Political Quotes

“Last week I wrote U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan requesting he appoint a special envoy to respond to the hunger crisis throughout the world. U.N. special envoys have been appointed to respond to crises over the years, and what could be more compelling than millions of lives endangered? Hunger is devastating Africa, North Korea, Argentina, and has reached into all corners of the globe. One of the worst cases is the current situation in Africa. Africa is on the brink of a crisis of biblical proportions. Thirty million people, 30 million, are at risk of malnutrition and starvation in Africa alone. This is on top, Mr. Speaker, of the HIV/AIDS crisis that is consuming resources that would otherwise be devoted to famine relief. When I traveled to Ethiopia in January and Eritrea earlier this year, I saw firsthand the bloated bellies and the weak limbs of the children, and I was reminded of the devastation I saw when I was in Ethiopia with former Congressman Tony Hall in 1984 and 1985 during that famine. African countries in particular are suffering from donor fatigue and a lack of attention.”