Testifying before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee today, Bill Gates, co-founder of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and former U.S. president Bill Clinton, chairman of the Clinton Global Initiative, spoke in favor of legislation that would increase support for global health and proposed more cost-effective ways to tackle HIV/AIDS and poverty worldwide.
In his testimony, Gates highlighted President Obama's FY2011 International Affairs Budget request, saying that the budget would help "fulfill the President’s historic G-20 commitments on global food security and provide resources to America’s first Global Hunger and Food Security Initiative." Gates also noted that his foundation has devoted nearly $1.5 billion to increasing global food security, and that the Foundation was "thrilled with the President’s proposals in this area." Gates further commended the leadership demonstrated by Ranking Member Richard Lugar, Senator Robert Casey, and others on the issue of global food security.
In his opening statement at the hearing, Ranking Member Richard Lugar said that as "efforts on global health move forward, it is vital that they be accompanied by effective assistance to improve agricultural productivity and food security." Senator Lugar cited the long-established connection between under-nourishment and health," while noting the "strong convergence" between the Administration's Global Hunger and Food Security Initiative and the Lugar-Casey Global Food Security Act. Lugar concluded his statement by saying: "I believe we have an opportunity in the coming months to achieve something close to a consensus and pass a global food bill that would have major benefits for international health and stability, as well as for U.S. foreign policy."
As of the writing of this post, President Clinton's testimony had yet to be uploaded, but we will post as soon as it is made available.
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