Calling for renewed, decisive, and robust international collaboration and coordination to fight COVID-19 across Africa.

IV 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. RES. 245 Calling for renewed, decisive, and robust international collaboration and coordination to fight COVID–19 across Africa. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES MARCH 17, 2021 Ms. BASS (for herself, Ms. NORTON, Mr. BISHOP of Georgia, Mr. RUSH, Ms. JACKSON LEE, Mr. SHERMAN, Mr. BUTTERFIELD, Mr. SIRES, Mr. JOHN- SON of Georgia, Mr. HASTINGS, Ms. TITUS, Mr. CICILLINE, Mr. BERA, Mr. VARGAS, Mr. CASTRO of Texas, Mr. CONNOLLY, Mrs. LAWRENCE, Mr. EVANS, Mr. SUOZZI, Mr. MORELLE, Mr. BROWN, Mr. KHANNA, Ms. PRESSLEY, Ms. OMAR, Mr. MALINOWSKI, Mr. NEGUSE, and Ms. JACOBS of California) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs RESOLUTION Calling for renewed, decisive, and robust international col- laboration and coordination to fight COVID–19 across Africa. Whereas the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID–19 a pandemic on March 11, 2020, and by the end of that month, the virus had infected more than 500,000 people and killed nearly 30,000; Whereas the first COVID–19 case on the African continent was recorded on February 14, 2020, in Egypt, and as of May 2020, the WHO’s modeling predicted that if con- tainment measures failed, 29,000,000 to 44,000,000 Af- VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:41 Mar 18, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR245.IH HR245 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •HRES 245 IH ricans could be infected in the first year of the pandemic, with 83,000 to 190,000 deaths; Whereas, in early October 2020, a new COVID–19 variant was first detected in Nelson Mandela Bay, South Africa, and as of February 1, 2021, the South Africa variant had spread rapidly around the globe, including to the United States; Whereas COVID–19 is highlighting how interconnected our social, economic, and environmental challenges are, and the United States will not fully emerge from the pan- demic until COVID–19 has been contained worldwide, in- cluding in Africa; Whereas leaders across Africa acted swiftly in response to the early spread of COVID–19 cases, repurposing existing health protocols and tools from previous epidemic out- breaks to fight COVID–19; Whereas the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Preven- tion (Africa CDC) warned that shortages of health care professionals in African countries would devastate already fragile health care systems that are unable to meet the unprecedented demands of the COVID–19 pandemic; Whereas African countries have exhibited varying COVID–19 infection rates and responses, and different testing prac- tices and capabilities among the continent have likely contributed to significant underreporting of COVID–19 confirmed cases and fatalities; Whereas, as of February 2021, South Africa had reported more than 1,460,000 cases (roughly 40 percent of the total African continent’s reported COVID–19 cases) and more than 49,000 COVID–19 related deaths (roughly 48 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:41 Mar 18, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR245.IH HR245 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 •HRES 245 IH percent of the African continent’s reported COVID–19 deaths); Whereas across the African continent, COVID–19 has com- pounded existing education challenges, as schools have closed while limited access to electricity and technological gaps have hindered distance learning; Whereas responses to COVID–19 by some African govern- ments have raised concerns about democratic backsliding, with some countries postponing elections and violently cracking down on citizens accused of violating lockdown orders; Whereas according to the WHO, women and girls in Africa are likely to be the hardest hit by health, social, and eco- nomic consequences of COVID–19, and women and girls may face a ‘‘shadow pandemic’’ of domestic violence, forcing large numbers of girls into early marriage and re- sulting in increased sexual violence and higher rates of unplanned pregnancies; Whereas the WHO and the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund have warned of an alarming decline in the number of children receiving lifesaving vac- cines in Africa and elsewhere around the world, and so- cial distancing and lockdowns to control the spread of COVID–19 have disrupted vaccination campaigns, as well as prevention and treatment programs, including those to treat and prevent HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria; Whereas aid disruptions and rising food prices linked to the COVID–19 crisis are increasing the needs and vulnerabilities of refugees and internally displaced people across Africa, leading to even greater food insecurity for millions; VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:41 Mar 18, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR245.IH HR245 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 4 •HRES 245 IH Whereas the World Food Programme estimated that in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, food insecurity rose by 1,000,000 to 4,800,000 since the start of the COVID–19 pandemic, and ongoing conflicts, mass displacement, droughts, and locust infestations have further contributed to severe food insecurity in parts of Africa; Whereas Africa’s youth are playing a crucial role to help their communities by fighting misinformation and leading cam- paigns to fight COVID–19; for example, in Nigeria, a young man disseminated accurate information about the pandemic in more than 60 local languages, and in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, youth activ- ists went door-to-door distributing informational pam- phlets on how to stop the spread of COVID–19; Whereas many migrants and their families rely on remit- tances as a source of income, and the Brookings Institu- tion reports that remittance to Sub-Saharan Africa will decline by 5.8 percent to $41,000,000,000 in 2021 com- pared to $44,000,000,000 in 2020 and $48,000,000,000 in 2019; and Whereas there is a need for a renewed, strategic, and focused approach to United States policy toward Africa, and by focusing United States efforts, working respectfully with our allies, strategic partners, and other stakeholders, and mitigating future economic and security impacts stem- ming from COVID–19, the United States can protect Af- rica and the rest of the world’s health economic security: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 1 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:41 Mar 18, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR245.IH HR245 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 5 •HRES 245 IH (1) reaffirms that decreasing the spread of 1 COVID–19 in Africa is in the national interest of 2 the United States; 3 (2) commends the heroic work of Africa’s front- 4 line health workers to keep the continent and the 5 world safe; 6 (3) calls on the international community to en- 7 sure equitable global distribution of personal protec- 8 tive equipment to keep African health care workers 9 safe; 10 (4) urges the G–20 members, including the 11 United States Government, to— 12 (A) renew their global public investments 13 and efforts to develop and distribute thera- 14 peutics and vaccines to address COVID–19 and 15 prevent further deaths, and for other global 16 health purposes, including continued support 17 for the GAVI Alliance and the Global Fund, 18 multilateral funding institutions, civil society, 19 and new global collaboration initiatives, such as 20 the Access to COVID–19 Tools ACT-Accel- 21 erator and the COVAX facility; 22 (B) increase contributions to concessional 23 lending facilities managed by the International 24 Monetary Fund to support implementation of 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:41 Mar 18, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR245.IH HR245 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 6 •HRES 245 IH COVID–19 containment measures and provide 1 liquidity to African countries over the next 2 2 years; 3 (C) amend national remittance plans to cut 4 the cost of remittance fees to close to zero and 5 ensure remittance costs do not exceed the 3 6 percent called for in the United Nations Sus- 7 tainable Development Goals; and 8 (D) continue to support efforts, such as 9 the G–20’s Debt Service Standstill Initiative to 10 finance debt standstill for African countries, to 11 be followed by fair, transparent, and com- 12 prehensive debt restructuring to free up re- 13 sources to respond to the pandemic and its fall- 14 out; 15 (5) calls on the United States Government aid 16 recipients and donor countries to renew the global 17 fight against hunger, including by contributing to 18 the World Food Program appeal to raise 19 $6,800,000,000 by April 2021 to avert famine dur- 20 ing the COVID–19 crisis; 21 (6) encourages the United States, other donor 22 governments, the United Nations, nongovernmental 23 organizations, and other stakeholders to— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:41 Mar 18, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR245.IH HR245 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 7 •HRES 245 IH (A) maintain or increase support to Afri- 1 can governments’ responses to COVID–19, in- 2 cluding their country-specific actionable na- 3 tional deployment and vaccination plans, and to 4 support efforts by the Africa Centres for Dis- 5 ease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and 6 the African Union (AU); 7 (B) align humanitarian, peacebuilding, and 8 development efforts in Africa to respond more 9 effectively and efficiently as COVID–19 exacer- 10 bates conditions and drains precious resources; 11 and 12 (C) increase programming flexibilities, 13 meaningfully engage local organizations, and 14 adopt country-specific approaches to fight 15 COVID–19 by recognizing the unique needs 16 and challenges and enormous size and diversity 17 of the African continent; 18 (7) urges the United States Government to— 19 (A) partner with the AU to ensure that 20 United States Government assistance is aligned 21 with the goals of the AU’s and Africa CDC’s 22 Africa Task Force for Coronavirus to bolster 23 the continentwide COVID–19 recovery re- 24 sponse; and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:41 Mar 18, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR245.IH HR245 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 8 •HRES 245 IH (B) renew the commitment of the United 1 States Centers for Disease Control and Preven- 2 tion (CDC) and Africa CDC to work collabo- 3 ratively in order to tackle the continent’s health 4 system challenges and ensure that the Africa 5 CDC is well equipped to deliver science-based 6 and quality health care to the continent’s more 7 than 1,300,000,000 people; for example, the 8 CDC should continue to embed staff at Africa 9 CDC and continue supporting data analysis, 10 and trainings, among other scientific activities; 11 (8) urges the United States to prioritize global 12 education including a strong pledge at the Global 13 Partnership for Education replenishment conference; 14 (9) urges African governments to prioritize edu- 15 cation, including by strengthening electrification in- 16 frastructure, internet access, and technology to ad- 17 vance and facilitate learning amid the challenges 18 posed by COVID–19; 19 (10) calls on AU member states, as well as civil 20 society organizations, to— 21 (A) promote a comprehensive, people- and 22 rights-centered response to COVID–19 by using 23 the outbreak as an opportunity to reaffirm peo- 24 ple’s rights to equal treatment, dignity, access 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:41 Mar 18, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR245.IH HR245 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 9 •HRES 245 IH to information, health care, and other neces- 1 sities; and 2 (B) actively incorporate the United Na- 3 tions Office of the High Commissioner for 4 Human Rights and the AU’s joint guidance en- 5 titled ‘‘Seven Possible Actions—Women’s 6 Rights and COVID–19’’ into their COVID–19 7 response plans; and 8 (11) encourages African governments, as part 9 of COVID–19 response efforts, to implement inclu- 10 sive development planning and policymaking that in- 11 cludes open, participatory, and transparent budg- 12 eting processes to allow citizens to participate in and 13 monitor budget development and implementation, 14 and to implement procurement, contract, and bene- 15 ficial ownership transparency to ensure the account- 16 able and effective use of COVID–19 emergency 17 funds. 18 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:41 Mar 18, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\HR245.IH HR245 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS