McCollum Leads Call to Bush and Blair to Strengthen African Development Initiative

McCollum Leads Call to Bush and Blair to Strengthen African Development Initiative
Tuesday, June 07, 2005

Edinburgh, Scotland - Congresswoman Betty McCollum (D-MN) is leading a group of 38 parliamentarians from G8, European and African countries in calling for President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair to take the lead in strengthening the commitment to meeting the development needs of people living in Africa. The parliamentarians' letter was written during a meeting in Edinburgh, Scotland in advance of the G8 Summit. Proposals at the two-day G8 Parliamentarians' Conference will be submitted to the G8 summit at Gleneagles, Scotland in July.

"The future of the African continent is at stake," said McCollum. "The wealthy nations of the world, especially the United States and United Kingdom, have the ability and moral obligation to take the lead in making African development a priority. Our nations also share a vital strategic and security interest in the stability of the nations of Africa."

Congresswoman Betty McCollum is the only member of the U.S. Congress who serves on the Parliamentary Network on the World Bank (PNoWB), where she is the Co-Chair of the HIV/AIDS Task Force. McCollum also serves on the Africa subcommittee of the U.S. House Committee on International Relations.

http://mccollum.house.gov/index.asp?Type=B_PR&SEC={F48C5ABB-F54E-4941-A054-09B0424987DC}&DE={3CF9EF30-F7C7-474B-869D-5FF3E0F6ACF2}