IV 
111TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. CON. RES. 318 
Supporting the ideals and objectives of the United Nations Millennium Dec-
laration and related Millennium Development Goals and calling on the 
President to ensure the United States contributes meaningfully to the 
achievement of the Millennium Development Goals by the year 2015. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 16, 2010 
Ms. LEE of California (for herself, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. MORAN of Virginia, 
Ms. WOOLSEY, Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, Mr. PAYNE, Mr. CARNAHAN, 
and Mr. MOORE of Kansas) submitted the following concurrent resolu-
tion; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 
Supporting the ideals and objectives of the United Nations 
Millennium Declaration and related Millennium Develop-
ment Goals and calling on the President to ensure the 
United States contributes meaningfully to the achieve-
ment of the Millennium Development Goals by the year 
2015. 
Whereas at the 2000 United Nations Millennium Summit on 
September 8, 2000, the United States joined 189 nations 
in adopting the United Nations Millennium Declaration, 
which set a series of time-bound targets to reduce ex-
treme poverty by 2015 known as the Millennium Devel-
opment Goals; 
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Whereas the Millennium Development Goals set measurable 
targets related to ending hunger and poverty, universal 
education, gender equity, child health, maternal health, 
combating HIV/AIDS, environmental sustainability, and 
global partnership, all to be achieved by 2015, includ-
ing— 
(1) reducing by half the proportion of people living 
on less than $1 a day; 
(2) reducing by half the proportion of people who 
suffer from hunger; 
(3) ensuring that all boys and girls complete a full 
course of primary schooling; 
(4) eliminating gender disparity in primary and sec-
ondary education preferably by 2005, and at all levels by 
2015; 
(5) reducing by two-thirds the mortality rate among 
children under 5; 
(6) reducing by three-quarters the maternal mor-
tality ratio; 
(7) achieving, by 2015, universal access to reproduc-
tive health; 
(8) halting and beginning to reverse the spread of 
HIV/AIDS; 
(9) achieving, by 2010, universal access to treatment 
for HIV/AIDS for all those who need it; 
(10) halting and beginning to reverse the incidence 
of malaria and other major diseases; 
(11) integrating the principles of sustainable devel-
opment into country policies and programs to reverse loss 
of environmental resources; 
(12) reducing biodiversity loss, achieving a signifi-
cant reduction in the rate of loss by 2010; 
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(13) reducing by half the proportion of people with-
out sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic 
sanitation; 
(14) achieving significant improvement in the lives 
of at least 100,000,000 slum dwellers, by 2020; 
(15) developing further an open trading and finan-
cial system that is rule-based, predictable, and non-dis-
criminatory and includes a commitment to good govern-
ance, development, and poverty reduction nationally and 
internationally; 
(16) addressing the least developed countries’ special 
needs which includes tariff-free and quota-free access for 
their exports, enhanced debt relief for heavily indebted 
poor countries, cancellation of official bilateral debt, and 
more generous official development assistance for coun-
tries committed to poverty reduction; 
(17) addressing the special needs of landlocked and 
small island developing countries; 
(18) dealing comprehensively with developing coun-
tries’ debt problems through national and international 
measures to make debt sustainable in the long term; 
(19) developing decent and productive work for 
youth in cooperation with the developing countries; 
(20) providing access to affordable essential drugs in 
developing countries in cooperation with pharmaceutical 
companies; and 
(21) making available the benefits of new tech-
nologies, especially information and communications tech-
nologies, in cooperation with the private sector; 
Whereas the Millennium Development Goals have been 
agreed to by 192 United Nations Member States includ-
ing the United States as well as leading international de-
velopment and financial institutions such as the World 
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Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and re-
gional development banks; 
Whereas the United Nations Millennium Declaration re-
affirmed the values and principles of the United Nations 
General Assembly, including fundamental values of free-
dom, equality, solidarity, tolerance, respect for nature, 
and shared responsibility; 
Whereas, on March 22, 2002, the United States, the Euro-
pean Union, and other countries concluded the Monterrey 
Consensus, which included agreement on new develop-
ment aid commitments, debt relief, fighting corruption, 
country ownership, and policy coherence to fulfill inter-
nationally agreed development goals including those con-
tained in the Millennium Declaration; 
Whereas in 2005, the United Nations General Assembly con-
vened a high level meeting known as the ‘‘2005 World 
Summit’’, reiterating a determination by both developed 
and developing nations to ensure the timely and full real-
ization of development goals and objectives including the 
Millennium Development Goals and recognizing that ‘‘de-
velopment, peace and security and human rights are 
interlinked and mutually reinforcing’’; 
Whereas at the 2005 World Summit, developing nations com-
mitted to the development and implementation of na-
tional plans to achieve the Millennium Development 
Goals, and identified good governance and the rule of law 
as ‘‘essential for sustained economic growth, sustainable 
development and the eradication of poverty and hunger’’; 
Whereas nearly one decade after the signing of the United 
Nations Millennium Declaration, the international com-
munity has made significant progress in addressing the 
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root causes of extreme poverty, particularly in the areas 
of global health, education, and safe drinking water; 
Whereas net official development assistance by the United 
States, totaling $28,700,000,000 in 2009, has roughly 
tripled since 2001; 
Whereas the United States was the leading source of remit-
tances, which totaled $34,700,000,000 in 2008; 
Whereas in the developing world as a whole, enrollment in 
primary education rose from 83 to 88 percent from the 
year 2000 to 2007; 
Whereas the deaths of children under 5 declined from 
12,600,000 to 9,000,000 annually, from the year 1990 to 
2007; 
Whereas from 2001 to 2008, new HIV infections declined by 
16 percent globally, and in 2006, the annual number of 
AIDS deaths began to decline for the first time since the 
earliest reported cases of the HIV/AIDS epidemic; 
Whereas access to lifesaving antiretroviral therapy (ART) to 
treat HIV/AIDS continues to increase, and an estimated 
5,000,000 people are now receiving AIDS treatment, or 
about one-third of those currently in need; 
Whereas based off the 1990 estimate for global drinking 
water coverage of 77 percent, studies indicate that the 
world is ahead of schedule in reducing by half the propor-
tion of the global population without sustainable access 
to safe drinking water; 
Whereas the lasting impacts of the global economic crisis, 
food, and natural resource price volatility, the persistence 
of conflict, and rising scarcity of food and water re-
sources have increased the vulnerability of the world’s 
poor, and threaten to impede or even reverse progress 
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made in improving and protecting the health, environ-
ment, physical, and economic security of those suffering 
from extreme poverty; 
Whereas the United Nations Department of Economic and 
Social Affairs indicates that in June 2009, progress was 
either insufficient, absent, or deteriorating for more than 
half of key targets related to compliance with the United 
Nations Millennium Development Goals; 
Whereas gaps in strategy, implementation, policies, capacity, 
and resources have resulted in regional disparities incon-
sistent with the spirit of the Millennium Declaration to 
uphold the international community’s collective responsi-
bility and duty ‘‘to all the world’s people, especially the 
most vulnerable’’; 
Whereas according to the United Nations Department of 
Economic and Social Affairs, 100 percent of key targets 
in sub-Saharan Africa fall into underperforming cat-
egories; 
Whereas 
the 
World 
Bank 
estimates 
that 
in 
2005, 
1,400,000,000 people across the globe, and more than 
one-quarter of the developing world’s population, were ex-
periencing extreme poverty, living on less than $1.25 a 
day; 
Whereas the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organiza-
tion (FAO) estimates that the number of undernourished 
people in the world rose to 1,020,000,000 in 2009, equiv-
alent to 15 percent of the world population and rep-
resenting an increase of roughly 200,000,000 people from 
1990; 
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Whereas in 2007, 72,000,000 children were denied the right 
to education, half of these children having never seen the 
inside of a classroom; 
Whereas the agreed upon target for eliminating gender dis-
parities in primary and secondary education by 2005 has 
already been missed; 
Whereas recent estimates indicate that 342,000 to half a mil-
lion women and girls, nearly all of them in developing 
countries, die each year as a result of obstetric complica-
tions during pregnancy, during childbirth, or in the weeks 
following delivery, the vast majority of which are prevent-
able or treatable with quality reproductive health services; 
Whereas in 2006, 1,400,000,000 people remained without ac-
cess to basic sanitation, which has been tied to the need 
for improvements in health and the quality of the envi-
ronment; 
Whereas studies indicate that more than 20 percent of all 
known mammals, 35 percent of freshwater fish species, 
25 percent of reptiles, and 70 percent of plant species 
around the world are under threat of extinction due to 
a variety of factors including loss of habitat, change in 
climate, invasive species, over-hunting or harvesting, pol-
lution, and disease; 
Whereas President Obama has committed to doubling United 
States foreign assistance to $50,000,000,000; 
Whereas, on May 5, 2009, President Obama announced a 
new Global Health Initiative, pledging $63,000,000,000 
over 6 years, to strengthen national health systems and 
better integrate and coordinate the delivery of health 
services across a range of existing programs with a par-
ticular focus on improving the health of women, 
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newborns, and children through programs addressing in-
fectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS, nutrition, maternal 
and child health, neglected tropical diseases, safe water, 
and sanitation; 
Whereas, on July 10, 2009, Secretary of State Hillary 
Rodham Clinton announced that the United States De-
partment of State and United States Agency for Inter-
national Development will conduct the first Quadrennial 
Diplomacy and Development Review to provide short-, 
medium-, and long-term blueprints for a whole-of-govern-
ment approach to diplomacy and development including a 
clear statement of objectives, necessary tools and re-
sources, and expected results; 
Whereas, on August 31, 2009, President Obama signed a 
Presidential Study Directive (PSD) on Global Develop-
ment Policy, which authorizes a United States Govern-
ment-wide review of global development policies and pro-
cedures; 
Whereas, on September 25, 2009, Secretary of State Hillary 
Rodham Clinton announced a new Global Food Security 
Initiative ‘‘to sustainably reduce chronic hunger, raise the 
income of the rural poor, and reduce the number of chil-
dren suffering from under-nutrition’’, for which President 
Obama has pledged $3,500,000,000 over 3 years; 
Whereas, on January 6, 2010, United States Secretary of 
State Hillary Rodham Clinton declared development a 
‘‘strategic, economic, and moral imperative’’ and called 
for ‘‘elevat[ing] development as a central pillar of our 
foreign policy’’; 
Whereas, on April 21, 2010, Secretary of Defense Robert 
Gates expressed in writing to the Senate Budget Com-
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mittee, ‘‘the work performed by diplomatic and develop-
ment professionals helps build the foundation for more 
stable, democratic and prosperous societies’’; 
Whereas United Nations Secretary General Ban-Ki Moon has 
indicated his intention to make 2010 the ‘‘year of the 
Millennium Development Goals’’, with a particular focus 
on sustainable development; 
Whereas broad-based country- and community-ownership, in-
cluding the engagement of marginalized populations and 
vulnerable groups such as women, are critical to the long- 
term success of development programs aimed at reducing 
extreme poverty; 
Whereas efforts to improve health and governance, expand 
access to education, address gender disparity, empower 
women and girls, sustain and develop global partnerships, 
and ensure environmental sustainability will not be suc-
cessful in isolation and are all essential and mutually re-
inforcing activities in the fight to eradicate extreme pov-
erty; 
Whereas at the opening of the 65th Session of the General 
Assembly of the United Nations from September 20, 
2010, to September 22, 2010, global leaders will convene 
a high-level summit, the largest gathering of heads of 
state since the 2000 United Nations Millennium Summit, 
to review the implementation of the 2000 United Nations 
Millennium Declaration and redouble efforts to meet the 
Millennium Development goals; 
Whereas, on September 24, 2009, President Obama affirmed 
the United States ‘‘will support the Millennium Develop-
ment Goals, and approach next year’s summit with a 
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global plan to make them a reality. And we will set our 
sights on the eradication of extreme poverty in our time’’; 
Whereas, on July 30, 2010, the United States Agency for 
International Development, the lead United States agen-
cy responsible for administering nonmilitary foreign as-
sistance, released ‘‘The United States’ Strategy for Meet-
ing the Millennium Development Goals’’ to be guided by 
four imperatives to leverage innovation, invest in sustain-
ability, track development outcomes and not just dollars, 
and enhance the principle and practice of mutual ac-
countability; 
Whereas in preparation for the 2010 high-level summit, and 
in recognition of the vital role of indigenous and inter-
national civil society, the private sector, and Diaspora 
networks in reviewing and implementing strategies for 
sustainable development, from June 14, 2010, to June 
15, 2010, the United Nations convened ‘‘Informal Inter-
active Hearings of the General Assembly with Non-gov-
ernmental organizations, Civil society organizations and 
the Private sector’’; 
Whereas studies indicate that a majority of the people of the 
United States support United States efforts abroad to 
improve health, build climate resilience, and reduce hun-
ger and poverty in poor countries, including by increasing 
public funding to achieve the Millennium Development 
Goals; and 
Whereas the strong support of individuals, businesses, and 
philanthropic organizations across the United States for 
foreign assistance programs and the achievement of the 
Millennium Development Goals demonstrates United 
States values and ideals, including the compassion, gen-
erosity, and openness to the exchange of ideas and knowl-
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edge of the people of the United States: Now, therefore, 
be it 
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
concurring), That Congress— 
(1) supports the ideals and objectives of the 
United Nations Millennium Declaration and related 
Millennium Development Goals and targets including 
to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger, achieve 
universal primary education, promote gender equal-
ity and empower women, reduce child mortality, im-
prove maternal health, combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, 
and other diseases, ensure environmental sustain-
ability, and develop a global partnership for develop-
ment; 
(2) commends the progress made to date 
through international efforts to reduce instances of 
poverty, hunger, disease, and environmental deg-
radation, as well as the sustained commitment of the 
international community to build upon these achieve-
ments in future years; 
(3) acknowledges the achievements of devel-
oping nations that have prioritized principles of ac-
countability and inclusive ownership in the design 
and execution of development-related programs and 
the contribution of these efforts to the universal re-
alization of the Millennium Development Goals; 
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(4) recognizes the critical importance of global 
development programs and partnerships to the na-
tional security of the United States; 
(5) calls on the President to ensure the United 
States contributes meaningfully to the achievement 
of the Millennium Development Goals, and specified 
targets therein, by the year 2015, including by pro-
viding the global plan that was affirmed on Sep-
tember 24, 2009, and that supports the goals and 
commitments of the 2010 Millennium Development 
Goals Summit; 
(6) commits to work with and support the Ad-
ministration in its efforts to accomplish by 2015 the 
goals and targets set forth in the United Nations 
Millennium Declaration and related Millennium De-
velopment Goals, including by providing the nec-
essary resources to achieve these development objec-
tives; 
(7) encourages the President to recommend and 
work in coordination with Congress to implement re-
forms to United States foreign assistance programs 
in order to achieve the Millennium Development 
Goals; 
(8) requests that the President’s forthcoming 
United States development policy include bench-
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marks, timelines, and resource estimates to guide 
the implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of 
these efforts; 
(9) commends private sector institutions as well 
as indigenous and international civil society organi-
zations seeking to hold their governments account-
able to the achievement of the Millennium Develop-
ment Goals by 2015; and 
(10) urges all responsible nations within the 
international community to uphold their commit-
ment to meet the Millennium Development Goals, in-
cluding through actions to improve governance and 
the rule of law, expand debt relief programs, provide 
additional resources and technical assistance, and 
promote sustainable and responsible trade opportu-
nities in order to support development efforts in the 
poorest nations. 
Æ 
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