UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA - AFRICAN STUDIES CENTER
Africa: Aid Action Alert, 6/16/96

Africa: Aid Action Alert, 6/16/96

Africa: Aid Action Alert
Date Distributed (ymd): 960616

Washington Office on Africa
Urgent Action
Development Funding for Africa in Jeopardy
June 16, 1996

The Clinton administration's Fiscal Year 1997 foreign assistance request, submitted in early March, calls for an increase in African assistance and an "earmark" (or separate allocation) for the Development Fund for Africa (DFA). The administration's request also includes:

* $704 million allocation for the DFA
* $12.5 million for the African Development Foundation (ADF)
* $935 million for the International Development Association
(IDA) of the World Bank, which would only meet U.S. past
obligations through June 1996.

(see below for brief program descriptions)

On June 11, the House of Representatives passed the FY foreign operations appopriations bill. The bill does not include a separate allocation for the Development Fund for Africa, but recommends, as Congress did last year, that Africa receive the same proportion of development assistance as the administration requested (41 percent). An amendment by Rep. Payne (D-NJ) to restore the DFA was dismissed on a point of order, as was an amendment by Rep. Waters (D-CA) to provide funding for the Abidjan-based African Development Bank.

The bill as passed by the House includes $11.5 million for the African Development Foundation, the same as FY 1996 but $1 million less than the Administration request. The largest cut was a $410 million reduction in IDA to $525 million.

The next opportunity to restore the separate allocation for the DFA and to increase the US commitment to IDA will be when the Appropriations Bill is considered in the Senate. Action by the Foreign Operations Subcommitee may come as early as Tuesday, June 18. This will be followed by action by the full Appropriations Committee and then by a vote in the full Senate.

ACTION

Faxes and calls to the Members of the Senate Foreign Operations Subcommittee are needed immediately. If you cannot fax or call, you may send an e-mail message. But remember that such messages are considered less likely to have weight with Members than faxes or calls. In any case, be sure to include your postal address. Urge Congress to protect development and humanitarian assistance to Africa by supporting the administration's budget request.

Send a copy of your communications, or write a separate letter, to your own Senators. The postal address for all Senators is U.S. Senate, Washington, DC 20510.

[Note to non-U.S. readers: This posting is provided both for your background information and for possible forwarding to those of your U.S. contacts you think would be interested.]

Chairman of Senate Appropriations Committee
Mark Hatfield (R-OR)
Tel: 202-224-3753; Fax: 202-224-0276;
e-mail: not available

Senate Foreign Operations Subcommittee

Mitch McConnell (R-KY) Key staffperson: Robin Cleveland
Tel: 202-224-2541; Fax: 202-224-2499;
e-mail: Senator@mcconnell.senate.gov

Arlen Specter (R-PA) Key staffperson: Paul Wolfe
Tel: 202-224-4254; Fax: 202-224-1893;
e-mail: Senator_Specter@specter.senate.gov

Connie Mack (R-FL) Key staffperson: Ellen Bork
Tel: 224-5274; Fax: 224-8022;
e-mail: connie@mack.senate.gov

James Jeffords (R-VT) Key staffperson: Laurie Heim
Tel: 202-224-5141; Fax: not available;
e-mail: Vermont@jeffords.senate.gov

Judd Gregg (R-NH) Key staffperson: Vas Alexopoulus
Tel: 202-224-3324; Fax: 224-4952;
e-mail: Mailbox@gregg.senate.gov

Richard Shelby (R-AL) Key staffperson: Kathy Casey
Tel: 202-224-5744: Fax: 202-224-3416:
e-mail: Senator@shelby.senate.gov

Robert Bennett (R-UT) Key staffperson: Bill Triplett
Tel: 202-224-5444; Fax: 202-224-4908;
e-mail: Senator@bennett.senate.gov

Patrick Leahy (D-VT) Key staffperson: Tim Reiser
Tel: 202-224-4242; Fax: 202-224-3595
e-mail: Senator_Leahy@leahy.senate.gov

Daniel Inouye (D-HI) Key staffperson: Keith Gouveia
Tel: 202-224-3934; Fax: 202-224-6747;
e-mail: senator@inouye.senate.gov

Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) Key staffperson: Sharon Waxman
Tel: 202-224-4744; Fax: 202-224-9707;
e-mail: Frank_Lautenberg@Lautenberg.senate.gov

Tom Harkin (D-IA) Key staffperson: Rosemary Guitterez
Tel: 202-224-3254; Fax: 202-224-9369;
e-mail: Tom_Harkin@harkin.senate.gov

Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) Key staffperson: Julia Frifield
Tel: 202-224-4654; Fax: 202-224-8858;
e-mail: Senator@mikulski.senate.gov

Patty Murray (D-WA) Key staffperson: Pam Norick
Tel: 202-224-2621; Fax: 202-0224-0238;
e-mail: Senator_Murray@murray.senate.gov

Program Descriptions:

The Development Fund for Africa (DFA) was created by Congress in 1987 to "help the poor majority of men and women...to participate in a process of long-term development through economic growth that is equitable, participatory, environmentally sustainable, and self-reliant." Even critics of USAID performance in Africa point to the DFA policy guidance as an important advance which should be maintained and thoughtfully implemented. Additionally, the earmark, or separate allocation, protects Africa funding from being raided by other interests within the various foreign policy agencies or USAID itself. (For more background see the May 1 testimony of John F. Hicks, Assistant Administrator of the USAID Bureau for Africa, to the Senate Subcommittee on Africa. The testimony is available on-line at: gopher://gaia.info.usaid.gov:70/00/agency_wide/spe_test/ testimony/jh050196.txt)

The African Development Foundation (ADF) is the only US government agency mandated to make small grants directly to grassroots African groups. It is also the only agency required to hire only African staff for its country offices. The small size and grassroots focus allows ADF to administer small grants, ranging from $20,000 - 250,000 and to operate in ways less suited to the larger USAID bureaucracy. (For more background see WOA Update "African Development Foundation on Chopping Block," June 30, 1995; <URL=gopher://gopher.igc.apc.org:7040/00/docs95/adf9506>)

Africa also receives important development assistance from a range of multilateral agencies, including key UN agencies, such as the UN Development Program and UN peacekeeping programs. The World Bank's program of concessional development loans--the International Development Association (IDA)--is a key source of development funds for Africa. Many members of Congress oppose adequate funding for these institutions, despite the fact that the US is in arrears on past obligations. (For more background see Washington Office on Africa Action Alert, "U.S. Delinquency Undermines International Programs," distributed April 26, 1996 <URL=gopher://gopher.igc.apc.org:7040/00/docs96/int9604>)

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Note: Additional details on the current legislation, and on contact information for Members of Congress, can be found at the Web site of InterAction (http://www.interaction.org/advocacy.html). The full text is available by searching at http://thomas.loc.gov/ for HR 3540, the number of the bill as passed by the House of Representatives.

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Message-Id: <199606161715.KAA07898@igc3.igc.apc.org> From: "WOA" <woa@igc.apc.org> Date: Sun, 16 Jun 1996 13:13:49 -0500 Subject: Africa: Aid Action Alert

Editor: Ali B. Ali-Dinar

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