NAIROBI, Kenya, January 19 (IPS) – US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen will travel to South Africa, Zambia and Senegal this week in hopes of strengthening US-Africa relations at a time of US influence. States on the continent are waning – first in a series of trips by the Biden administration announced at the US-Africa Leaders Summit last month.
As African women leaders working for peace and climate justice, we welcome this new engagement with a region often cast aside. But meetings and photo shoots are not enough.
If America wants the trust of the African people, we need more than words. We need tangible action to dramatically improve the lives of communities across the continent.
There are two steps the Biden administration can take today to make that happen: support a new Special Drawing Right (SDR) issue for free, debt-free crisis relief and provide financial assistance supplementary to the Loss and Damage Fund agreed at COP27, the most recent United Nations Climate Conference.
Three years since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, less than a third Africans received a single dose of the vaccine. Economic growth in Africa gently” in 2022, due to the global recession, inflation, and an ongoing series of shocks.
The World Bank is warning of a “severe, protracted recession” by 2023 that would “hit developing countries heavily”. One over five Africa’s population faces chronic hunger—twice the world average—and the climate crisis has only deepened these dire statistics.
For perspective: Affected by climate and conflict, half of Somalia’s population facing severe food insecurity. Walking for weeks to refugee camps in search of food, many Somalis are forced to bury their starving loved ones in shallow graves.
In the face of such challenges, the issuance of $650 billion SDR by the International Monetary Fund in 2021 has provided a lifeline for millions of Africans. SDRs are reserve assets that can be issued in times of crisis at no cost to the United States or any other country. Developing countries can then use these SDRs to pay down debt, stabilize currencies, or finance critical purchases like vaccines and food supplies.
As of the 2021 release, more than 100 low- and middle-income countries have used their SDR to often provide life-saving care for their citizens. African countries used the SDR more than any other region, with 47 out of 54 African countries using part or all of their allocation.
While last year’s SDR release had an impact, it wasn’t enough. That’s why African leaders like African Union President Macky Sall and finance minister across the continent are calling for the release of new SDRs of at least the same size.
The UN Global Crisis Response Team on Food, Energy and Finance; dozens US legislators; the International marketing department; and almost 150 civil society organizations around the world also support this proposal.
In addition, African countries must be compensated for damages caused by the climate crisis for which they are not responsible. Despite contributing the least of any continent to greenhouse gas emissions, Africa still most vulnerable to climate change.
Nineteen million Africans have affected Due to extreme weather events in 2022 alone, tornadoes and droughts have devastated infrastructure, agriculture and the economy in the country.
In the words of All Africa Climate Justice Coalition“You can’t burn someone’s house down and sell them a fire extinguisher, or worse yet, lend them money to rebuild”. The Loss and Damage Fund will provide climate compensation through financial assistance to countries most vulnerable to climate shocks.
However, the impact of the Foundation will only be as strong as the world’s commitment. While countries like Germany and Belgium have done symbolic commitment for the fund, current donations do not address the extent of the crisis. Increased US financial support will pave the way for additional support from other high-income countries.
Opponents may balk at the cost of these proposals, or argue that they are not in the national interest of the United States. However, a new issuance of SDRs, while costing nothing to U.S. taxpayers, would promote global economic stability—and thus political stability—while demonstrating the ability to America’s response to Africa’s needs.
After passing Highest Pentagon budget everThe Biden administration should recall its own analysis that climate change exacerbate global security challenges.
Instead of paying huge sums for weapons of war, often in the name of expose the counter-terrorism strategyThe United States should invest in measures that address the root causes of violent conflict in places like Somali and Sahel.
During the US-Africa Leaders Summit last month, 60 organizations, including Partners In Health, Africans Rising and Friends of the Earth US, call President Biden supports these two urgent proposals. At the time, he failed to do so.
When Secretary Yellen travels to our continent, the administration has another opportunity to move beyond rhetoric and towards action to improve the lives of 1.2 billion people in Africa.
Supporting the issuance of new SDRs and contributing funding to the Loss and Damage Fund will go a long way toward healing the current economic wounds of colonialism, addressing the climate crisis, and creating opportunity for Africans to chart their own direction in the 21st century and to exclude.
Pauline Muchina from the Rift Valley in Kenya, where her family still lives. She is the Policy, Education, and Advocacy Coordinator for Africa for the American Friends Service Committee in Washington, DC and Chair of the Africa Advocacy Network’s COVID-19 Working Group.
Emirate Forestof Liberian descent, is the CEO of the Green Leadership Trust and an ambassador for Africans Rising for Justice, Peace and Dignity, a network of African social movements on the continent and diaspora. abroad.
IPS UN Office
© Inter Press Service (2023) — All rights reservedOrigin: Inter Press Service
