[BRC-NEWS] Africa Freedom Day (May 25th) Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit National Call-In Day May 25, 1999 AFRICAN FREEDOM DAY On this day thousands of concerned Americans will call their Representatives in Congress to send this message: o Maintain the African Development Foundation (ADF); fund ADFs FY 2000 budget at the requested level of $14.4 million dollars; o Reinstate the Development Fund for Africa (DFA); restore its funding to its historic high level -- $802 million; o Cancel Africa's crushing debt; and o Pay the $1.5 billion dollars the U.S. owes the United Nations to ensure adequate funding for peacekeeping in Africa. ACTION On May 25 call your Member of Congress by dialing the Capitol Switchboard at: (202) 224-3121. Indicate your support for ADF, DFA, urge support for the strongest possible debt relief measure, and urge payment of the U.S. dues to the United Nations. For those who have the time, please call the leaders of the House and Senate Foreign Op-erations Subcommittees and leave the same message. Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) (202-224-2541) Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) (202-224-4242) Rep. Sonny Callahan (R-AL) (202-225-4931) Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) (202-225-4965) On May 25th 1963, the Organization of African Unity was founded in Addis Ababa, more than 1,100 people representing 31 African States, 21 African Liberation Movements, and hundreds of supporters and observers attended. The OAU proclaimed that day "African Freedom Day" and encouraged that it be observed annually to mark the historical founding of the OAU. African Freedom Day has since been observed on or around the 25th of May in Africa and throughout the world. BACKGROUND FOREIGN ASSISTANCE Since 1995, US financial support for sustainable development in Africa has sharply declined. The African Development Foundation (ADF), the development community's research and development arm, created by Congress as a laboratory to explore innovative and creative grassroots development through participatory approaches has suffered a 35 percent reduction in four years. The Development Fund for Africa (DFA), the account designed to protect Africa monies and require the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to prioritize support to women, the poor, and rural Africa, has not been funded. While USAID continues to fund poverty alleviation efforts, it does so with 38 percent less funding and without the protection of the separate account. DEBT CANCELLATION Africa's debt burdens, says Jesse Jackson, are the new economys chains of slavery. The debt burden is so large that it cannot be paid; without cancellation and a redirection of those payments toward human needs, long-term development on the Continent is crippled. This year Congress will consider several measures designed to address Africas debt crisis. Legislators need encouragement. They must consider each measure seriously and adopt the bill(s) which are comprehensive and which relieve Africas poor of unmanageable debt. Conservative opponents of development assistance would like to see US assistance to Africa end and will only consider the weakest debt relief approaches. Past efforts to eliminate development assistance, including efforts to dismantle the African Development Foundation have been held in abeyance. However, Senator Jesse Helms (R-NC) recently wrote: I strongly urge that funding for the African Development Foudation be eliminated. UN FUNDING For several years, the Congress has rejected appeals that it honor the U.S. commitments to pay its debt to the United Nations. Nonpayment of the $1.5 billion dollars in pledged funding jeopardizes the UN, ultimately undermining its ability to carryout critical development, peacekeeping, and other important functions in Africa. The annual appropriations process has yet to get fully underway, but the handwriting is on the wall. Unless support is mobilized now -- support that can be maintained throughout the appropriations process (May  October) -- effective programs that work in partnership with Africans to alleviate poverty will be further weakened and possibly eliminated. Clarence Lusane, Ph.D. "Chance Favors the Prepared" American University School of International Service (202) 885-1674 -30- -------------------------------------------------------------------------- BRC-NEWS: Black Radical Congress - General News/Alerts/Announcements Subscribe: Email "subscribe brc-news" to ================================================================= NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us 339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012 http://www.blythe.org e-mail: nyt@blythe.org ================================================================= nytaf-05.22.99-03:04:13-8063