Kofi
Annan Sen. Joe Biden Tony
Blair George W. Bush Jimmy
Carter Bill Clinton Bill
Gates
Rep.
Henry Hyde
Hamid Karzai Jim
Kolbe Dalai Lama
Al Larson Sen.
Patrick Leahy Rep. Nita Lowey
Sam
Brownback Andrew
Natsios Colin
Powell Atal
Bihari Vajpayee James
Wolfensohn
Senator
Sam Brownback (R-KS), press conference on Africa Malaria
Day - April
27, 2005
"To
those who have been given much, much is required. Nations as
blessed as ours will be judged according to how we cared for
the weak, the sick, the vulnerable. Malaria is a curable and
controllable disease for only a few dollars a person, yet it
is still the leading killer of children in Africa. Now is the
time to turn the talk about controlling malaria into aggressive,
effective, and accountable action."
Jim
Kolbe, Chairman of the House Foreign Operations Subcommittee,
in his opening statement on USAID appropriations - April
1, 2004
"Whether it is through basic
education programs to provide opportunities for women;
microenterprise programs to help generate jobs for the
poor; agriculture programs to provide sustainable farming;
health programs to protect against chronic diseases; or
democracy programs to teach respect for the rule of law
- all these programs are important components of the effort
to provide hope for those less fortunate than us, and to
help counter conditions that give rise to terrorism."
Under
Secretary of State Al Larson at AGOA Hearing - March 25, 2004
"In Rwanda, two women are developing a cottage industry that
now employs 225 women to produce colorful baskets woven from sisal
and fabric-called "peace baskets"-for export to the United
States under AGOA. The U.S. business partners in this venture are
successfully marketing these high-quality handicrafts. . . . These
women are will earn nearly twice Rwanda's average per capita income
of $210 per year. It is small-scale efforts like this - multiplied
across the continent of Africa-that will bring the large-scale economic
development Africa so desperately needs. "
Former
President Jimmy Carter - Feb 15, 2004
"Today,
citizens of the 10 wealthiest countries are at least 75 times richer
than those who live in the 10 poorest ones, and the chasm is widening.
This extreme poverty is linked intricately to a wider web of problems,
including terrorism, economic instability and disease.
The problems of extreme
poverty can seem incredibly remote, even unreal. We are a nation of
unprecedented bounty and a society bombarded by media images of health,
affluence and success, where the average household earns well above
$100 a day. In contrast, 1.3 billion people, more than one-fifth of
humanity, will try to survive this day on less than $1."
Read
the op-ed
Former
President Bill Clinton - Jan 21, 2004
"The world is not organised systematically to deal with the
fact that we are globally interdependent, whether it's AIDS or conflicts
or economics...you change the reality of human history by systematic
action."
President
George Bush - Jan 16, 2004
"As Americans, we are led by the power of our conscience
and the history of our country to defend and promote the dignity and
rights of all people. Each person, however frail or defenseless, has
a place and a purpose in this world...Today, the principles of human
dignity enshrined in the Declaration of Independence -- that all persons
are created equal and possess the unalienable rights to life, liberty,
and the pursuit of happiness -- continue to guide us...By working
together, we will provide hope to the weakest among us and achieve
a more compassionate and merciful world"
Read
the proclamation
UN
Secretary General Kofi Annan - Jan 16, 2004,
"The events of 2003 distracted the world's leaders from dealing
with other threats - threats which, to most people, are equally immediate
and real, if not more so. The threats of extreme poverty and hunger,
unsafe drinking water, environmental degradation, and endemic or infectious
disease. We must refocus our energies on these threats. We must rebuild
the momentum needed to translate the Millennium Development Goals
into reality."
Read
the speech
UN Secretary General
Kofi Annan - Jan 16, 2004
"There are now 1.2 billion adolescents in the world - the
largest number of young girls and boys the world has ever known. In
the developing world, more than 40 per cent of the population is under
age 20. The shape of the future lies in the decisions these young
people make. Their faith in themselves, their respect for one another,
their access to accurate, comprehensive information and education,
including information on sexual health and access to comprehensive
health services, will determine not only their own well being, but
that of the world. This revolution cannot be imposed from outside.
But it can be encouraged, through support for leadership figures that
are emerging in every type of society. That encouragement must be
our mission."
Read
the keynote address
USAID
Administrator Andrew Natsios - Cuban Transition Conference, January
16, 2004
“At the heart of all humanitarian relief
strategies are two essential imperatives--as I said earlier, saving
lives and reducing suffering. This should not be done primarily through
the importing of humanitarian relief commodities, such as food and
medicine, but through the strengthening of traditional coping mechanisms
in the population. While donated commodities can supplement this effort,
it is immediate rehabilitation programs that yield the most productive
results and encourage self-sufficiency.”
Read
the speech
Secretary
of State Colin Powell - Jan 1, 2004
"Freedom, prosperity and peace are not separate principles,
or separable policy goals. Each reinforces the other, so serving any
one requires an integrated policy that serves all three. The challenges
are many, for the world is full of trouble. But it is also full of
opportunities, and we are resolved to seize every one of them. If
some of us drop a few pounds in the process, that's O.K., too."
Read
the op-ed
Representative
Henry J Hyde (Chairman of House International Relations Committee)
- Dec 10, 2003
"In the past year, the world has witnessed free and fair
elections in countries that have never known freedom and political
dissidents winning international recognition for their work to bring
greater pluralism to nations that routinely suppress the will of their
people. However, success is tempered by the sad truth that freedom
remains under assault in far too many places in the world. At the
dawn of the 21st century, in an increasing dangerous world, there
can be no doubt that the future of democracy is linked inexorably
with efforts of nations to advance the interests of human dignity
and human rights about the globe."
Read
the press release
President George
Bush - Dec 1, 2003, World AIDS Day
"Fighting HIV/AIDS is not only a great challenge but also
a moral imperative for those who believe in the value and dignity
of every human life."
Read
the proclamation
World
Bank President James Wolfensohn September 23, 2003
"Our planet is not balanced.
Too few control too much, and too many have too little to hope for.
Too much turmoil, too many wars. Too much suffering."
His
Holiness the Dalai Lama - September 11, 2003
"If
we allow our human intelligence to be guided and controlled by negative
emotions like hatred, the consequences are disastrous.... We need
to appreciate that genuine peace comes about through mutual understanding,
respect and trust.”
Representative
Nita Lowey – July 23, 2003
“The
sad fact is that we as a Nation have neglected the problems of Africa
for decades; chronic poverty, the spread of infectious disease, and
lack of good governance remain. And despite all the efforts we have
undertaken so far across many Congresses and administrations, we must
no longer shy away from addressing these problems with sufficient
resources and political will.”
Bill
Gates Snr, Director of the Gates Foundation - July 5, 2003
"We
will talk about the importance of alleviating extreme poverty as an
economic and national security issue. But, from my point view, this
is a humanitarian issue. People are dying; people are starving to
death...We need to help them."
Senator
Joe Biden - May 2, 2003
"Only by winning the peace in Iraq, by getting it right,
will we enhance our ability to promote and support democratic reforms
throughout the region. That, in turn, will enhance our own security.
For when there are no democratic outlets, dissent moves underground.
It turns to resentment. And then it's ventilated by extremism and
even terrorism."
Senator
Patrick Leahy - May 2 2003
United
States is spending less than 1 percent on programs to combat poverty,
including global health. After all, we are the wealthiest nation on
Earth. It is not only in our security interests, but also our moral
responsibility, to do more.”
British
Prime Minister Tony Blair - February 24, 2003
"There will be no lasting peace whilst there is appalling
injustice and poverty...There will be no genuine security if the planet
is ravaged by climate change...It is becoming clear that we have a
profound choice as an international community: continue to make modest
progress; or act decisively...Ultimately this is about our world as
a global community - a cliché perhaps but true. Interdependence
is the defining characteristic of the modern world. What we lack at
present is the common agenda that is broad and just and global institutions
to execute it. That is the real task of statesmanship today. And the
time-scale is urgent."
Read
the speech
Indian
Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee – January 22, 2003
“If the 20th century saw the global growth of democracy,
the new century should see its further expansion and enrichment. Especially,
we should develop democracy as an effective instrument for fulfilling
people’s aspirations and resolving conflicts and contentious
issues. History has proved time and again that free and democratic
societies are the ones that are creative, self-corrective and self-regenerative.”
Read
the speech
Afghanistan
Interim President Hamid Karzai – May 10, 2002
“If
we want to grow and if we want to have a society that's wealthy, that's
good - it has to work and women are an important part of the working
people of Afghanistan. They will definitely have work - they must
get education, they must be educated - this must be allowed”
Read
the interview
