Form letter from members of Congress to international ambassadors, May 8, 2007, regarding support for the Jewish National Fund-United States consultative status (2 pages)

May 08, 2007 Dear UN Ambassador : [Angola, Burundi, China, Colombia, Cuba, Dominica, Egypt, Guinea, India, Israel, Pakistan, Peru, Qatar, Romania, Russian Federation, Sudan, Turkey, United Kingdom, USA] We are writing to express our strong support for the application by the Jewish National Fund-United States (JNF-US) for consultative status at the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). Granting JNF-US consultative status will enable its experts to testify and actively participate in United Nations conferences on areas of its expertise including sustainable development, water and environmental issues, which are key components of the United Nations Millennium Developmental Goals of 2015. The worldwide family of JNF agencies were founded in 1901. The JNF-US was founded in 1926 to raise funds in the United States for the purposes of purchasing and developing agriculturally-unproductive land in Ottoman, later British Mandate Palestine. Since Israel became a state in 1948, JNF-US has dedicated its efforts in Israel to support six major areas: ecology and forestation, water, community development within the June 4, 1967 boundaries, research and development, tourism and recreation, and education. JNF-US is a registered 501 c(3) organization in the United States and it has received the highest ratings by Charity Navigator and the Better Business Bureau. JNF-US's work has made it a global environmental leader with an extraordinary record of planting 240 million trees and building 180 reservoirs, providing 15% of Israel's water needs. JNF-US's founding in 1991 of the International Arid Lands Consortium (IALC), enables it to provide outstanding encouragement and support to Israel's neighbors. JNF-US recognizes the role of cooperation and research on environmental issues as a key to peace. The members of the IALC include: the Jordanian Higher Council for Science and Technology, Egyptian Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, University of Arizona; Desert Research Institute-Nevada; University of Illinois; Jewish National Fund; New Mexico State University; South Dakota State University; and Texas A & M University-Kingsville. JNF-US representatives have participated in numerous United Nations conferences including UNESCO, UNEP and the annual DPI/NGO Conference. Again, we believe that granting the JNF-US consultative status at the United Nations will be extraordinarily beneficial to the entire family of nations. We strongly encourage you as a member of the United Nations Committee on NGO's of ECOSOC to vote in favor of granting JNF-US consultative status. John Lewis Member of Congress Frank Pallone, Jr. Member of Congress Anthony Weiner Member of Congress Mike Ferguson Member of Congress Steve Cohen Member of Congress Shelley Berkley . ^ Member of Congress Henry Waxman Member of Congress fohn Hall Member of Congress Ellen Tauscher Member of Congress RUSS Carnahan Member of Congress Earl Blumenauer Member of Congress Rush Holt Member of Congress 4