Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 118.djvu/4087

 118 STAT. 4057 CONCURRENT RESOLUTIONS—JULY 15, 2004 Whereas the Republic of the Marshall Islands has remained one of the staunchest allies of the United States during the cold war and the war on terrorism, and the voting record of the Republic of the Marshall Islands as a member state in the United Nations General Assembly is unparalleled by any other country, further demonstrating the shared commitment of the two nations to promote democracy and global peace: Now, therefore, be it Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), That Congress— (1) recognizes the 25th anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution of the Republic of the Marshall Islands; and (2) recognizes the Republic of the Marshall Islands as a staunch ally of the United States, committed to principles of democracy and freedom for the Pacific region and throughout the world. Agreed to July 12, 2004. MCGOVERN-DOLE INTERNATIONAL FOOD FOR EDUCATION AND CHILD NUTRITION PROGRAM— SUPPORT Whereas there are more than 300,000,000 chronically hungry and malnourished children in the world; Whereas more than half of these children go to school on an empty stomach, and almost as many do not attend school at all, but might if food were available; Whereas the distribution of food in schools is one of the simplest and most effective strategies to fight hunger and malnourishment among children; Whereas when school meals are offered to hungry or malnourished children, attendance rates increase significantly, particularly for girls; Whereas the distribution of food in schools encourages better school attendance, thereby improving literacy rates and fighting poverty; Whereas improvement in the education of girls is one of the most important factors in reducing child malnutrition in developing countries; Whereas girls who attend schools tend to marry later in life and have fewer children, thereby helping them escape a life of poverty; Whereas by improving literacy rates and increasing job opportuni- ties, education addresses several of the root causes of terrorism; Whereas the distribution of food in schools increases attendance of children who might otherwise be susceptible to recruitment by groups that offer them food in return for their attendance at extremist schools or participation in terrorist training camps; Whereas the Global Food for Education Initiative pilot program, established in 2001, donated surplus United States agricultural commodities to the United Nations World Food Program and other recipients for distribution to nearly 7,000,000 hungry and malnourished children in 38 countries; Whereas a recent Department of Agriculture evaluation found that the pilot program created measurable improvements in school attendance (particularly for girls), increased local employment July 15, 2004 [S. Con. Res. 114] VerDate 11-MAY-2000 15:04 Nov 10, 2005 Jkt 029194 PO 00000 Frm 00023 Fmt 9796 Sfmt 6581 C:\STATUTES\2004\29194PT4.003 APPS10 PsN: 29194PT4

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