January 2005

Speak out for those who cannot speak, for the rights of all the destitute. Speak out; judge righteously. Defend the rights of the poor and the needy.
(Proverbs 31:8-9)
What you helped achieve in 2004
Thanks to your faithful advocacy in support of CRS policy priorities, we achieved much to promote justice and peace throughout the world in 2004. More than 7,000 messages were sent to elected officials in support of more food aid and foreign assistance, greater debt relief for the poorest countries, and emergency relief for the people of Darfur, Sudan. More than 1,000 new people signed up to be part of the CRS legislative network. We are so grateful to you for making such a difference in the world!

Increases in 2004 Appropriations. January 2004 started the year on a good note, as Congress passed an appropriations bill that included the largest increase in developmental and civilian foreign aid programs in four decades. Congress also funded new initiatives such as the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) and the Presidential Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).

More access to financial services for the poor. In March, CRS embarked on a ten-month journey to advocate for the reauthorization of the Microenterprise bill (H.R. 3818/S.3027). The legislation, which provides an effective framework to help poor communities better access financial and non-financial services and improves self-sufficiency among women, families and communities, was finally passed by Congress on December 9 and signed into law by President Bush on December 23.

Improving the plight of undocumented agricultural workers. In 2004 CRS also partnered with the USCCB office of Migration and Refugee Services to advocate for passage of the AgJOBS bill (H.R.3142/ S.1645). The bill sought to increase protections for the rights of undocumented workers in the United States and to allow them to work toward permanent U.S. residency. Thanks to all of your advocacy efforts, 62 Senators co-sponsored S.1645 in 2004, a filibuster-proof majority as did over one fourth of the House of Representatives bill. Although the bill did not pass this year, we will continue to support this effort and the rights of undocumented farm workers in the United States.

Adequate funding for foreign assistance. Once again, your sustained advocacy efforts throughout 2004 ensured that the appropriations bill for fiscal year 2005 included more funding for core development and humanitarian assistance programs, additional resources for relief efforts in Darfur, Sudan as well as the Caribbean, increased funding to fight global HIV/AIDS, robust funding for the MCA, and an important requirement for public accounting of revenues from extractive industries in oil-rich developing nations.

Promoting peace in Israel and Palestine. When President Bush endorsed an Israeli plan for unilateral disengagement from Gaza in April, you supported our expression of deep concern for the Bush administration's reversal of the long-standing policy regarding settlements and the return of refugees, and you urged the Bush Administration to support serious efforts to revive the Road Map for Peace.

Addressing conflict and crisis in Northern Uganda and Sudan. The summer months brought increased attention to the conflict in the Darfur region of Sudan as well as the longstanding civil war in Northern Uganda. Thanks to your continued advocacy efforts, Congress passed and the President signed the Northern Uganda Crisis Response Act that supports efforts for a peaceful resolution of the conflict in northern Uganda.

While the conflict in Darfur is still raging, we successfully advocated for more resources to provide humanitarian relief in the region and a resolution to the North-South Sudan conflict. Recent reports indicate that both sides of that long-standing civil war have agreed to sign a peace agreement in January 2005.

Pushing for debt cancellation for poor countries. In the fall, we concentrated our advocacy efforts on urging the finance ministers of the worlds richest countries (the G-7) to support 100 percent debt cancellation for the worlds poorest countries. We came close to achieving this advocacy goal, but in the end the G-7 ministers could not agree on the terms to cancel the debt. Meanwhile we can celebrate some progress in that both the U.S. and UK had publicly committing to 100 percent debt cancellation.

Addressing the global shortage of food aid. As winter arrived, CRS began to receive reports from our programs that a major global food aid shortage was threatening to cut off millions of poor people who depend on U.S. food aid for themselves and their families. As part of a larger coalition, CRS launched an advocacy effort to ensure that the Administration and Congress would take the necessary steps to address the shortfall. Thanks to your help, we were able to secure an immediate release of emergency food aid, but much more will be needed. CRS expects this crisis to continue for many months, and we will need all your help to ensure that people who need food will receive it.

Devastating Tsunami strikes South Asia. Just one day after Christmas, a major Tsunami wreaked death and destruction throughout South Asia and as far away as Eastern Africa. CRS has launched a massive response to this disaster, which will surely have a major impact on the already serious food aid crisis. Click here to advocate for a generous tsunami response.

Join CRS in a New Year of advocacy
Opportunities to advocate for U.S. policies that foster peace, justice and economic stability for the worlds poor will abound in 2005. We appreciate all the work you have done so far, and look forward to your ongoing participation. Here are some of the issues we will be inviting you to work on.

Alleviating the global food aid crisis. The ongoing shortage of food aid will continue to be a major issue throughout 2005 as we advocate for immediate release of more emergency food aid to respond to the disaster in South Asia, the conflict in Sudan, and other crises around the world. We will also urge members of Congress to ensure that more food aid funding is included in the supplemental appropriations bill for FY2005, as well as ensuring adequate funding for fiscal year 2006. Click here to contact your elected officials today and urge them to provide adequate resources to respond to the serious U.S. food aid shortage.

Ensuring adequate funding for foreign assistance. As we do every year, we will work to ensure that Congress appropriates the necessary foreign assistance funding to support ongoing relief and development programs, which help address the immediate and long-term needs of the poor worldwide. Such funding is also needed to fight the HIV/AIDS pandemic and to fuel the Millennium Challenge Account. Supporting reform of the U.S. immigration system. Together with Migration and Refugee Services of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and many other Catholic organizations, CRS will advocate for immigration reform that improves the plight of undocumented immigrants in this country. We will be focusing on legislation such as the AgJOBS bill, which supporters will again push for passage in 2005. Extractive industries. Our focus will be to ensure greater transparency in the way developing countries handle their oil revenues. Global emergencies and conflict. We will continue to monitor and advocate for an end to violence in Darfur Sudan and other conflicts around the world, and seek adequate assistance for those countries emerging from years of war. Click here to send a message to President Bush urging him to do whatever he can to bring an end to the crisis in Darfur and peace to the region. Trade. We expect that the Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) will be considered by Congress this year, and we will continue to focus our advocacy efforts on how agricultural trade issues affect developing countries. Debt relief for poor countries. We tried but failed to secure 100 percent debt relief for the worlds poorest countries in 2004, but we look forward to another opportunity this year to again bring this issue to the forefront. Please see What you helped achieve in 2004 for more information about our efforts. As always, the Community Engagement Department at CRS will work to provide you with the resources you need to expand your communitys global advocacy efforts, from educational materials and prayer resources to action alerts that can be forwarded to your wider network. Please call us at 800-235-2772 ext. 7264 to let us know how we can help you.

TO Contact CRS’s Advocacy Office:
E-mail the Community Engagement Department at advocacy@catholicrelief.org or call us toll-free at 1-800-235-2772, ext. 7264.

Community Engagement Staff:
Kathy Brown, Community Engagement Director, ext. 7232
Alice Cutchember, Administrative Assistant, ext. 7264
Rowena Gono, Advocacy Communications Specialist, ext. 7496
Tina Rodousakis, Legislative Network Specialist, ext. 7462
Chris West, Community Organizer, ext. 7454
Consider subscribing to The Advocate a monthly publication of the CRS Community Engagement Department. A two-page, print-ready version, as well as archived editions, can be downloaded from the grassroots advocacy pages of the CRS web site. Or e-mail at advocacy@catholicrelief.org and they'll send it to you.