Africa Action Press Release FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Ann-Louise Colgan (202) 546-7961 Africa Action Releases "Questions for Candidates & Policymakers"; Election Resource Covers Key Issues Facing Africa & World Tuesday, September 14, 2004 (Washington, DC) - With U.S. elections now less than two months away, Africa Action today released its "Questions on Africa Policy for Candidates and Policymakers", a regular election-year resource covering the key issues and themes in U.S. Africa policy. This resource is included below and is also available on Africa Action?s website at http://www.africaaction.org/ Salih Booker, Executive Director of Africa Action, said today, "In this Presidential election, at least one Africa-related question demands an answer from candidates: As the U.S. now acknowledges that genocide is taking place in Darfur, western Sudan, what action would President Bush and Senator Kerry take to stop this crime against humanity?" He added, "As the U.S. enters an important election season with a greater focus than usual on foreign policy issues, Africa remains largely absent from the national debate. Despite strong historical ties and important current interests, Africa is still considered to fall outside the scope of U.S. policymakers? concerns." Recent polls indicate that the American public believes the U.S. has vital interests in Africa and should increase its engagement in a variety of ways. Despite this, Africa remains marginalized in U.S. foreign policy. Africa Action?s "Questions for Candidates and Policymakers" offers a short summary of key issues such as HIV/AIDS, peace & security, trade & economic relations, and democracy & human rights. These summaries are followed by sets of questions, which highlight the important choices faced by U.S. policymakers when it comes to international relations. Salih Booker said this morning, "What most U.S. policymakers fail to realize is that Africa?s priorities are global priorities, and addressing these critical global challenges successfully will require effective U.S. policies that emphasize collaborative international efforts." He added, "These questions underscore the potential for U.S. policies to either support or undermine African efforts to respond to the continent?s most urgent challenges." During the 2000 elections, a rare question focusing on Africa was asked in the televised presidential debates. Then-candidate Governor George W. Bush responded by saying, "There?s got to be priorities", and he proceeded to mention every region of the world except Africa. Africa Action hopes this year that a more thoughtful debate on Africa?s priorities will become part of the fabric of the election discourse in the U.S. Africa Action?s "Questions on Africa Policy for Candidates and Policymakers" is available below and at http://www.africaaction.org/ -MORE- Questions on Africa Policy for Candidates & Policymakers Fall 2004 As the U.S. enters an important election season with a greater focus than usual on foreign policy issues, Africa remains largely absent from the national debate. Despite historical ties and important current interests, Africa is still considered to fall outside the scope of U.S. policymakers? concerns. But Africa?s issues are global issues - from the HIV/AIDS pandemic to extreme poverty, from deadly civil conflicts to environmental degradation - and addressing them successfully will require effective U.S. policies that emphasize collaborative international efforts. The following questions are addressed to candidates in the November 2004 elections in the U.S. They cover some of the key themes in U.S. relations with Africa. These questions highlight the important choices faced by U.S. policy-makers when it comes to international issues. Perhaps more importantly, they also emphasize the potential for U.S. policies to either support or undermine African efforts to respond to the continent?s most urgent challenges. 1. Recognizing Africa?s importance to the U.S. Thirteen percent of Americans trace their ancestry to Africa. Recent polls indicate that the American public believes the U.S. has vital interests in Africa and should increase its engagement with Africa in a variety of ways. The U.S. currently imports almost 20% of its crude oil from Africa, and this is projected to increase to 25% in the next decade. Despite these realities, Africa?s importance to the U.S. is generally denied by policymakers, and Africa remains marginalized in U.S. foreign policy. Q. What interests do you think the U.S. has in Africa? Q. What should be the top priorities of U.S. Africa policy? 2. Responding to the HIV/AIDS pandemic Africa is at the epicenter of the global HIV/AIDS pandemic - home to more than two-thirds of people living with HIV/AIDS worldwide. At present, there are almost 30 million people in Africa living with HIV/AIDS, and less than 2% of these have access to life-saving medicines. The social and economic effects of the HIV/AIDS crisis are devastating entire countries, and life expectancies are plummeting across the continent. HIV/AIDS represents a clear and present danger to Africa?s survival, and to the future of the world. African governments and civil society groups are struggling to address this health emergency, but they lack the necessary resources and public health infrastructure. The Global Fund to fight AIDS is being starved of the resources it needs to defeat the pandemic. Q. Do you think the U.S. is doing enough to fight HIV/AIDS in Africa? Why/not? Q. Would you support a greater U.S. contribution to the Global Fund to fight AIDS? Why/not? Q. What do you believe is the best way to ensure access to essential anti-AIDS drugs for all who need them in Africa and throughout the developing world? 3. Dealing with Africa?s Debt Crisis Africa?s massive burden of foreign debt represents a major obstacle to the continent?s development and a huge drain on resources needed to fight HIV/AIDS and other challenges. Despite international debt relief programs such as the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative, African countries are still paying more in debt service to foreign creditors like the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) than they are able to spend on health and education for their own people. Each year, African countries pay out almost $15 billion in debt repayments to external creditors. These debts are unsustainable and many are considered illegitimate, based on their origins and consequences. Q. Do you support canceling Africa?s unsustainable debt burden, as was done for European countries such as Germany after World War II and as the current U.S. administration has been promoting for Iraq? Q. What new measures do you propose to ensure African countries do not face another devastating debt crisis in the future? 4. Promoting Africa?s Development In the context of the HIV/AIDS crisis and other challenges, Africa?s need for development assistance is greater than ever, but levels of foreign aid have been declining in recent years. The latest U.S. initiative on development assistance, the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA), includes a relatively small increase in aid levels over the next several years, and only targets a handful of countries. With the current low levels of international support, African countries will be unable to meet the Millennium Development Goals, which aim to reduce by half the number of people living in extreme poverty by 2015. Meanwhile, recent polls indicate that the American public supports more foreign aid for Africa. Q. Do you support an increase in U.S. development assistance to African countries? Q. Do you support committing at least 0.7% of the United States? Gross National Product (GNP) to development assistance, as has been repeatedly promised by leaders from the Group of 7 wealthy countries, though none has yet to meet this target? Q. Do you think Washington should dictate economic policies to African countries as a condition for the receipt of aid? 5. Peace and Security Priorities Most of the African continent is not at war; however, where conflicts do exist, they affect not only the stability of the countries involved, but also their neighbors and entire sub-regions, with international implications. As with the current crisis in Darfur, western Sudan, African efforts to resolve these conflicts - through the African Union and other bodies - do exist, though financial, diplomatic and logistical support from the U.S. and the international community remains essential to their success. In West Africa and in the Great Lakes region, fragile peace deals require ongoing diplomatic investment if they are not to unravel and threaten democratic progress and development efforts in the continent as a whole. Q. What should be the role of the U.S. in promoting conflict resolution in Africa? Q. Do you support US-led intervention in Africa or elsewhere in the case of genocide and other crimes against humanity? Q. Would you increase the ceiling on admissions into the U.S. for African refugees? 6. Supporting Democracy and Human Rights As is the case everywhere, democracy in Africa is a work in progress. African victories in recent decades in overcoming colonial rule, apartheid, and other Cold War era forms of dictatorship (notably military dictatorships and one-party political systems), have marked important progress, but challenges still remain. Constitutional reform movements now seek to advance the democratic process in many countries. African civil society organizations continue to struggle for women´s rights and workers? rights, and for government accountability to the needs of Africa´s poor majority. U.S. policies that promote democracy and human rights in Africa can offer real support and partnership to Africa´s people, and can do much to advance the shared goals of international stability and prosperity. Q. What are the key challenges you see in promoting democracy and human rights in Africa, and how can the U.S. best address these challenges? Q. How would you ensure that human rights considerations are made a central part of U.S. military and security assistance programs in Africa? Q. How would you work with the African Union to promote democracy and human rights in African countries? Q. Do you believe the U.S. should ratify the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), as an important step toward boosting U.S. credibility in promoting women?s rights in Africa and globally? 7. Enhancing Fair Trade and Economic Relations Africa is a far more significant trading partner for the U.S. than is widely realized. The continent holds abundant human and natural resources, as well as large markets for U.S. products. However, the U.S. continues to pursue trade policies that are antithetical to Africa´s interests. U.S. trade policies - such as the African Growth and Opportunity Act - perpetuate Africa?s role as a source of raw materials and cheap labor. Restrictions on African access to U.S. markets, combined with agricultural subsidies to U.S. agribusinesses, undermine Africa?s competitiveness and continue to constrict the continent?s trade-related development. Africa is marginalized in the global economy by both the institutions and the rules that govern the system. Meanwhile, heightened U.S. interest in Africa´s oil supply has increased the continent´s strategic importance to the U.S. and its future energy policies. Q. What do you think is the best way to promote an enhanced economic partnership between the U.S. and Africa, from which both will benefit? Q. What is your position on agricultural subsidies? Q. How would you propose reforming the institutions that govern the global economy to make them more democratic and accountable to those countries in Africa affected by their decisions? Q. What is the significance to the U.S. of Africa?s oil resources, and how would you promote a mutually beneficial relationship in this area? #### -- Africa Action 1634 Eye Street NW, #810 Washington, DC 20006 Tel: 202-546 7961 * http://www.africaaction.org ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/CGI/wa.exe?S1=gambia-l To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: [log in to unmask] To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~