ABOUT US

In a Nutshell: The Borgen Project fights global poverty.

Our Vision: The Borgen Project is creating a political force for the world's poor. We're building an
influential ally for the most neglected, ignored and destitute people on the planet and building a
powerful poverty-reduction movement that can champion humanitarian causes.

Trademarks: The Borgen Project is known for being tech savvy, nonpartisan and having access to
congressional leaders on a national level.

Our Persona: Forget every notion you have of a poverty reduction organization. We’re wonderfully
different. Behind The Borgen Project is a core belief that the same calculated and relentless tenacity
used in the corporate world should be used to improve the plight of the world’s poor. The gloves are
off. We think big and we go big. Poverty reduction has a dire need for an unrestricted catalyst and The
Borgen Project was designed to fulfill that need.

Contact:
Email
info@borgenproject.org

Telephone
1-800-278-0747

Snail Mail
The Borgen Project
P.O. Box 61276
Seattle, WA 98141

GLOBAL POVERTY & HUNGER

• 25,000 people (adults and children) die every day from hunger.
• 963 million people are hungry every day (more than the populations of
the USA, Canada and the European Union).
• 60% of 963 million hungry people are women.
• The number of undernourished people rose by 75 million in 2007.
• 10.9 million children under the age of 5 die each year due to malnutrition.
• More than 70% of the 146 underweight children under 5 live in just 10
countries.
• 1 out of 4 children, in developing countries, are underweight.
• 684,000 child deaths world wide could have been prevented by providing
access to Vitamin A and Zinc.
• Malnutrition and hunger related diseases cause 60 % of deaths.
• WFP and UNAIDS estimate that it costs an average of US$0.66 per day
to provide nutritional support to an AIDS patient and his/her family.
 • 1 in 7 people do not get enough food to be healthy.
• 980 million people live on less than $1.00 per day.
• 2.5 billion people live without proper sanitation.
• 126.5 million children in developing countries are underweight.
• 25% of all hungry people are children.
• The life expectancy in Africa is 50.

Poverty Reduction Success Stories

• Over the past 20 years, the number of the world's chronically
undernourished has been reduced by 50 percent.

• Life expectancy in the developing world has increased by about 33

percent.

• Smallpox has been eradicated worldwide.

• More than 3 million lives are saved every year through USAID
immunization programs.

• During the 1990's, hunger was cut in half in China.

• Forty-three of the top 50 consumer nations of American agricultural

products were once U.S. foreign aid recipients. Between 1990 and
1993, U.S. exports to developing and transition countries increased
by $46 billion.

• More than 50 million couples worldwide use family planning as a

direct result of USAID's population program.

• In the past 50 years, infant and child death rates in the developing
world have been reduced by 50 percent, and health conditions
around the world have improved more during this period than in all
previous human history.
• Early USAID action in southern Africa in 1992 prevented massive
famine in the region, saving millions of lives.

• Literacy rates are up 33 percent worldwide in the last 25 years, and

primary school enrollment has tripled in that period.

• USAID child survival programs have made a major contribution to a

10 percent reduction in infant mortality rates worldwide in just the
past eight years.

• Investments by the U.S. and other donors in better seeds and

agricultural techniques over the past two decades have helped make
it possible to feed an extra billion people in the world.

• According to UNICEF's State of the World's Children Report, the

child mortality rate in developing countries has decreased by 27%
since 1995.

• An estimated 135 million people were assisted out of extreme

poverty in low-income countries between 1999 and 2004.

• Today, more children go to school than ever in human history, and

tens of millions more today than in 2000.

• Since 2000, measles deaths have been reduced 74 percent

worldwide due to a focused effort to vaccinate children in
developing countries.

• Between 1970 and 2000 the infant mortality rate fell from 96 to 56
per 1000 births.
 • In 2008, the World Food Programme (WFP) has purchased a
record-breaking 552,000 metric tons of food in southern Africa, the
equivalent of providing 2.75 million hungry people with a full food
basket for an entire year.

• Botswana doubled school enrollment rates in 15 years.

• Sri Lanka increased life expectancy by 12 years in less than a

decade.

• Despite sub Saharan Africa being one of the most challenging

places to tackle poverty, since 1999, the share of people living in
poverty has fallen by nearly 5 percent across the region.

• Since 1990, 800 million people have gained access to improved

water supplies and 750 million to improved sanitation.

How Poverty is Fought on the Ground

1. Making soils healthy and highly productive: Crop yields can be doubled or tripled by
replenishing soil health. Soil health includes replenishment of nutrients with nitrogen-
fixing legumes, organic materials, and fertilizers, combined with soil conservation
techniques.
2. Water harvesting techniques : can provide water for small scale irrigation. Gravity drip
irrigation systems will be demonstrated for vegetable and tree crops.
3. Access to improved seeds: Farmers will also be provided with access to the correct
information as to the appropriate crops and their management for each season/soil/agricultural
system.
4. Agricultural extension services: Extension agents provided through national programs will
receive extensive training to assure they have up to date information on crop, soil, and water
management, livestock, and agroforestry. They will train community-based farmer groups
and together will establish training and demonstration sites and field days.
5. Feeding and supplementation programs for pregnant and lactating mothers and
children less than two years old: The program will target women of childbearing age,
including non-pregnant women and adolescents, and provide at least micronutrient
supplementation. This service could be done in conjunction with the school feeding program
or at the community center.
6. School meals with locally produced and nutritionally balanced foods: Schools will
provide safe, nutritious and quality meals for all children. This will require some type of
 contracting/marketing with local farmers to provide specified amounts and types of foods
(cereals, legumes, vegetables, milk, meats).
7. Local grain storage facilities will help farmers and communities store excess food that can
later be sold at better prices, used for school lunch programs, and reduce postharvest losses.
The operation and management will be established through the community committees.
8. Farmer organizations: Farmer organizations will be established to develop organized
systems for storing products and selling them to more distant markets.

Other Methods
A village vehicle: A pick-up truck that can travel on and maintain dirt tracks, provide efficient
transport for markets, and emergency transport of sick villagers to hospitals.
More efficient LPG cook stoves and improved kitchen ventilation: A kitchen equipped with
locally made clay stoves and outfitted with a chimney will demonstrate the benefit of clean indoor air,
decrease the amount of firewood necessary for collection and use, and will enhance family health.
Electricity alternatives: Cost-effective alternatives for electricity to support clinics, schools and
community centers will be evaluated for each village, including links to national grids, solar, and
biomass. A stationary community "energy platform" — to generate electricity for schools, clinics and
the "community epicenter" — would be the model.

Methods of Ending Poverty

Innovative Solutions
Simple and innovative solutions that are improving living conditions for the world's poor.
The Hippo
The Hippo Water Roller is a tool designed to transport up to 24-gallons of water more easily and
efficiently than possible using traditional methods.
PlayPumps
Children play. Water pumps. A merry-go-round is installed above a well and as children play they
pump water into a tank.
One Laptop per Child
The XO laptop is a low-cost, ruggedized laptop designed for children in the developing world.
HotPot Solar Ovens
Using the power of the sun Hotpot ovens provide families with an inexpensive way to cook meals.
Adjustable Eyeglasses
Invented by British inventor Josh Silver, adjustable prescription eyeglasses give the wearer perfect
vision without the need for an optometrist.
The Uhuru Ambulance
In many remote regions lack of effective transportation to a hospital or clinic results in death. The
Uhuru is a cost effective way for poor, rural communities to transport the sick.
Bed Nets
Insecticide-treated bed nets to sleep under ward off the mosquitoes that are responsible for causing
Malaria.
Plumpynut
Plumpynut is a simple, yet ground-breaking substance that in 2-4 weeks transforms a malnourished
toddler from near death to healthy. Plumpynut contains 500 calories of peanut butter, milk, vitamins
and minerals in a paste form.
Ceramic Water Purifier
The CWP eliminates 99.88% of water born diseases and only cost $15.
Poverty and National Security
Pentagon Wants Global Poverty Addressed
In November of 2007, Defense Secretary Robert Gates made a historic speech calling on Congress
and the White House to increase funding for addressing global poverty. Among the points made by the
head of the most powerful military in the world:

• "For all of those brave men and women struggling for a better life, there is –
and must be – no stronger ally or advocate than the United States of
America. Let us never forget that our nation remains a beacon of light for
those in dark places. And that our responsibilities to the world – to freedom,
to liberty, to the oppressed everywhere – are not a burden on the people or
the soul of this nation. They are, rather, a blessing."

• "The importance of deploying civilian expertise has been relearned – the hard
way – through the effort to staff Provincial Reconstruction Teams, first in
Afghanistan and more recently in Iraq. The PRT's were designed to bring in
civilians experienced in agriculture, governance, and other aspects of
development – to work with and alongside the military to improve the lives of
the local population, a key tenet of any counterinsurgency effort."

• "This year’s budget for the Department of Defense – not counting operations
in Iraq and Afghanistan – is nearly half a trillion dollars. The total foreign
affairs budget request for the State Department is $36 billion – less than what
the Pentagon spends on health care alone."

• "There are only about 6,600 professional Foreign Service officers – less than
the manning for one aircraft carrier strike group."

• "When Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen was Chief
of Naval Operations, he once said he’d hand a part of his budget to the State
Department “in a heartbeat."

Obama and Bush: Global Poverty is a National Security Issue

Both President Obama and President Bush have pointed out that addressing global poverty is a
national security issue. The National Security Strategy of the Bush Administration noted that, "A
world where some live in comfort and plenty, while half of the human race lives on less than $2 a day,
is neither just nor stable."
9-11 Commission Says Address Global Poverty
After the 9-11 attacks a nonpartisan commission was formed to determine how to protect the U.S. and
prevent future attacks.
 • "A comprehensive U.S. strategy to counter terrorism should include economic
policies that encourage development, more open societies, and opportunities
for people to improve the lives of their families and to enhance prospects for
their children’s future."

• "When people lose hope, when societies break down, when countries
fragment, the breeding grounds for terrorism are created. Backward
economic policies and repressive political regimes slip into societies that are
without hope, where ambition and passions have no constructive outlet."

• "Pakistan’s endemic poverty, widespread corruption, and often ineffective

government create opportunities for Islamist recruitment. Poor education is a
particular concern. Millions of families, especially those with little money,
send their children to religious schools, or madrassahs. Many of these schools
are the only opportunity available for an education, but some have been used
as incubators for violent extremism. According to Karachi’s police
commander, there are 859 madrassahs teaching more than 200,000
youngsters in his city alone."

Read the 911 Report Online

Gates Highlights Role of Diplomacy, Development in U.S. Foreign Policy
By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, July 16, 2008 – Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates yesterday

said diplomacy and development should lead American efforts abroad, and he
warned against a “creeping militarization” of U.S. foreign policy. Video
“Broadly speaking, when it comes to America’s engagement with the rest of the
world, it is important that the military is -- and is clearly seen to be -- in a
supporting role to civilian agencies,” he said.

In a speech interrupted several times by rousing applause, Gates told the audience
at a dinner organized by the U.S. Global Leadership Campaign that America
cannot simply “kill or capture our way to victory” over the long term.

“What the Pentagon calls ‘kinetic’ operations should be subordinate to measures

to promote participation in government, economic programs to spur
development, and efforts to address the grievances that often lie at the heart of
insurgencies and among the discontented from which terrorists recruit,” he said.

In remarks imbued with a spirit of cooperation between the departments of

Defense and State -- a relationship that in the past has been marked by
contention, Gates said -- the defense secretary hailed his working relationship
with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who had presented him the group’s
leadership award earlier in the evening.

“Our diplomatic leaders -- be they in ambassadors’ suites or on the seventh floor

of the State Department -- must have the resources and political support needed
to fully exercise their statutory responsibilities in leading American foreign
policy,” Gates said.

This year’s presidential budget proposal accounts for the addition of 1,100
Foreign Service officers -- the general practitioners of American diplomacy -- in
addition to 300 U.S. Agency for International Development personnel and a
response corps of civilian experts that can deploy on short notice, requests that
Gates praised.

He also expressed optimism that an increase in the civilian foreign affairs budget
is receiving support on Capitol Hill, where lawmakers yesterday introduced
bipartisan legislation that would triple humanitarian spending in Pakistan.

For far too long, Gates said, America’s civilian institutions of diplomacy and
development -- which lack the ready-made political constituency enjoyed by
major weapons systems -- have been chronically undermanned and underfunded
in comparison to defense spending.

“I cannot pretend to know right dollar amount,” Gates said, referring to the
budgetary needs of civilian institutions, “I know it’s a good deal more than the
one percent of the federal budget that it is right now.

“A steep increase of these capabilities is well within reach, as long as there is the
political will and the wisdom to do it,” he added.

With invigorated emphasis on counterinsurgency, which includes operations that

combine elements of military and civilian affairs, U.S. servicemembers are
performing functions that formerly were the exclusive province of civilian
agencies and institutions, Gates said.

“This has led to concern among many organizations … about what’s seen as a
creeping ‘militarization’ of some aspects of America’s foreign policy,” he said.

But Gates added that this scenario can be avoided by putting in place the right
leadership, adequate funding of civilian agencies, effective coordination on the
ground, and a clear understanding of the authorities, roles, and missions of
military versus civilian efforts, and how they are able, or unable, to fit together.

“We know that at least in the early phases of any conflict, contingency, or natural
disaster, the U.S. military -- as has been the case throughout our history -- will be
responsible for security, reconstruction, and providing basic sustenance and
public services,” he said.

“Building the security capacity of other nations through training and equipping
programs has emerged as a core and enduring military requirement,” he
continued, “though none of these programs go forward without the approval of
the secretary of state.”

Gates added that the U.S. will always need Foreign Service officers to conduct
professional diplomacy, advance American interests, and strengthen the nation’s
international partnerships. Likewise, he said, barring a radical change in human
nature, the U.S. will require military members to deter and, if necessary, defeat
aggression from hostile states and forces indefinitely.

“The challenge facing our institutions,” he said “is to adapt to new realities while
preserving those core competencies and institutional traits that have made them
so successful in the past.”
45 Generals
In February of 2009, 45 senior retired
military officers called on the White House
to increase the International Affairs Budget
and to invest in "smart power" that utilizes
development and diplomacy. The group of
prominent three and four-star generals,
representing every branch of the military,
pointed out that the International Affairs
Budget is dangerously low and 11 percent
below Cold War levels. Among those
calling for increased funding for
development and humanitarian operations:

Admiral Charles S. Abbot, USN (Ret.)

Deputy Commander in Chief, U.S. European Command (‘98-
‘00)

General John P. Abizaid, USA (Ret.)

Commander, U.S. Central Command (‘03-‘07)

Admiral Frank L. Bowman, USN (Ret.)

Director, Naval Nuclear Propulsion (‘96-‘04)

General Charles G. Boyd, USAF (Ret.)

Deputy Commander in Chief, U.S. European Command (‘92-
‘95)

Lieutenant General Daniel W. Christman, USA (Ret.)

Superintendent, United States Military Academy (‘96-‘01)

Admiral Archie R. Clemins, USN (Ret.)

Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet (‘96-‘99)

General Richard A. “Dick” Cody, USA (Ret.)

Vice Chief of Staff, United States Army (’04-’08)

Lieutenant General John B. Conaway, USAF (Ret.)

Chief, National Guard Bureau (‘90-’93)

Lieutenant General John “Jack” Costello, USA (Ret.)

Commanding General, U.S. Army Space and Missile
Defense Command/U.S. Army Space Command (‘98-‘01)

Admiral Walter F. Doran, USN (Ret.)

Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet (‘02-‘05)

General Ralph E. Eberhart, USAF (Ret.)

Commander, North American Aerospace Defense
Command/Commander, U.S. Northern Command (‘02-‘04)

Admiral Leon A. Edney, USN (Ret.)

Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic/Commander in Chief,
U.S. Atlantic Command (‘90-‘92)

Admiral Thomas B. Fargo, USN (Ret.)

Commander, U.S. Pacific Command (‘02-‘05)

Admiral S. Robert Foley, USN (Ret.)

Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet (’82-‘85)

Vice Admiral Lee F. Gunn, USN (Ret.)

Inspector General, U.S. Navy (’97-’00)

General Michael W. Hagee, USMC (Ret.)

Commandant, U.S. Marine Corps (‘03-‘06)

Admiral Ronald J. Hays, USN (Ret.)

Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Command (‘85-‘88)

General Richard D. Hearney, USMC (Ret.)

Assistant Commandant, U.S. Marine Corps (‘94-‘96)

General James T. Hill, USA (Ret.)

Commander, U.S. Southern Command (‘02-‘04)

Admiral James R. Hogg, USN (Ret.)

U.S. Military Representative, NATO Military Committee
(‘88-‘91)

General James L. Jamerson, USAF (Ret.)

Deputy Commander in Chief, U.S. European Command (‘95-
‘98)

Admiral Gregory G. Johnson, USN (Ret.)

Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe/Commander in
Chief, Allied Forces Southern Europe (‘01-‘04)

Admiral Jerome L. Johnson, USN (Ret.)

Vice Chief of Naval Operations (‘90-‘92)

General Paul J. Kern, USA (Ret.)

Commanding General, U.S. Army Materiel Command (‘01-
‘04)

General William F. Kernan, USA (Ret.)

Supreme Allied Commander, Atlantic/Commander in Chief,
U.S. Joint Forces Command (‘00-‘02)

Admiral Charles R. Larson, USN (Ret.)

Commander, U.S. Pacific Command (’91-’94)

Vice Admiral Stephen F. Loftus, USN (Ret.)

Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Logistics (‘90-’94)

General John Michael Loh, USAF (Ret.)

Commander, Air Combat Command (‘92-‘95)

Admiral T. Joseph “Joe” Lopez, USN (Ret.)

Commander in Chief, U.S. Naval Forces Europe/Commander
in Chief, Allied Forces Southern Europe (‘96-‘98)

Admiral James M. Loy, USCG (Ret.)

Commandant, U.S. Coast Guard (‘98-’02)

Admiral Robert J. Natter, USN (Ret.)

Commander, Fleet Forces Command/Commander, U.S.
Atlantic Fleet (‘00-‘03)

Lieutenant General Gregory S. Newbold, USMC (Ret.)

Director of Operations, J-3 Joint Staff (‘00-‘02)

Lieutenant General Charles P. Otstott, USA (Ret.)

Deputy Chairman, NATO Military Committee (’90-’92)

Lieutenant General Harry D. Raduege, Jr., USAF (Ret.)

Director, Defense Information Systems Agency/Commander,
Joint Task Force for Global Network Operations/Deputy
Commander, Global Network Operations and Defense, U.S.
Strategic Command Joint Forces Headquarters, Information
Operations (‘00-‘05)

Vice Admiral Norman W. Ray, USN (Ret.)

Deputy Chairman, NATO Military Committee (‘92-‘95)

General Robert W. RisCassi, USA (Ret.)

Commander in Chief, United Nations
Command/Commander in Chief, Republic of Korea/U.S.
Combined Forces Command (‘92-’93

General Peter J. Schoomaker, USA (Ret.)

Chief of Staff, U.S. Army (‘03-‘07)

Admiral Leighton W. Smith, Jr., USN (Ret.)

Commander in Chief, U.S. Naval Forces Europe/Commander
in Chief, Allied Forces Southern Europe (‘94-‘96)

Admiral William D. Smith, USN (Ret.)

U.S. Military Representative, NATO Military Committee
(‘91-‘93)

General Carl W. Stiner, USA (Ret.)

Commander in Chief, U.S. Special Operations Command
(‘90-‘93)

General Gordon R. Sullivan, USA (Ret.)

Chief of Staff, U.S. Army (‘91-‘95)

Admiral Carlisle A. H. Trost, USN (Ret.)

Chief of Naval Operations (‘86-‘90)

General Charles F. Wald, USAF (Ret.)

Deputy Commander, U.S. European Command (‘02-‘06)

General Charles E. Wilhelm, USMC (Ret.)

Commander, U.S. Southern Command (‘97-‘00)

General Michael J. Williams, USMC (Ret.)

Assistant Commandant, U.S. Marine Corps (‘00-‘02)
Poverty & the Economy
The world's poor are now viewed as the largest untapped market on earth. As people transition from
barely surviving into being consumers of goods and products, U.S. companies gain new populations to
which they can market their products. Many corporations have already benefited from the poverty
reduction that has occurred in India, China, and other parts of the world, and they realize that their
future earnings are tied to whether or not U.S. leadership is working to reduce global poverty.
CEO's Say End Poverty
Many of the top CEO's in the country want Congress and the White House addressing global poverty.
View a partial list of CEO's advocating for an end to poverty.
Cheap to Address and Expensive to Ignore: According to FAO, studies suggest that hunger and
micronutrient deficiencies decrease children's learning capacity by up to 10 percent and cost
developing countries $128 billion per year in productivity losses alone.
Economically Strategic
According to the FAO, the global benefits of reducing the number of hungry by half would be at least
$120 billion per year as a result of longer, healthier and more productive lives for several hundred
million people.
And the World gets Safer
A study conducted by the U.S. estimated that if the World Food Summits goal of reducing hunger
by half is met; it will lower the cost of peacekeeping and humanitarian operations by $2.5 billion per
year.
Big Market
According to USAID, more than 40 percent of all U.S. exports and half of U.S. agricultural exports
are sold to developing countries -- these annual exports account for about 4 million U.S. jobs. As
people in developing countries are assisted out of poverty, more jobs are created in the U.S.
Development Entrepreneurship: Poverty reduction as a business
For some companies, poverty reduction is central to their business model. As a result, there is no
contradiction between helping the poor and promoting the interests of the company. After being
approached by Muhammad Yunus of Grameen Bank for advice, ShoreBank started doing international
microfinance consulting in the 1980's. Working mostly in Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of
Independent States, ShoreBank eventually started investing in microfinance ventures. Besides
making a profit, companies like ShoreBank focus on improving the lives of their clients.

U.S. Foreign Aid

The U.S. provides large amounts of military aid to countries deemed strategically important, but the
U.S. ranks low among developed nations in the amount of foreign aid it provides to poor countries.
How much foreign aid does the U.S. give?
$22 billion in 2007. (OECD)
How does that compare to other foreign policy priorities?

• $27 billion: Amount going to the largest military contractor.

• $306 billion: Amount going to military contracts.
• $550 billion: U.S. Defense Budget. (Govexec)

How does the U.S. compare to other wealthy nations?

Not very good. In volume given, the U.S. government does better than other nations, but when
factoring potential to give, the U.S. is ranked second to last among wealthy nations (see chart below).
Americans Say...

• 61% say that combating world hunger should be a very important goal of U.S. foreign policy.
• 78% favor helping poor countries develop their economies as a way to fight terrorism.

Bros Before Poors

• Less than half of aid from the United States goes to the poorest countries where people earn
less than $2 a day.
• The largest recipients are strategic allies such as Egypt, Israel, Russia, Pakistan, Afghanistan
and Iraq.
• Israel is the richest country to receive U.S. assistance ($77 per Israeli compared to $3 per
person in poor countries).

Listen to the Money Talk

$73 - Amount per American the
U.S. spends on aid.

$1,763 - Amount per American

the U.S. spends on defense.
The Largest Donors in 2007 (by volume):
1. United States
2. Germany
3. France
4. United Kingdom
5. Japan
(OECD)
Did you know... In 2002, the U.S.
Government formed the Millennium Challenge Account which requires countries address corruption
before they can receive aid from the United States.
$4.4 billion: The cost of two B-2 Bombers.
$3.2 billion: The annual budget for the World Food Program (largest relief agency in the world) to
assist 104 million starving and malnourished people in 81 countries.
Incredible Potential for Good

• The U.S. was the largest single donor in a global campaign that eradicated smallpox from the
world by 1977.
• The U.S. provided funding for a program to prevent river blindness in West Africa. As a
result of these efforts, 18 million children now living in the program's region are free from the
risk of river blindness.

(Center for Global Development)

Global Effort
A wide range of developing country donors are increasing their aid to poor countries—and these
amounts are expected to rise. Aid from countries like Korea, Mexico, and Turkey is likely to
double by 2010 to over $2 billion. Countries like Brazil, China, India, the Russian Federation, and
South Africa are becoming important aid providers—China was the third-largest food aid donor in the
world in 2005 and is fast becoming the leading foreign creditor to Africa.
People Power by the Numbers
2,700: Number of employees working for the largest relief agency in the world (WFP), funded by 191
nations.

120,000: Number of employees working for Northrup Grumman, a leading defense contractor
primarily funded by the U.S.

Millennium Development Goals

The U.N. Millennium Development Goals represent the most
significant opportunity in the history of humankind. In 2000,
the largest gathering of world leaders ever assembled met in
New York City and agreed to a time-frame for addressing the
top global issues facing humankind.

The Goals World Leaders Agreed to...

Goal 1: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
Goal 2: Achieve universal primary education
Goal 3: Promote gender equality and empower women
Goal 4: Reduce child mortality
Goal 5: Improve maternal health
Goal 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases
Goal 7: Ensure environmental sustainability
Goal 8: Develop a global partnership for development

$40-$60 billion: Annual cost of attaining all goals before 2015.

$540 billion: Annual U.S. Military Budget.
Official name: U.N. Millennium Development Goals
Year agreed to: 2000
Number of countries agreeing to it: 191
Location of Summit: New York City
Biggest Obstacle to achieving: Leadership from the world's agenda-setter (Congress and the White
House).
How you can help: Make weekly Hero Calls to your Congressional leaders telling them you want the
U.S. working to achieve the Millennium Goals.
Obama Brings New Hope to the Millennium Goals
President Obama is a strong advocate for the Millennium Development Goals. Below is an excerpt
from his foreign policy strategy:

"Fight Global Poverty: Obama and Biden will embrace the Millennium Development Goal of cutting
extreme poverty and hunger around the world in half by 2015, and they will double our foreign
assistance to achieve that goal. This will help the world's weakest states build healthy and educated
communities, reduce poverty, develop markets, and generate wealth."
President Bush's Record with the Millennium Development Goals: While President Bush publicly
acknowledged the importance of the Millennium Development Goals, behind the scenes, the White
House was often obstructing efforts to achieve the plan to end world hunger. In 2005, less than a
month before 165 world leaders met to discuss global poverty and the Millennium Development
Goals, the Bush administration made 750 amendments to a 29-page draft agreement. Among the
changes, the White House wanted all mention of the Millennium Development Goals removed and
demanded there be no pledges to increase aid to impoverished nations.

Sources
The majority of information on this site comes from U.S. government and U.N. agencies. The remainder comes from
major news organizations and reputable NGO's.
Key Sources
Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. Official Development Assistance
increases
further - but 2006 targets still a challenge. http://www.oecd.org/document/3/0,2340,
en_2649_34447_34700611_1_1_1_1,00.html

World Health Organization (WHO). (2001). Investing in health for economic development: Report of
the
Commission on Macroeconomics and Health. Geneva: World Health Organization.[On-line].
Available:
http://www.who.int/macrohealth/en/.

World Bank. (2003). Breaking the conflict trap: Civil war and development policy (A World Bank
Policy
Research Report). Washington, DC and New York: World Bank & Oxford University Press.

World Bank. (2002). Global economic prospects and the developing countries 2002: Making trade
work
for the world’s poor. Washington, DC: World Bank.

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POVERTY FAQ'S

1. Doesn’t corruption in developing nations prevent aid from reaching the most impoverished
people? While
corruption exists nearly everywhere, including the United States, it is by no means a justification for
ignoring the
plight of the world's poor. In recent years, experts have developed numerous strategies for bypassing
corruption and
ensuring that the world's most vulnerable people receive assistance. The United States even set up a
funding
program that requires countries to address corruption before they can receive assistance. This ensures
that aid
coming from the United States goes directly to the people.

2. Isn't the problem too big? While the problem is huge, the solutions are easy, affordable, and
proven to work.
The FAO estimates that $30 billion a year is needed to implement the methods for cutting hunger in
half by 2015. To
put the figure in perspective, the United States gives more to its largest military contractor and spends
over $540
billion a year on defense (more than the rest of the world combined). Click here to read facts about
poverty-
reduction successes occurring across the globe.

3. Why should the United States address poverty abroad when we have it here? These are not
competing
interests. Our foreign policy should be focused on international poverty because it's the right thing to
do and because
it's in our strategic interest. And for the same reasons our domestic policy should focus on poverty at
home.

4. What is the biggest hurdle to achieving the Millennium Goals and ending world hunger?
Leadership from
Congress and the White House. As the world's agenda-setter, the United States is in the unique
position of having the
power to push through poverty reduction on a global scale and to ensure that the Millennium Goals are
achieved.
We're quite literally the first country in history that has the ability and political power to end world
hunger.

5. How is poverty fought on the ground? The strategies range from teaching farmers how to
increase crop
productivity to giving small loans to women so they can buy ovens and earn money selling bread.
Click here to learn
about more strategies.

6. Why do CEO's and the business community want the U.S. to end global poverty? The world's
poor are now
viewed as the largest untapped market on earth. As people transition from barely surviving into being
consumers of
goods and products, U.S. companies gain new populations to which they can market their products.
Many
corporations have already benefited substantially from the poverty reduction that has occurred in
India, China, and
other parts of the world, and they realize that their future earnings are tied to whether or not U.S.
leadership is
working to reduce global poverty.

7. Why do defense experts view global poverty as a threat to the United States? Poverty creates
desperate
people and unstable conditions. As the National Security Strategy of the United States says, “A world
where some
live in comfort and plenty, while half of the human race lives on less than $2 a day, is neither just nor
stable.”