Honoring Seeds of Peace for its 15th anniversary as an organization promoting understanding, reconciliation, acceptance, coexistence, and peace in the Middle East, South Asia, and other regions of conflict.

I would like to thank the distinguished gentleman and the ranking member of the subcommittee and the chairman and the ranking member of the full committee. I would like to thank Chairman Payne in particular for introducing this important resolution. And I am very proud to cosponsor it because it is clearly a life-and- death matter. When you talk about sanitation and the removal of waste and the removal of sewage, you are talking about the lives of children. And as the cochair of the Congressional Children's Caucus, let me acknowledge that the most vulnerable to unsanitary conditions are children. In the disease that spreads, they are, in fact, the victims.

Global sanitation coverage has increased from 49 to 59 percent between 1990 and 2004. And that is, in essence, allowing over 1 billion people throughout the world to gain improved sanitation in the past 14 years. Pregnant women, nursing mothers and, of course, young children are, in fact, the bigger victims.

I am particularly troubled that 90 percent of these deaths that I have mentioned of those who died because of lack of access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation are children under 5, mostly in developing countries. As I mentioned, children are particularly hard hit by poor sanitation, paying a high price through missed schooling, disease, malnutrition and even death. An estimated 1.5 million children die each year due to poor sanitation, hygiene and unsafe water. UNICEF reports that girls are particularly vulnerable, missing out on schooling once they hit puberty, due to the lack of clean and safe latrines.

As the world's only remaining superpower, I think it is important to avert this humanitarian crisis. Chairman Payne, I believe that this is an important, constructive way of avoiding this massive death. Simply put, the Millennium Development Goal on basic sanitation would avert 470,000 deaths. And it would continue to do so. According to economic analysis, depending on the region of the world, economic benefits have been estimated to range from $3 to $34 for each dollar invested in it.

Let me just indicate that this is common sense. It is, again, human dignity. And as I close, let me also add my support for H. Con. Res. 337 honoring the Seeds of Peace. It is a program that I am very much aware of, having participated with the young people who have come from Israel and Palestine who have sat down together as teenagers and said we want peace. It was founded by John Wallach. Seeds of Peace initially brought 46 Israeli and Arab youths together. It has spread now to Greece, Turkey, Cyprus, the Balkans, India, Pakistan and Afghanistan. These summer camps are enormously important. Again, the Congressional Children's Caucus believes that children are not only our tomorrows, they are our yesterdays and todays.

And I want to thank the chairman of the subcommittee for his leadership in these areas. And with that I ask my colleagues to support H. Con. Res. 318 and as well the following bill H. Con. Res. 337. And again, I thank Mr. Payne for his leadership.

I rise today in strong support of H. Con. Res. 318, ``supporting the goals and ideals of the International Year of Sanitation.'' I would like to thank my colleague Congressman Payne for introducing this important resolution, which I am proud to cosponsor, as well as the Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Congressman Berman, for his leadership in bringing this resolution to the floor today.

Mr. Speaker, In 2007, the United Nations declared 2008 to be the International Year of Sanitation, to raise awareness of the importance of sanitation and its impact on reaching other Millennium Development Goals and to recognize progress made in achieving the global sanitation target detailed in the Millennium Development Goals. In addition, the International Year of Sanitation is intended to call upon all Member States, United Nations agencies, regional and international organizations, civil society organizations, and other relevant stakeholders to renew their commitment to attaining the target.

As my colleagues are aware, in September 2000, the United Nations adopted the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that challenged the global community to reduce poverty and increase the health and well-being of all peoples. Two years later, in September 2002, at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, the United States and the rest of the international community reaffirmed these goals and added access to basic sanitation as a centerpiece of the poverty eradication commitments. The target to halve the proportion of people without access to basic sanitation by 2015 was defined in the Johannesburg Plan of Action.

We have begun to make important progress. Over one billion people, throughout the world, have gained access to improved sanitation in the past 14 years. Global sanitation coverage has increased from 49 percent to 59 percent between 1990 and 2004. These gains represent substantial improvements in the quality of life and basic health for countless people.

Mr. Speaker, despite the establishment of these goals, billions of people still lack access to safe drinking water and sanitation, and we are not on target to meet the Millennium Development Goal to reduce by half the proportion of people without access to basic sanitation by 2015. Today, over 2.4 billion people--half the developing world--lack access to basic sanitation and 1.1 billion people have no access to any type of improved drinking source of water. As a direct consequence, over 1.6 million people die every year from easily preventable diseases attributable to lack

of access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation.

As Chair of the Congressional Children's Caucus, I am particularly troubled that 90 percent of these deaths are children under 5, mostly in developing countries. Children are particularly hard hit by poor sanitation, paying a high price through missed schooling, disease, malnutrition, and even death. An estimated 1.5 million children under five die each year due to poor sanitation, hygiene, and unsafe water.

In addition to claiming too many young lives, poor sanitation reduces children's ability to grow and develop, stunting the economic and social development of the entire nation. UNICEF reports that girls are particularly vulnerable, missing out on schooling once they hit puberty due to the lack of clean and safe latrines.

As the world's only remaining superpower, the United States has a moral obligation to take the lead in averting humanitarian catastrophe. Increased access to sanitation would have an enormous impact on the lives of people throughout the world. Simply put, meeting the Millennium Development Goal on basic sanitation would avert 470,000 deaths. In addition, achieving the target would bring enormous economic gains. Meeting the Millennium Development Goal would result in an extra 320 million productive working days every year, and would bring considerable benefits to investment. According to economic analysis, depending on the region of the world, economic benefits have been estimated to range from $3 to $34 for each dollar invested in access to basic sanitation and safe water.

Mr. Speaker, even as our attention is consumed by rising food and fuel prices, it is vital that we do not lose focus of the equally vital goal of basic sanitation. The resolution that we are considering today recognizes the importance of sanitation on public health, poverty reduction, economic and social development, and the environment and encourages all Americans to observe the International Year of Sanitation with appropriate recognition, ceremonies, activities, and programs to demonstrate the importance of sanitation, hygiene, and access to safe drinking water in achieving the Millennium Development Goals.

Mr. Speaker, the benefits of meeting the Millennium Development Goal on basic sanitation would be dramatic and global. We have the opportunity to drastically improve the international community's ability to reduce global poverty, and to improve the health of people worldwide. I strongly urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this important resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 318) supporting the goals and ideals of the International Year of Sanitation, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution and yield myself as much time as I may consume.

First of all, I'd like to thank my colleagues on the Foreign Affairs Committee, Ranking Member Chris Smith and Congresswoman Sheila Jackson- Lee as well as Representative Chris Shays for being lead sponsors on H.Con.Res 318, which supports the United Nations Declaration of 2008 as the International Year of Sanitation. Their bipartisan support has helped to bring this resolution to the floor for a vote. I also would like to thank Senator Richard Durbin, who introduced the Senate companion to this concurrent resolution.

In September 2000, the United Nations adopted the eight Millennium Development Goals to challenge the global community to reduce poverty and increase the health and well-being of all peoples. Two years later, in September of 2002, at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, the United States and the rest of the international community reaffirmed these goals and added access to basic sanitation as a centerpiece of the poverty eradication commitments. The target to halve the proportion of people without access to the basic sanitation by 2015 was defined in the Johannesburg Plan of Action.

In September of 2005, President Bush addressed the United Nations General Assembly, at which time, as I was the U.S. delegate from the House to the United Nations, I was very pleased that President Bush recommitted the United States to achieving the Millennium Development Goals.

Last year, the United Nations declared 2008 as the International Year of Sanitation in order to recognize the great strides that have been made towards increasing access to sanitation for people around the world. However, it is also a time to galvanize member nations, U.N. agencies, regional and international organizations, and other relevant stakeholders to renew their commitment.

Access to basic sanitation is something so simple, yet so fundamental to everyday life. Well, simple, at least, for the majority of people who live in the developed world. An estimated 2.6 billion people live in an environment where they do not have access to proper toilet facilities and human waste cannot be properly disposed. And approximately 1.1 billion people have no access to any type of improved drinking sources of water. As a direct consequence, over 1.6 million people die every year from easily preventable diseases attributable to lack of access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation. Ninety percent of those are children under five, mostly in developing countries.

This lack of access to basic sanitation affects everything from how food is grown and prepared to the ability of girls and young women to attend school. Sanitation is an obvious issue of health, but also one of dignity, physical safety and development.

Halving the proportion of people without access to basic sanitation is a target of the seventh Millennium Development Goal, which is to ensure environmental sustainability. In fact, it is vital to the success of other Millennium Development Goal targets in order for them to reach their goal.

Access to proper sanitation is essential to reducing childhood and maternal mortality. It can help reduce the symptoms associated with HIV and AIDS. It can also improve the living conditions of 100 million-plus people living in slums.

The dividends that increased access to basic sanitation pay are multifold. Depending on the region of the world, economic benefits have been estimated to range from $3 to $34 for each dollar invested in access to basic sanitation and safe water. According to the United Nations, meeting this MDG target will yield nearly $200 billion in annual benefits. If we meet this goal, people and governments will save more than $500 million in direct health treatment costs and get back more than 3 billion working days that are now lost to sanitation- related illnesses. Reducing the incidences to sanitation-related diseases will add nearly 200 million days of school attendance.

As we in Congress work to increase access to lifesaving medication and strengthening health care infrastructures, we must remember that the success of such initiatives is, in part, dependent upon individuals having access to basic sanitation. Let us use this time to also refocus our efforts on strengthening one of the basic pillars upon which global health must stand, proper sanitation.

I strongly support this resolution and ask that my colleagues back H. Con. Res. 318, which supports the ideals and goals of the International Year of Sanitation.

I reserve the balance of my time, Mr. Speaker.

I yield 3 minutes to the gentlelady from Texas, Representative Sheila Jackson-Lee.

(Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Oregon, the member of the Budget Committee and one of the leading environmentalists in the House, Mr. Blumenauer.

I yield an additional minute to the gentleman from Oregon.

Mr. Speaker, I would just like to say that I urge support of this resolution. As the previous speaker indicated, we passed legislation called Water For the Poor, and in our oversight hearing I was looking for places like Burkina Faso in Niger that had no water, but found that the money was allocated to Iraq and Afghanistan. ``Water for the Poor'' was what it was called, not ``Water for the War.''

So we need to be sure that when we pass legislation, that it goes to the intended recipients and not for other purposes. If other purposes must be done, put them in another budget. There is plenty of money in other budgets and no one ever opposes them. So put it over there, and leave our Water for the Poor for the countries that are actually and really poor.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

I thank my good friend, the ranking member, for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably detained and didn't get here in time to speak on the resolution lauding the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is among the most durable, enduring, inspiring and historic set of fundamental principles ever enunciated by anyone ever in history. It ranks right up there with the Magna Carta. It ranks right up there with the U.S. Bill of Rights, which obviously enumerated a number of our fundamental freedoms that we love and enjoy as Americans.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 60 years after its adoption, continues to serve as a backdrop to judge government policies and behaviors toward its citizens. And that is especially important as to how a government treats the weak, its most vulnerable and those who might otherwise be disenfranchised.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a promissory note. It's a paper promise that must be backed by deeds. It has only, however, been realized in part over the last 60 years. It is a work in progress. The Declaration inspires people to realize that they, as human beings, endowed by God, by our Creator, with certain inalienable rights, ought to fight for those rights. And this gives them a very useful tool in that endeavor, a means to that end.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights has emphasized a number of important and hallowed rights, including religious freedom, the right to life, freedom from torture, equal protection, due process, labor nights and freedom of assembly. Under it, no one should ever be left behind. And that means that regardless of race, ethnicity, age, disability, or condition of dependency, no one should be left behind.

We know in many countries of the world, sadly that is not the case. In places like the People's Republic of China, human rights are systematically and pervasively violated by Beijing, whether it be religious freedom or the outrages we recently saw in Tibet, where the government crackdown crushed dissent with an iron fist. China persecutes the Uighurs in the autonomous region and families, especally women as part of their draconian one-child-per-couple policy which has made brothers and sisters illegal throughout China. That's right. Brothers and sisters are illegal in the People's Republic of China. A couple is required to get government permission to have a child. And forced abortion and huge fines are imposed on women and men who do not submit to the plan. In Burma and North Korea, human rights are also violated with grave impunity. And the U.N. Human Rights Council and other bodies of the U.N. need to do more to implement the intent of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Sadly, they have largely failed.

We have seen a very disturbing rise in anti-Semitism throughout Europe, certainly in the Middle East, and even in the United States and Canada. That too has to be combated. We see a rise in modern-day slavery, human trafficking--sex trafficking or labor trafficking. That needs to be combated and eradicated and victims assisted. Everyone should be free of that kind of terrible and despicable mistreatment. The Sudan, Zimbabwe, the genocide occurring in the Darfur region of Sudan is also a grave violation of human rights, completely antithetical to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Like the last, this is a century of victims.

And let me say before the West gets too smug about how well we are doing, we, too, have our problems. We see them every day. We have fallen short of the standard. I respectfully submit to my colleagues that we have failed to treat the defenseless unborn child with compassion and justice. We know now more than we have ever known before about the magnificent world of an unborn child. Ultrasound, 4-D ultrasound, the ability to do intrauterine blood transfusions and microsurgery have shattered the myth that an unborn child is somehow not human or alive. Of course they are. We know that these babies are society's littlest patients, in need of care and love, increasingly surviving at earlier, earlier times if born prematurely.

Abortion needs to be looked at, in my opinion, Mr. Speaker, as a serious violation of human rights. Abortion is violence against children. The dismemberment or chemical poisoning of a baby is antithetical to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. All abuse is contrary to the Declaration and that holds true no matter how old you are, and that includes unborn children. We also know abortion hurts women psychologically and physically. And that evidence grows by the day.

So I would hope that we would look at human rights as being for everyone, at all times, regardless of age, condition of dependency, regardless of race, no matter where you live. The universal declaration is for you. We need to speak out more boldly with better, more focused appeals employing all the tools at our disposal, linking sanctions and withholding of certain aid if a country doesn't live up to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Again, the Declaration is a backdrop. And I hope that we do even better than we have in the past. The past has been checkered. Certainly we have moved the ball down the court. Much more needs to be done however to respect everyone's fundamental human rights.

I thank my colleagues.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H. Con. Res. 337, ``Honoring the Seeds of Peace for its 15th Anniversary as an Organization.'' I would like to thank my colleague Congressman

Allen for introducing this important resolution, which I am proud to cosponsor, as well as the Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Congressman Berman, for his leadership in bringing this resolution to the floor today.

Mr. Speaker, fifteen years ago, in 1993, Seeds of Peace hosted its first international conflict resolution camp. In that first year, amidst regional conflict and fighting a history of hatred, the organization brought together Israeli, Palestinian, Jordanian, and Egyptian youth. Founded by journalist John Wallach, Seeds of Peace initially brought together 46 Israeli and Arab youth. Since that time, Seeds of Peace has offered summer camps for youths from conflict regions around the world and from the United States, involving young people from the initial countries as well as from Greece, Turkey, Cyprus, the Balkans, India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. These summer camps have made enormous strides toward fostering cultural and religious understanding.

Seeds of Peace empowers a new generation of leaders with the tools they need to overcome prejudice and to communicate and negotiate effectively. The summer camps help these youth to develop empathy, respect, and confidence, while giving their ``enemies'' a human face. The young people who attend these summer camps are the same people who will grow up to build a future of peace and stability. There are now nearly 4,000 young Seeds of Peace leaders who are working to make a positive difference in some of our world's most troubled regions.

As Chair of the Congressional Children's Caucus, I strongly believe in investing in our children. By doing so, we are investing in our future. Long-term peace between warring parties, including Arabs and Israelis, Indians and Pakistanis, and Afghans and Pakistanis, is dependent on the emergence of a new generation of leaders able and willing to engage in constructive dialogue.

By bringing young people from different backgrounds together in a recreational environment, Seeds of Peace lays a foundation for sustainable peace by facilitating interaction among young leaders before their fears, mistrust, and inherited prejudices have permanently shaped their vision of their ``enemy.'' After spending a summer at camp in Maine, participants and teachers continue to interact through regional and international programming, furthering the dialogue among and across nationalities. Seeds of Peace supports the development of future leaders.

In addition to these summer camps for children from conflict regions, Seeds of Peace now operates a domestic program called ``Maine Seeds,'' addressing ethnic and racial tensions between diverse communities in Maine. Also, in 2004, Seeds of Peace launched its ``Beyond Borders'' initiative, bringing teens from additional Middle East countries, such as Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait, to participate in a cultural exchange program between American and Arab youth.

Mr. Speaker, while the Arab/Israeli peace process has moved forward haltingly since 1993, Seeds of Peace has grown into a major organization that continues to foster interaction among thousands of young leaders and educators from around the world. It continues to build upon the basic premise the prejudices dispelled during youth will be prejudices dispelled for life.

I strongly urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this resolution, honoring Seeds of Peace for its fifteen years of promoting reconciliation, coexistence, and peace among youth of the Middle East and other conflict areas.

I appreciate the gentleman's courtesy, as I appreciate his leadership on this, and look forward to watching this legislation pass today.

It was my pleasure to be in Johannesburg in 2002 when sanitation was added to the Millennium Challenge Development Goal to create a comprehensive framework for the needs of the world's poorest. But I am saddened

that we are here today, still repeating those horrible statistics about over 1 billion who lack access to safe drinking water, more than 2 billion who lack access to sanitation.

I would only take exception to my good friend from Florida's comments a moment ago, because I have been told that a child dies needlessly every 15 seconds. But whether it is 20 seconds or 15 seconds, it is absolutely scandalous that in this day and age, when we know what to do, when for less than the price of a take-out pizza per year per family, the United States alone could be transformational on that. One reflects on what difference it would make, not just those children that wouldn't die needlessly. It would translate into over one-quarter billion additional days in school. It would save over $7 billion in unnecessary medical costs. It would allow one-third of a trillion working days for young people from age 15 to 39 worldwide. And, make no mistake about it, it makes a difference for those of us in the United States.

First of all, pollution any place in the world finds its way into the water supply and makes a difference for us. Make no mistake, that at a time when virtually no one in the world is more than 24 hours away from anybody else watching disease break forth unnecessarily, it is not just a tragedy in some remote village or some southern hemisphere megacity. It can make a difference for the health of Americans here and abroad. And when the CIA has identified urban instability and decay as one of the seven greatest causes of threats to our security, this compounds our problem with global unrest and terrorism.

I am pleased that we have been able to work together with Mr. Payne. In my prior tenure on the Foreign Affairs Committee, we passed the Water for the Poor Act in 2005 and acknowledged the late Mr. Lantos and former colleagues Leach, Hyde and Senator Frist. But we are not even fully implementing that legislation 3 years later. I commend the gentleman for his oversight hearing to help the Department of State to understand what is going to be necessary to fully implement this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, we are halfway through the International Year of Sanitation. It is time for us to reflect on what we are going to do about this problem. This isn't some remote goal that is beyond our capacity. Girl Scout troops, churches, synagogues and Rotary Clubs know what to do and in fact they are acting at a grassroots level to do something about it. We in Congress need to do our job supporting Mr. Payne with the accountability of the State Department.

One of the most important things we can do is to work to transfer unnecessary military assistance. The United States is lavishing huge sums of money for military aid on countries like Egypt and Pakistan, where it is dubious in terms of the outcome of security for us or anybody else, but they have populations that are desperately in need of clean water and sanitation. We need to reorder our priorities to be able to achieve this goal.

Back in 2002 when we added sanitation, 2015 seemed like a long way away. Well, we are halfway there, in terms of time, but we are not halfway there in terms of accomplishment. I hope that this resolution will be a little nudge to us all to make sure that we do our part. I appreciate the gentleman's courtesy and his leadership.