The Hill: Timing could not be worse to cut foreign assistance
Carolyn Miles, president & CEO of Save the Children

“The White House is proposing a massive cut to the international affairs budget again this year. The timing could not be worse. More than 350 million children — more than the entire population of the United States — live in conflict zones today, and conflict is more dangerous for children now than at any time in the last 20 years. … Save the Children worked with the Peace Research Institute Oslo to study the new trends in warfare that are putting more children on the front lines of conflict, conducting one of the most comprehensive overviews of existing data on armed conflict and children to date. The War on Children report draws on case studies of children and their families in conflict-affected countries, and interviews with 40 experts, including former senior military officials, strategists and historians, legal experts and humanitarians. … Now is the time for the U.S. to work with governments and partners to uphold and enforce the international laws and standards agreed to by the global community after World War II. … The U.S. and its partners must hold accountable those who violate these laws and norms. … When we invest in the next generation’s safety, health, and education, we stop the cycle of violence and support stability in conflict affected regions. As we’ve heard directly from humanitarians, diplomats, and military officials alike, foreign assistance is a smart investment for all of us” (2/15).