The White House, President George W. Bush Click to print this document

For Immediate Release
May 22, 2003

Fact Sheet: the Advance of Freedom and Hope

"America's national ambition is the spread of free markets, free trade, and free societies. These goals are not achieved at the expense of other nations, they are achieved for the benefit of all nations. America seeks to expand, not the borders of our country, but the realm of liberty. Our vision is opposed by terrorists and tyrants who attack a world they can never inspire. This vision is also threatened by the faceless enemies of human dignity: plague and starvation and hopeless poverty. And America is at war with these enemies, as well."

- President George W. Bush
May 21, 2003

Today's Presidential Action

Today, in his commencement address at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, President George W. Bush announced "Volunteers for Prosperity," a new volunteer-based initiative to support major U.S. development initiatives using the talents of highly skilled Americans to work with nongovernmental and voluntary service organizations in countries around the world. He also called on our partners in Europe, Japan, and Canada to follow the lead of the United States and increase their financial commitments to the fight against HIV/AIDS.

Volunteers for Prosperity

"These goals -- advancing against disease, hunger and poverty -- will bring greater security to our country. They are also the moral purpose of American influence. They set an agenda for our government, and they give idealistic citizens a great cause to serve."

- President George W. Bush
May 21, 2003

The President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief

In his remarks today, the President called upon our partners in Europe, Japan, and Canada to match their good intentions with real resources and join the U.S. in the global fight against AIDS.

President Bush hailed the passage of the five-year $15 billion Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief in both Houses of Congress. This initiative will help the most afflicted countries in Africa and the Caribbean: Botswana, Cote d'Ivoire, Ethipoia, Guyana, Haiti, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. The initiative will:

The $15 billion for this initiative -- $10 billion in new funds -- nearly triples the U.S. commitment to international AIDS assistance. Funding will begin with $2 billion in FY 2004, and ramp up thereafter. The $15 billion includes an additional $1 billion commitment to the Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, conditioned on the Fund showing results.

Famine and Agricultural Productivity

Water for the Poor Initiative

The President called for renewed efforts to bring safe drinking water to the world's poor. He reiterated the U.S. commitment made at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg in August 2002, of a nearly $1 billion 3-year water program that will provide at least 50 million poor people with clean water.

The Millennium Challenge Account

In his address today, President Bush called on Congress to pass legislation supporting the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) Initiative that links greater contributions by developed nations to greater responsibility and accountability by developing nations, in order to promote sound policies in the developing world. In sound policy environments, every dollar of aid attracts two dollars of private capital. In countries where poor public policy dominates, aid can harm the very citizens it is meant to help by crowding out private investment and perpetuating failed polices.

The President's MCA Initiative calls for a 50% increase in our core development assistance by 2006, beginning with a $1.3 billion increase in FY 2004 and rising to $5 billion annually by FY 2006, and each year thereafter, to help developing nations spur economic growth and poverty alleviation.

These funds will be managed by a separate government corporation and distributed to developing countries that demonstrate a strong commitment toward:

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