Posts

, , , ,

Spotlight: New Jersey Senator Cory Booker

Senator Cory Booker
With people looking ahead to the 2020 presidential election, New Jersey Senator Cory Booker is in the spotlight for many Americans. Advocacy for foreign aid and establishing good relations with other countries have been prioritized in his campaign and throughout his congressional leadership. This advocacy is reflected in his speech, campaigning and most importantly, his sponsorship and co-sponsorship of several bills.

AGOA & MCA Modernization Act

The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and the Millennium Challenge Act (MCA) have already gone into effect and have been successful in sub-Saharan African countries. Senator Booker supports updating these acts, which will enhance the successes the U.S. is seeing from the original laws. Modernizing these programs will benefit the U.S. by increasing transportation, communication and energy networks, and will open the U.S. market to these sub-Saharan African countries.

READ Act

As a Rhodes Scholar recipient, it is not surprising that Senator Booker cares deeply about education. Booker co-sponsored the Reinforcing Education Accountability in Development Act (READ Act) to support the right to basic education in developing nations. The READ Act partners with impoverished nations to develop a quality curriculum, stabilize the education system and help children become successful in literacy and numeracy. Achieving these goals will increase the number of skilled workers in the future, which will benefit the nation’s development.

Burma Human Rights and Freedom Act of 2018

Another example of Senator Booker’s interest in humanitarian and foreign aid is his co-signing of the Burma Human Rights and Freedom Act of 2018. This bill calls for U.S. action and aid regarding the thousands of displaced Rohingya people of Burma. Booker agrees that the U.S. should invest $104 million of foreign aid in Burma to help the victims of the Burmese civil war, restore the nation’s economy and establish democracy in the nation. It will also call for those responsible for crimes against humanity to be held accountable.

Syrian War Crimes Accountability Act of 2017

Senator Booker and several other senators, both Republican and Democrat, co-signed the Syrian War Crimes Accountability Act of 2017. This bill would hold Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad accountable for his war crimes and brutalities against Syrian people over the last seven years. As stated on his official website, Booker sees the issue of violent extremism, whether foreign or domestic, as a priority issue for Congress.

Combating Global Corruption Act of 2017

The Combating Global Corruption Act of 2017 aims to decrease corruption in designated countries. Many countries, especially those in sub-Saharan Africa, struggle with government corruption and very little is being done about it. Senator Booker has already expressed his concern for the ongoing political crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, so it comes as no surprise that he co-signed this bill to alleviate global corruption.

As a member of the Committee on Foreign Relations, Senator Booker supports several foreign policy and aid bills that The Borgen Project advocates for. His hard work, advocacy and relentless fight for humanitarian aid and foreign relations for the U.S. make Senator Cory Booker one of the most popular junior senators America has seen.

– Courtney Hambrecht

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

, , , ,

More US Involvement with the Global Partnership for Education

Cory BookerIn October, a resolution regarding the United States’ role in the Global Partnership for Education was introduced to the Senate and the Committee on Foreign Relations.

The resolution was introduced by Senator Cory Booker, a Democrat from New Jersey. The implications of the resolution are deeply tied to the future development of educational opportunities for children all over the world.

The Global Partnership for Education (GPE) is the only global fund currently in existence that is solely dedicated to education in developing countries. It was established in 2002 for this purpose and aims to strengthen education systems with the goal of creating dramatic increases in the number of children actively attending schools and learning.

The GPE primarily works to achieve this goal by utilizing donors, international organizations, civil society, teacher organizations, the private section and private foundations. They are currently in the middle of the GPE 2020, a strategic five-year plan that began in 2015.

Senator Booker introduced a resolution to the Senate with various goals in mind, as well as the current obstacles and struggles facing underdeveloped nations where children lack adequate schooling or any form of education whatsoever.

As stated in the bill, the World Health Organization reported in 2011 that an estimated 90 percent of children with disabilities in the developing world do not attend school. Additionally, in 2016, the Global Education Monitoring Report found that an estimated 260 million children worldwide are not in school. Girls are statistically more likely to not be attending school than their male counterparts.

As also mentioned in the bill, the issue of lack of education is linked closely with the emerging threat of violence worldwide. In 1999, the World Bank released a significant study indicating that “every year of school decreases the change of male youth engaging in violent conflict by 20 percent.” Statistics such as these illustrate the far-reaching effects such a bill can have, and why education must be a top priority worldwide.

– Melanie Snyder

Photo: Flickr