When Senator Barbara Boxer of California announced she would chair the new Senate Foreign Relations Committee on International Operations, Human Rights, Democracy, and Global Women’s Issues back in February, ONE members jumped on the opportunity to meet with her San Francisco district staff.

This new subcommittee assignment offers a tremendous opportunity to shine the light of day on a very overlooked issue. Too often, we turn our eyes away as women are persecuted, abused and treated as second-class citizens. But even the most conservative historians have noted that when women are given the freedom to live up to their full potential, society as a whole flourishes. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the Congress and with Secretary Clinton to stamp out violence against women in the world.

– Senator Boxer, February 9, 2009

Sam, Trisha, Lori, Joel, Debra, and I continued this conversation with Senator Boxer’s Special Projects Director Hilary Bishop Pearson (3rd from the right in the photo). With a background in international affairs, Hilary was able to connect with our issues from experience which made our conversation very productive.

First, we expressed our thanks to Senator Boxer for supporting the Kerry-Lugar Amendment which restored the $4 billion increase in the foreign assistance piece of the budget. We then gave a brief account of ONE’s mission, work and growing networks across the state. Next, Lori seamlessly transitioned our discussion to the Millennium Development Goals highlighting the 8th goal – the importance of US leadership in developing Global Partnerships while prioritize development and accountability. While Joel spoke on the 1961 Foreign Assistance Bill reform, Sam emphasized the strong faith-based partnerships being built through ONE and the Interfaith Millennium Development Goals Coalition in San Francisco and Los Angeles – each supporting the MDGs and Foreign Assistance reform.

However, it was the area of Women and Children where made the strongest connection with Senator Boxer’s staff. Trisha and Debra were eloquent in their presentation of underdeveloped countries’ struggle with health, education and sanitation. They particularly stressed how these three issues disproportionately affect women and girls around the world. Senator Boxer’s staff seemed excited to open the line of communication with local ONE members and asked if we would continue to keep their office informed of the issues supported by over 250,000 ONE members in California. Absolutely!

ONE members in California have electrified the state with their events and congressional visits in San Francisco, Oakland, Sacramento, Fresno, San Diego, L.A. and many other districts in the state. This week we’d like to encourage everyone to request a meeting with your member of congress or get in touch with your closest Field Organizer to see how you can help make extreme poverty history.

-Roscoe Mapps, California Organizer

Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times reports that Senator Barbara Boxer of California will chair the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on International Operations and Organizations, Human Rights, Democracy, and Global Women’s Issues.

Kristof speculates that “issues like trafficking and maternal mortality and sexual violence finally seem to be getting some traction.” This is the first time a subcommittee has had the specific mandate of dealing with global women’s issues.

Excerpts from Senator Boxer’s official statement below, Kristof’s full piece here

Senator Boxer said, “I am very grateful to our new Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, Senator John Kerry, for allowing me to focus part of my efforts on the worldwide status of women.”

Boxer continued, “This new subcommittee assignment offers a tremendous opportunity to shine the light of day on a very overlooked issue. Too often, we turn our eyes away as women are persecuted, abused and treated as second-class citizens. But even the most conservative historians have noted that when women are given the freedom to live up to their full potential, society as a whole flourishes. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the Congress and with Secretary Clinton to stamp out violence against women in the world.”

Boxer also said she looks forward to conducting oversight of U.S. participation at the United Nations and working to promote human rights abroad.

-Chris Scott

Late last week, hundreds of ONE members called to urge Senators on the Foreign Relations Committee to ask questions about global poverty during Hillary Clinton’s Secretary of State confirmation hearing.

Some of those senators didn’t even get a chance, because Secretary-designate Clinton answered their questions before they could be asked. Her opening statement featured a long section on the two billion people worldwide living on less than $2 a day. She emphasized that the plight of the poor is “not marginal to our foreign policy but integral to accomplishing our goals.”

Opening remarks by Senator John Kerry (Massachusetts) also included a strong statement about the ongoing global hunger crisis. “The United States is uniquely situated to help the world feed itself and has the opportunities to recast its image by making the eradication of hunger a centerpiece of United States foreign policy,” he said.

In the subsequent question-and-answer period, ten out of fifteen of the Foreign Relations Committee Senators raised issues related to ONE issues, including these:

- Senator Bob Corker (Tennessee) asked about reforming and modernizing U.S. foreign aid, referring to the “maze of aid efforts that are underway” and the need for the State Department to examine and streamline these efforts.

- Senator Barbara Boxer (California) stated that “HIV, AIDS, tuberculosis — Africa, Asia, Latin America need our attention,” and went on to describe the persecution of women in the developing world.

Clinton responded with this assurance: “I want to pledge to you that as Secretary of State I view these issues as central to our foreign policy, not as adjunct or auxiliary or in any way lesser than all of the other issues that we have to confront.”

- Senator George Voinovich (Ohio) inquired about how “smart power” — (more…)