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Global Poverty Act

Our Position: support
Bill Number: HR 3605
Sponsor: Rep. Adam Smith
Legislative Session: 2006

The Global Poverty Act would direct the President and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to create and implement a comprehensive strategy to reduce poverty worldwide. This strategy would include measurable goals and increased coordination between public and private interests as well as economic and humanitarian interests. Specifically, it would ensure that U.S. foreign policy includes implementation of the Millennium Development Goals to alleviate poverty and promote long-term sustainable development, to improve people’s lives and the health of our environment.

Status

The Global Poverty Act was introduced in the House on July 28, 2005. It was then referred to the International Relations Committee. For more information, including full text of the bill and a complete list of co-sponsoring Representatives, click here.

Action Needed

We must build strong bipartisan support for this vital legislation.

·          Contact your Representative today and ask him or her to co-sponsor the Global Poverty Act (H.R. 3605).

o         Click here to find your Representative and his or her contact information.

o         Click here for a list of current co-sponsoring Representatives. If your Representative is already a co-sponsor, write or call to thank them for their leadership on this issue!

Contact

Sarah Fairchild

Global Population and Environment Program Director

sarah.fairchild@sierraclub.org

Background

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were agreed to by more than 180 countries at the 2000 United Nations Millennium Summit to promote poverty reduction, education, maternal health, gender equality, and environmental sustainability. Developing countries have pledged to invest in their people through health care and education, and developed countries—including the United States—have pledged to support them, through aid, debt relief, and fairer trade. The Global Poverty Act calls for specific strategies that would implement the MDGs, including continued investment in existing U.S. initiatives to reduce global poverty, increasing overall U.S. development assistance levels and improving the effectiveness of such assistance, enhancing and expanding debt relief, and leveraging U.S. trade policy where possible to enhance the economic development prospects for developing countries.

The Sierra Club supports policies that advance sustainable development initiatives and address the root causes of environmental degradation, including poverty and lack of access to basic healthcare. Reducing global poverty is crucial to achieving long-term environmental sustainability.