Water for the Poor Act Congressional Report, June 2009

The Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act Congressional Report, June 2009 was released today by the U.S. Department of State. I'll have a quick review of the document shortly. In the interim, please see Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's superb introduction to the document:

I am pleased to present the 2009 Report to Congress on the implementation of the Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act. Perhaps no two issues are more important to human health, economic development, and peace and security than basic sanitation and access to sustainable supplies of water.

I have witnessed this first-hand. Without reliable supplies of clean water, people cannot live, farmers cannot grow crops, and the environment on which we all depend cannot survive. Without proper sanitation, human health and dignity suffer, and the environment and water supplies often become contaminated. Together, we must work to ensure that no child dies from a preventable water-related disease, that no girl fears going to school for lack of access to a separate toilet, that no woman walks six kilometers to collect water for her family, and that no war is ever fought over
water.

In his inaugural address on January 20, 2009, President Obama said “[T]o the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds.” I can think of no better way to honor the legacy of Senator Paul Simon, who did so much for so many, than to commit ourselves to achieving this vision and the ideals of the Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act.

Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State