WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator Dick Durbin (D. IL) is committed to eradicating global poverty. He has lamented that “extreme poverty is one of humanity’s grave injustices.” Following are some facts about the senator and his views on global poverty.
- Since his first trip to Africa, Durbin has led the fight in the Senate to increase the U.S.’s commitment to combat extreme global poverty. He recognizes the U.S.’s global leadership on numerous issues related to extreme poverty and believes that it is necessary to maximize the U.S.’s impact worldwide.
- “Although U.S. federal spending on foreign assistance amounts to less than one percent of the total U.S. budget, it contributes to our national security, benefits our economy and fulfills America’s deepest moral values,” said Durbin.
- Durbin has a consistent record of committing to eliminating extreme global poverty.
- In 2003, as founder of the Congressional Global AIDS Emergency Task Force, he authored legislation that responds to the global AIDS crisis and helps developing nations shape and strengthen the capabilities of their own health systems. This legislation — now law — has saved millions of lives and prevented more people from falling into the downward spiral of extreme poverty in the world’s poorest countries.
- In 2007, Durbin co-sponsored the Global Poverty Act which will further the U.S. foreign policy objective of promoting the reduction of global poverty and the elimination of extreme global poverty.
- In 2009, he introduced bipartisan legislation, the Global Resources and Opportunities for Women to Thrive or GROWTH Act, that will promote economic and educational opportunities for women in developing countries.
- “There is a critical link between improving the lives of women and eradicating global poverty,” Senator Durbin said.
- Although the Senate did not pass the legislation, Durbin demonstrated his commitment by continuing supporting strategies that ensure economic opportunities for women around the world.
- Additionally, he has supported continued funding for the Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act and introduced the Simon Water for the World Act in 2015 to ensure everyone on earth to gain access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene.
- “Ending extreme poverty requires tackling the global water and sanitation crisis,” Durbin remarked.
- Today, there are 748 million people globally who do not have access to clean water. Durbin believed that this initiative would be a valuable investment in public health that would protect people from diseases such as Ebola and cholera. Rather than establishing new projects with more taxpayers’ money, this act makes foreign assistance more efficient and effective.
- This year, Durbin continued his efforts fighting against extreme global poverty. He introduced the Education for All Act that will expand access to basic education for children worldwide. He firmly believes that an education is the cornerstone of the U.S. international developmental goals, from poverty reduction to the improvement of health outcomes and community participation.
- The U.S. should lead the world in pursuit of achieving access to quality education for all children, Durbin envisioned.
- Besides his poverty-reduction efforts in the Senate, Durbin has also been very active in nongovernmental sectors. He is one of the most influential directors on the board at Bread for the World Institute which tackles world hunger. He also spends his leisure time learning about ongoing global anti-poverty efforts from his friends such as Muhammad Yunus, a professor who received the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize for his microcredit movement. After meeting Yunus in Bangladesh, Durbin has worked with him for more than ten years to advance microcredit and economic development in the world’s poorest nations.
Apparent from the above, Durbin has pioneered through tough poverty stricken terrain, leaving a positive mark on the global scale or poverty reduction.
– Yvie Yao
Photo: Flickr