Fwd: AJWS: CONGRESS MISSES HISTORIC OPPORTUNITY TO REFORM INTERNATIONAL FOOD AID

Media Contact: Rebecca Kaplan, 212.792.2889 AJWS: CONGRESS MISSES HISTORIC OPPORTUNITY TO REFORM INTERNATIONAL FOOD AID WASHINGTON, DC — American Jewish World Service released the following statement today after the House of Representatives failed to pass the Royce-Engel Food Aid Reform Amendment. "Tragically, Congress missed an historic opportunity today to fix our international food aid program," said Timi Gerson, director of advocacy for AJWS. "The bipartisan Royce-Engel Food Aid Reform Amendment would have helped at least four million more hungry people get life-saving access to food aid. Unfortunately, today's vote leaves the status quo in place, which means we will continue to spend more food aid dollars to reach fewer hungry people around the world. The U.S. supplies approximately half of all food aid worldwide yet our Eisenhower-era program is outdated. There is an average delay of three to four months in delivery of food aid shipped from the U.S., a time lag that is a matter of life or death. Yet Congress did not take the steps necessary to streamline the program to make it more cost-effective and efficient. "Despite the outcome, today's vote was an historic one. For the first time ever, a floor vote was held on food aid reform and it brought together a broad range of support among members from across the political and geographic spectrum during a time when bipartisanship is rare. "While the self-interested supporters of the status quo have won this battle, but we will continue to work with members of Congress to enact meaningful food aid reform and to fight to reduce hunger and improve access to food worldwide. When almost one billion people around the world go hungry every day, making every food aid dollar count is not only a responsible use of taxpayer money, it is a moral imperative. We thank House Foreign Affairs committee Chairman Ed Royce and Ranking Member Eliot Engel for their courageous leadership in recognizing the critical need for food aid reform, and we appreciate the many Members who supported their amendment. Unfortunately the majority of their colleagues were not willing to stand up for policy that saves lives and taxpayer dollars," Gerson said. The Royce-Engel Food Aid Reform Amendment would have updated the Food for Peace program to provide greater flexibility and help more people with our overseas food assistance without spending any additional U.S. taxpayer dollars. Earlier this month, the Senate passed the Agriculture Reform, Food and Jobs Act of 2013 (the Farm Bill), including an amendment that would create a permanent $300 million program to buy food from small-scale farmers in developing countries, boosting agricultural economies and securing long-term, local food sources. While the Senate bill made incremental steps toward reform, it did not achieve the type of comprehensive modernization of the program that was included in the Royce-Engel Food Aid Reform Amendment. For the almost two years, American Jewish World Service, along with a coalition of leading international development, humanitarian and advocacy groups, has worked with members of Congress to reverse global hunger by reforming the current Food for Peace program to make it more effective at reaching hungry people today while creating a hunger-free world tomorrow. About American Jewish World Service: American Jewish World Service (AJWS) is the leading Jewish organization working to promote human rights and end poverty in the developing world. We support more than 400 grassroots organizations in Africa, Asia and the Americas that promote the rights of women, girls and LGBT people; rebuild societies torn apart by war and natural disasters; and seek to secure access to food, land and water. In the United States, we mobilize our supporters to advocate for U.S. policies that help create a just and equitable world. We are inspired by Judaism's commitment to pursue justice and repair the world, and we believe that Jewish history teaches us to respect and fight for the rights of others.

Fwd: Press Release: MCC Board Approves Georgia Compact

Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. MCC.gov | About Us | Press & Public Affairs For Immediate Release June 19, 2013 Contact: 202-521-3850 info@mcc.gov MCC Board Approves Georgia Compact Washington, D.C. — At its quarterly meeting today, the U.S. Government's Millennium Challenge Corporation Board of Directors approved a five-year, $140 million compact with Georgia to increase the quality of human capital by investing in science and technology education and workforce development.   "One of the key ingredients to economic growth is equipping citizens with the education and skills they need to succeed in a modernizing economy," MCC CEO Daniel W. Yohannes said. "This compact will strengthen teaching, learning, and educational intuitions in Georgia so that students can learn skills that are directly matched to industries driving growth. A better educated workforce will accelerate economic growth, stimulate job creation, reinforce democratic participation, and better position Georgia to be a strong trade partner of the United States."    MCC's Board selected Georgia as eligible to develop a second compact in January 2011; the country successfully completed a five-year, $395.3 million compact in March 2011. At today's meeting, the Board discussed the importance of Georgia maintaining its commitment to good governance throughout its partnership with MCC.   For its subsequent compact, the Government of Georgia conducted an analysis that identified the quality of human capital as a binding constraint to economic growth, particularly acute in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).    To improve the quality of education in these fields and increase earning potential, the proposed compact will make strategic investments from the start of a student's general education to graduation from technical training and advanced degree programs, including a focus on increasing women's participation in STEM professions.   The compact, expected to be signed during the summer of 2013, consists of three projects: The Improving General Education Quality Project seeks to improve the quality of general education through rehabilitation of deteriorating schools, training for educators and school managers and support for education assessments. The Industry-Led Skills and Workforce Development Project aims to improve the link between market-demanded skills and the supply of Georgians with those technical skills. The STEM Higher Education Project proposes to attract one or more American university partners to modernize science, technology, engineering, and math education by offering high-quality degree programs that boost productivity and growth and increase employment opportunities. The Board also received an update and discussed results, risks and lessons from MCC compacts closing out this year in Lesotho, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, and Tanzania. MCC expects more than 12 million people to benefit from these five completed compacts, which have invested more than $2.5 billion in 20 major agriculture, education, energy, health, property rights, private sector development, roads, and water and sanitation projects.   ### The Millennium Challenge Corporation, a U.S. Government agency designed to work with some of the poorest countries in the world, is based on the principle that aid is most effective when it reinforces good governance, economic freedom and investments in people that promote economic growth and elimination of extreme poverty.

AJWS OPPOSES VISIT TO U.S. BY SUDANESE WAR CRIMINAL

Media Contact: Rebecca Kaplan, 212.792.2889 AJWS OPPOSES VISIT TO U.S. BY SUDANESE WAR CRIMINAL Global Human Rights Group Demands that the U.S. Lead Serious Effort to Achieve Peace  NEW YORK, NY – Ruth Messinger, president of American Jewish World Service (AJWS), released the following statement today regarding the possible visit to the United States by Nafie Ali Nafie, a senior advisor to Sudanese President Omar Al Bashir.  President Bashir has been indicted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes and crimes against humanity. "Nafie Ali Nafie is an admitted torturer, and he has served as a top lieutenant to Omar Al Bashir, an indicted war criminal responsible for committing heinous human rights violations, including the Darfur genocide. The crimes against the Sudanese people, which Nafie has abetted, are crimes against humanity, and he should not be welcome in the United States, especially by our government.  "If Nafie visits Washington, D.C. with our government's approval, it is incumbent upon the Obama administration to make a concerted effort to achieve peace in Sudan through a renewed and deepened diplomatic strategy by the U.S.  And since Nafie's visit would badly undermine the civil society and opposition groups working for a better future in Sudan, we call for a redoubled effort by the U.S. to support these Sudanese groups and ensure they play a meaningful role in shaping Sudan's future. "Our nation has failed to address the fundamental problems at the center of Sudan's many civil wars, ethnic, religious, and regional conflicts, including the concentration of resources and power with the country's ruling elite in Khartoum. Now is the time to change our fundamental approach to Sudan through a sustained high-level engagement. Since news of the genocide emerged in 2004, AJWS has been at the forefront of the campaign to bring the plight of Darfur and Sudan into the national and international political spotlight and make it a top priority of the American Jewish community. AJWS co-founded the Save Darfur Coalition and continues to lead Jewish and interfaith advocacy in collaboration with allied organizations working to bring an end to the bloodshed. About American Jewish World Service: American Jewish World Service (AJWS) is the leading Jewish organization working to promote human rights and end poverty in the developing world. We support more than 400 grassroots organizations in Africa, Asia and the Americas that promote the rights of women, girls and LGBT people; rebuild societies torn apart by war and natural disasters; and seek to secure access to food, land and water. In the United States, we mobilize our supporters to advocate for U.S. policies that help create a just and equitable world. We are inspired by Judaism's commitment to pursue justice and repair the world, and we believe that Jewish history teaches us to respect and fight for the rights of others.