Resolved: The United States federal government should substantially increase its public health assistance to Sub-Saharan Africa

Background and Context of Debate:

The USG is providing assistance to 47 countries in Africa, and USAID currently has 23 bilateral missions in Africa. In addition, there are three regional missions that support activities in countries with a limited USAID presence. These regional missions also manage programs that aim to strengthen selected African regional institutions and organizations, to improve their capacity to contribute to Africa's development in an environment of stability and security.

There is perhaps no issue more timely and critical than the status of people living in poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa. While world attention has once again focused on this crisis, attention has not translated to sufficient action. Despite the promise of the G-8 to end African poverty, the World Development Movement calls the current solutions “a disaster for the world’s poor.”

Aid vs. trade?: Is increasing aid more important than increasing trade? Are they mutually exclusive?

See main article Debate:Trade vs Aid.

Yes

No

Write a subquestion here...

Yes

• The OECD will miss its aid target for 2010 without US help. The OECD's goal to increase aid to $130bn by 2010 is on track to fail to be achieved. A commitment to double aid to Africa is also off course. The US can help resolve this problem by increasing aid to Africa.

• The US is not giving generously in proportion to its GDP. While the US may be giving the most to Africa in absolute terms, it is not giving the most as a percentage of GDP. In fact, the United States is not even in the top 5 of the 22 countries in the OECD donating aid to Africa as a percentage of its GDP. Norway (0.94%), Sweden (0.94%), Luxembourg (.82%), Netherlands (.82%), and Denmark (.81%) all rank above the United States in terms of the percentage of GDP being given to Africa. Given the per-capita wealth of the United States, the United States should be at the top of the list in terms of aid as a percentage of GDP.[1]

• The Bush administration has overstated its aid to Africa. David Bryden. "Bush Overstates Africa Aid Increase". Foreign Policy in Focus. July 20, 2005.
• Brookings Institute. "U.S. Foreign Assistance to Africa: Claims vs. Reality". June 27th, 2005

No

• The U.S. is giving by far the most aid, why should it give more. The US gave $27.622bn in aid in 2005. The next closest donor in that year was Japan with $13.147bn. The US is giving far more than any other country. Why should the US increase aid? Shouldn't other countries be the ones increasing aid.[2]

• President Bush already substantially increased aid to Africa. President Bush tripled aid to Africa during his presidency. Is it reasonable to ask for even more than this?
  • Michael A. Fletcher. "Bush Has Quietly Tripled Aid to Africa. Increase in Funding to Impoverished Continent Is Viewed as Altruistic or Pragmatic." Washington Post. December 31, 2006

• Over $500 billion has been spent on Africa, if that amount doesn't work, nothing will.

Roughly $529 has been spent on foreign aid to Africa since it's existence, spending more money will produce similar results;nothing.

• Focusing on domestic issues are far more beneficial.

Currently, the American economy is nearing a recession, a looming bankruptcy of Medicaid and Medicare, and over 47 million americans are uninsured...America should be focusing on their own domestic issues before solving for others'.

Aids/Hiv: Should the United States increase its AIDS/HIV aid to Sub-Saharan Africa?

Yes

• Subsaharan Africa is 2/3 of the global aids crisis, making increased aid there a major priority. In 2007, out of the 33 million cases of HIV infections globally, over 22 million HIV-infected individuals were living in Subsaharan Africa, roughly two-thirds or 66% of the total. In the global struggle against HIV, subsaharan Africa stands out as the greatest victim of all, and is, therefore, a clear candidate for an increase in aid.

• Aid drugs remain too expensive for Africans.

• Loans programs to African countries for purchasing commercial drugs do not resolve the price issue. [3]

No

• Commercial vendors of aids drugs have substantially reduced their drug prices for aid-afflicted countries.

Write Subquestion here...

Yes

• Paul Wolfowitz in support of increased aid to Africa. While at the World Bank, Wolfowitz advocated for substantial increases in US aid to Africa. - "I'd like to see increased levels of US assistance by whatever means we get there, particularly for Africa" (2005).[4]

No

• Robert Calderisi
• Richard Posner.[5] On the point that trade is better.

Write Subquestion here...

Yes

• James Gustave Speth, administrator of the United Nations Development Program. "The Plight of the Poor: The United States Must Increase Development Aid." Foreign Affairs, May/June 1999. - "Poverty is growing rapidly in developing countries, heralding greater instability everywhere. The West must increase development aid and political investment."

No

• Calderisi, Robert. The Trouble with Africa: Why Foreign Aid Isn't Working. 2006

• Marriage, Zoe. Challenging Aid in Africa: Principles, Implementation, And Impact. 2006

• "Bono aid is making Africa sick". The Sunday Times. January 1, 2006.

• Celia W. Dugger. "Charity finds that U.S. food aid for Africa hurts instead of helps". International Herald Tribune. August 14, 2007

• Sheehy, Thomas P. "Beyond Dependence and Poverty: Rethinking U.S. Aid to Africa." June 25, 1993. Heritage Foundation.

Backgrounder #947

Write Subquestion here...

Yes

• One Campaign (led by U2 singer Bono) - an effort to raise US foriegn aid to Africa by 1%.[6] - "We believe that allocating an additional ONE percent of the U.S. budget toward providing basic needs like health, education, clean water and food, would transform the futures and hopes of an entire generation of the poorest countries."
• Center for Global Development.
• Africa Aid.org.

No

References:

See also

External links

• "Rich nations 'must increase aid'." BBC. February 22, 2007.
• Michael A. Fletcher. "Bush Has Quietly Tripled Aid to Africa. Increase in Funding to Impoverished Continent Is Viewed as Altruistic or Pragmatic." Washington Post. December 31, 2006
• USInfo.State.Gov. "U.S. Aid to Africa". Retrieved 11.30.07
• World Public Opinion.org. "Aid for HIV/AIDS Crisis in Africa". Retrieved 11.30.07.
• Celia W. Dugger. "U.S. Challenged to Increase Aid to Africe". NYTimes. June 5, 2005.
• BBC. "Global Effort on World Aids Day". December 1, 2007
• "Debating Aid to Africa". NPR. July 7, 2005

Videos

"Humanitarian Aid to Africa". March 6th, 2007