[Capitol Corner] Congress acts on UNICEF funding
Both the House of Representatives and the Senate passed their versions of the State, Foreign Operations appropriations legislation, which includes funding for the U.S. Government's voluntary contribution for UNICEF. The Senate bill would provide $129 million for UNICEF in Fiscal Year 2008"not quite the $130 million that we (and you!) asked for, but a significant increase from this year's contribution.
Both the House of Representatives and the Senate passed their versions of the State, Foreign Operations appropriations legislation, which includes funding for the U.S. Government's voluntary contribution for UNICEF. The Senate bill would provide $129 million for UNICEF in Fiscal Year 2008"not quite the $130 million that we (and you!) asked for, but a significant increase from this year's contribution.
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| Martin Rendón Vice President, Public Policy and Advocacy |
Both the House of Representatives and the Senate passed their versions of the State, Foreign Operations appropriations legislation, which includes funding for the U.S. Government's voluntary contribution for UNICEF. The Senate bill would provide $129 million for UNICEF in Fiscal Year 2008"not quite the $130 million that we (and you!) asked for, but a significant increase from this year's contribution.
The next step in the legislative process is for House and Senate members to meet in conference, to iron out differences in the two versions. WE NEED YOUR HELP to keep the higher Senate number for UNICEF! Please contact your Members of Congress at unicefusa.org/uniceffunding and urge them to support $129 million for UNICEF in the 2008 appropriations bill!
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| UNICEF/ HQ06-1149 | |
| A poster in Arabic, part of a UNICEF public awareness campaign, provides information to displaced and refugee families about the dangers of unexploded ordnance. |
The Senate State, Foreign Operations bill also included other provisions that are important to the U.S. Fund for UNICEF. For example, there is a section that for the first time would restrict the sale or transfer of cluster bombs that have a failure rate greater than one percent or less, as well as ensure that any U.S.-made cluster bombs would be used only against clearly defined military targets, and not where civilians are known to be present. As we noted in our advocacy alert on this topic (see http://www.unicefusa.org/clustermunitions), unexploded cluster munitions pose unacceptable risks to children, and this provision takes a step toward protecting children from these dangerous weapons.
In a bold move, the Senate appropriations bill also proposes a substantial increase in funding for bilateral programs focused on child survival and maternal health"like immunizations, medicines to fight diarrhea and pneumonia, and basic health services for pregnant mothers. The Senate legislation would provide $476 million next year for child and maternal health, an increase of 33 percent over current funding for those programs.
As UNICEF's recent announcement on progress in cutting child mortality rates shows, we know what it takes to save children's lives"but now is not the time to rest on our laurels. Rather, now is the time for resolve to maintain progress in reducing child mortality rates"and to accelerate efforts in Sub-Saharan Africa, where progress remains minimal. The U.S. Fund for UNICEF applauds the Senate for its commitment to child survival.
Click here to send a letter to your Members of Congress supporting $129 million for UNICEF in 2008.
