Upcoming Events

• Please join us for one or several of our monthly webinars! The next one, scheduled for February 24th, will feature the Church’s response to the devastating earthquake in Haiti. If there’s a topic you would like to see covered, or if you would like to participate as one of our panelists, please let us know.
• The season of Lent is approaching! There are several opportunities for you to confront global poverty during this holy time:
  1. Participate in Catholic Relief Services’ Lenten program, Operation Rice Bowl, in your parish, school, on your campus and with your religious community.
  2. CRS’ Food Fast, a 24-hour hunger awareness retreat, is a great way for youth to confront global poverty.
  3. Support the USCCB’s Catholic Relief Services Collection on Lataere Sunday, scheduled for March 13-14 in many dioceses across the country. Proceeds will confront global poverty by helping to expand the Church’s international social ministry.

Current Action Alerts

• Support peace and stability in Sudan. Urge your Senators to co-sponsor the bipartisan Senate resolution 404 as an important step. Learn more now.  
• Help Stop the Violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Urge your member of Congress to support legislation that addresses the issue of conflict minerals that fuel war, displacement and poverty. Read more now.
• Support Justice for Immigrants. Participate in the Church’s Justice for Immigrants’ Postcard Campaign. Urge Congress to support comprehensive immigration reform that keeps immigrant families together, adopts smart and humane enforcement policies, and ensures that immigrants without legal status register with the government and begin a path toward citizenship.
• Help Protect People Living in Poverty Around the World from the Effects of Climate Change. Urge the Senate to pass legislation that provides generous assistance to people who will likely suffer the most from climate change. Read more now.
• Promote Reduction of Nuclear Weapons and Global Hunger. Urge your Representative to co-sponsor a resolution that would shrink the number of nuclear weapons and redirect funding to providing food security programs and education worldwide. Find out more.

Updates on Global Poverty Issues

Haiti Response

Cardinal George, President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), and Archbishop Dolan, chair of CRS board, said the magnitude 7.0 earthquake that ravaged Haiti “destroyed countless homes, churches, seminaries, schools and other buildings and has left millions without the most basic necessities of life. Our faith compels us to pray for and reach out to our brothers and sisters in their time of suffering.”

The Catholic community in the United States is reaching out to our brothers and sisters in Haiti in significant and immediate ways. Catholic Relief Services (CRS), the official international humanitarian agency of the U.S. Catholic Church, is directing a massive aid operation in Haiti and has distributed food to more than 100,000 people. Visit www.crs.org for more information.   

Please keep those who are suffering in your prayers.

If you would like to donate:

• Visit www.crs.org to make an online gift
• Call 1-877-HELP-CRS
• Text RELIEF to 25383 to add $10 to your cell phone bill, or
• Send a check to Catholic Relief Services, P.O. Box 17090, Baltimore, MD 21203-7090. In the memo portion of your check, please write: Haiti Earthquake.

International Assistance

Efforts to reform the way in which the United States provides assistance to developing nations have been stalled in Washington, DC and there seems to be little appetite for a major overhaul any time soon. However, several developments over the last several months deserve our attention.

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) finally has a new Administrator since Dr. Rajiv Shah was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on December 24, 2009. CRS and the USCCB look forward to working with Dr. Shah and USAID to ensure that international assistance meets the needs of people who need it most.

Meanwhile results of the Obama Administration’s Presidential Study Directive on Global Development Policy, that created a first-ever cross-government review of development policy, are expected in early 2010. The findings of the first-ever Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review (QDDR), a comprehensive assessment and evaluation of the Department of State and USAID, are also expected this year.

Both houses of Congress have also taken steps to address international assistance reform but little progress has been made on enacting legislation. Rep. Howard Berman (D-CA), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, has secured 125 co-sponsors for H.R. 2139, the Initiating Foreign Assistance Reform Act of 2009, which would require the President to create a National Strategy for Global Development and thereby strengthen foreign assistance accountability and transparency. In the Senate, the Foreign Relations Committee has passed S. 1524, the Foreign Assistance Revitalization and Accountability Act of 2009 with 22 co-sponsors. This bill seeks to revitalize USAID and now awaits consideration by the full Senate. CRS and USCCB welcome the focus these bills put on the need for international assistance reform but believe that these efforts are inadequate to achieve our goals of focusing on poverty alleviation that meets the needs of the poorest people and upholds human dignity.

The U.S. financial commitment to international assistance was increased by 3.3 percent in the current fiscal year as part of the FY2010 omnibus appropriations bill, totaling $48.9 billion. While still very small compared to the rest of the U.S. budget the international affairs budget represents only 1.4 percent of the entire budget-CRS and USCCB are pleased by policymakers’ willingness to support these urgent needs. These funds will allow CRS and other organizations to continue working to alleviate poverty overseas by promoting health, education, agriculture, and water/sanitation as well as providing assistance during natural disasters and conflict and supporting people affected by HIV.

Read more about CRS and USCCB’s position on international assistance reform.

Natural Resources Extraction

The House of Representatives recently introduced H.R. 4128, the Conflict Minerals Trade Act that seeks to reduce the use of illicitly mined conflict minerals to finance violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

In a letter to the bill’s co-sponsors, CRS and USCCB characterized the bill as an important step towards improving the lives of millions of people affected by horrific violence in the eastern DRC where many of illicit minerals are mined by armed groups. Please urge your Representative to help stop the violence in DRC by co-sponsoring H.R. 4128 and ensuring that it moves forward quickly. Companion legislation in the Senate is S.891, the Congo Conflict Minerals Act of 2009 but it is weaker than the House bill.

Learn more about our position on natural resources extraction and what you can do.

Global Climate Change

Pope Benedict XVI’s 2010 World Day of Peace message entitled ‘If You Want to Cultivate Peace, Protect Creation’ links peace with authentic human development that, according to him, must include a profound respect for creation: “The quest for peace by people of good will surely would become easier if all acknowledge the indivisible relationship between God, human beings and the whole of creation.”

Our Holy Father reiterates and summarizes themes the Church has been emphasizing since climate change first became a significant concern: “I would advocate the adoption of a model of development based on the centrality of the human person, on the promotion and sharing of the common good, on responsibility, on a realization of our need for a changed life-style, and on prudence, the virtue which tells us what needs to be done today in view of what might happen tomorrow.” Access study resources on the message.

This message comes on the heels of the much anticipated United Nations Copenhagen Conference on Climate Change in December 2009.

Although the Climate Accord agreed to at Copenhagen disappointed many delegates and activists, it includes a commitment by rich nations such as the United States to provide $100 billion by 2020 to help poor countries adapt to the effects of climate change.

The Accord may also provide momentum for passage of climate change legislation in the U.S. Senate. Senate Foreign Relations Chairman John Kerry (D-MA) promised the world in Copenhagen that the Senate would act on climate change.

The House of Representatives has already passed its climate legislation H.R. 2454, the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009. The bill falls short of the funding needed to help poor countries adapt to the effects of climate change.

CRS and USCCB maintain that any climate legislation under consideration in the Senate must protect poor people in the United States and around the world. Contact your Senators now to let them know that you share the Church’s concerns.

Read more about our position on this critical issue.

Migration

Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) introduced H.R. 4321, the Comprehensive Immigration Reform for America’s Security and Prosperity Act of 2009 (CIR ASAP) with 91 co-sponsors. The USCCB has called the bill ‘an important first step in the legislative process.’ The Senate has yet to introduce its bill and we are expecting Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) to be the principal sponsor.

Until then, please remain engaged in this issue and let your members of Congress know that you support comprehensive immigration reform that addresses the “push factors” of migration.

CRS and USCCB continue to call on policymakers not to forget to address the root causes of migration. Read more about our analysis of migration and its impact on global poverty.

CRS, as a core member of Justice for Immigrants, is supporting a postcard campaign to urge Congress to pass reform legislation. The USCCB urges reform that would include addressing the root causes in sending countries that compel people to migrate in the first place.

Postcards can be ordered from the Justice for Immigrants campaign.

Conflict and Peace

In December, President Obama announced a revised strategy for Afghanistan. Bishop Howard Hubbard, USCCB International Policy Committee Chairman and Bishop of Albany responded to the announcement with a letter to the National Security Advisor in which he expressed: ‘The bishops support a multilateral approach to create effective national and local governments and foster economic development. We also affirm the Administration’s emphasis on a more effective civilian strategy, particularly the focus on agricultural assistance and combating corruption and improving accountability. Whenever possible, development assistance should be delivered through civilian/NGO channels, rather than through the military.’

The increasingly prominent role of the military in relief and development assistance activities, especially in conflict zones like Afghanistan, is of great concern to CRS. The military can provide immediate, quick-impact assistance in extremely volatile areas, but they often fail to promote sustainable development while catering to local power holders.

In his letter Bishop Hubbard noted that the bishops support a “responsible transition” in Afghanistan and early withdrawal of U.S. forces consistent with this goal. He asked the United States to strive to reduce further loss of life; address humanitarian and refugee needs; help rebuild the country; protect human rights; support good governance; and promote sustainable development. The bishop argued that it is important to restrain the use of military force and ensure that civilians are not targeted, and to address the root causes of terrorism rather than relying solely on military force. And as noted above, whenever possible, direct development assistance through civilian channels and local projects to promote sustainability.

Learn more about what USCCB and CRS have to say about peace and conflict.

Watch the recording of our recent webcast on Afghanistan.

Global Hunger

None of the bills we recently reported on—H.R. 2817, The Roadmap to End Global Hunger and Promote Food Security Act of 2009 or S.384/H.R. 3077, The Global Food Security Act of 2009—have seen any action since their introduction.

In October 2009, Congress approved the FY 2010 Agriculture Appropriations bill, which provides funding for the international food assistance program, also known as P.L. 480 Title II Program, to meet emergency and non-emergency humanitarian food needs overseas. It also provides funding for the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program that supports education, child development, and food security for some of the world’s poorest children. This bill includes $1.69 billion for Title II which is $500 million higher than the requests of recent years and $209.5 million for the McGovern-Dole Program, a doubling of that program’s funding.

Learn more about hunger and food security by viewing our recent webcast on this issue.

Other Ways to Confront Global Poverty

• Participate in one of our regularly scheduled webcasts. Check out our calendar and sign up today.
• Contribute to our blog! Visit now to read recent posts, add your own comments or submit a blog entry for possible posting.
• The Catholics Confront Global Poverty website provides many suggestions for how you and your community can pray, learn, and share about global poverty issues. Check it out now!

You can find great video podcasts about seven important global poverty issues on the Catholics Confront Global Poverty website.