recent visit to the United States, we join you in committing our energy, capability and resolve to shaping a new future for Africa.

Sincerely,

__________________  
Melvin L. Watt
Chairman
Congressional Black Caucus

__________________  
Donald M. Payne
Co-Chair
Congressional Black Caucus Task
Force on International Relations

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