At the beginning of this week, President Barack Obama announced his budget requests for 2017. The full document is nearly 2,000 pages long but we wanted to provide a quick overview on some ways the Obama Administration plans to address issues of extreme poverty next year.
As the summary describes, "The Budget continues to advance the Administration’s development and democracy initiatives and activities as it seeks to reduce extreme poverty, encourage broad-based economic growth, and support democratic governance and human rights, and to drive progress toward meeting the global development vision and priorities adopted in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development."
Vaccines and Immunizations
In January 2015, the Obama Administration pledged $1 billion to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance over four years to increase access to vaccines in some of the poorest parts of the world. Yesterday’s announcement from the Obama Administration increases support for Gavi to $275 million which represents an increase of $40 million from enacted levels in 2016. This incredible announcement is a huge step toward achieving the $1 billion pledge that global citizens advocated for back in 2014!
If approved by Congress, this funding will continue the US government’s strong, long-term investment in global immunization programs. The contribution is part of the United States’ historic pledge to provide Gavi with $1 billion between fiscal years 2015 and 2018 and will ensure that programs – such as those that prevent pneumonia and diarrhea – continue uninterrupted.
As one of Gavi’s six original donor countries since 2000, the US has helped drive unprecedented progress in global health through vaccines – one of the most cost-effective public health interventions available. These efforts have helped Gavi immunize half a billion children since it was launched in 2000, leading to seven million lives saved.
Polio Eradication
The United States Government has long been a leader in supporting the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. President Obama’s Budget includes $174 million for the CDC for polio eradication efforts. This represents a $5 million increase from funding levels in 2016!
Thanks to the diligent work of organizations like Rotary International and the continued investment of donor countries like the US, the world is closer than ever to seeing the end of polio. Continued funding from the US Government will help ensure that polio can be fully eradicated within our lifetimes.
Sanitation
The Obama Administration requested $256 million for water and sanitation programs, which is a significant drop from the $400 million that Congress appropriated for water and sanitation programs in 2016. Despite this, the President’s request for 2017 is substantially larger than his request for 2016 which fell at just $228 million. This suggests that the final allocated amount could increase.
One person in three--2.5 billion people in total--lacks access to adequate sanitation. The result is widespread death and disease, especially among children, and social marginalization. Women are particularly vulnerable. Poor sanitation exposes females to the risk of assault, and when schools cannot provide clean, safe toilets, girls’ attendance drops. Global citizens advocated tirelessly for the passage of the Water for the World Act a few years ago. With these new efforts in place, it is up to the US Congress to ensure that water and sanitation programs are funded at a level that will allow them to grow in 2017.
Yesterday’s announcements represent strong US leadership on extreme poverty issues, but President Obama cannot independently ensure heightened funding levels for these life-saving programs. Congress still holds the purse strings and the fate of these vital programs will fall in the hands of the House of Representatives and the Senate over the next few months. Interventions like vaccines and improved sanitation have had huge impacts on the survival and prosperity of kids. Now, more than ever, it is critical that global citizens call on the United States Congress to fund these important programs!