Being a global citizen is all about standing up for justice for the world’s poor. You and I may be from different parts of the world and may represent different generations, but we stand united in the belief that no person should have to live in extreme poverty. As global citizens, we recognize that extreme poverty has a disproportionate impact on girls and women and we are dedicated to doing everything that we can to end extreme poverty by 2030.
As Global Poverty Project’s lead representative in Congress, I want to tell you about something really important that happened this week.
In the wee hours of Wednesday morning, Republicans and Democrats joined together to announce a budget deal for 2016. The actions that you took as global citizens helped to send a strong message to the United States Government that they must prioritize the world’s poor within the 2016 budget. Thanks to global citizens like you, over 21 million lives are set to be affected by the United States Government’s efforts to increase access to improved sanitation, and increased access to lifesaving vaccines in 2016.
Gavi
The United States increased funding for Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, from $200m in FY15 to $235m in FY16. This $35m increase represents strong momentum toward realizing the Obama Administration’s January 2015 pledge of $1b from 2015 - 2018.
Global Poverty Project worked closely with partners like RESULTS and ONE to achieve this outcome. Over the course of 2015, the Global Poverty Project team met with influential members of congress to rally their support for routine immunization.
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Water and Sanitation
In 2015, 75,588 global citizens signed the petition calling on the United States Government to increase funding for water and sanitation. Throughout the year, we joined our partners at Unilever and at the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council to hand over the petition to key members of congress. These meetings sparked interesting conversations about why latrines and handwashing are important for global development.
The United States increased funding for water and sanitation programs from $382.5m in FY15 to $400m in FY16. USAID reports that this commitment is set to affect a total of 400,000 lives.
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Global Education
In the lead up to the Global Citizen Festival, 39,349 global citizens signed the petition calling on the United States Government to increase funding for the Global Partnership for Education. Joined by our incredible partners at Caterpillar Foundation, RESULTS, and Global Campaign for Education, Global Poverty Project shared your voice in Congress to call for heightened funding for global basic education.
The United States increased funding for the Global Partnership for Education by over 50 percent- from $45m in FY15 to $70m in FY16.
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Polio
Funding for polio eradication comes from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as well as from United States Agency for International Development. Funding levels have increased from $217.8m in FY15 to $228m in FY16. Thanks to the incredible advocacy from partners like Rotary International, we are closer than ever to a world without polio!
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Together, as global citizens, we are building a markedly better world for girls and women in the poorest communities. But, I’m not content to stop here. My colleagues and I are in Washington right now meeting with key leaders in the White House to talk about the budget process for 2017. We’re already starting to work with other partners in the sector to make bold and ambitious requests for coming years.
Seeing the end to extreme poverty will be one of the greatest achievements of our generation. Together, as global citizens, we can and will build a world where all girls have access to opportunity.