Imagini ale paginilor
PDF
ePub

(8) to mobilize and leverage the financial and technical capacity of businesses, governments, nongovernmental organizations, and civil society in the form of public-private alliances: (9) to encourage reforms and increase the capacity of foreign governments to formulate and implement policies that expand access to safe water and sanitation in an affordable, equitable, and sustainable manner, including integrated strategic planning; and

(10) to protect the supply and availability of safe water through sound environmental management, including preventing the destruction and degradation of ecosystems and watersheds.

SEC. 4. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

It is the sense of Congress that

(1) in order to make the most effective use of amounts of Official Development Assistance for water and sanitation and avoid waste and duplication, the United States should seek to establish innovative international coordination mechanisms based on best practices in other development sectors; and

(2) the United States should greatly increase the amount of Official Development Assistance made available to carry out section 135 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as added by section 5(a) of this Act.

SEC. 5. ASSISTANCE TO PROVIDE SAFE WATER AND SANITATION.

(a) IN GENERAL.-Chapter 1 of part I of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following new section: * * *2

(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.-Section 104(c) of the Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act of 1954 (7 U.S.Č. 1704(c)) is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph:

"(9) SAFE WATER AND SANITATION.-To provide assistance under section 135 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to promote good health, economic development, poverty reduction, women's empowerment, conflict prevention, and environmental sustainability by increasing affordable and equitable access to safe water and sanitation.".

SEC. 6. SAFE WATER AND SANITATION STRATEGY.

(a) STRATEGY.-The President, acting through the Secretary of State, shall develop a strategy to further the United States foreign assistance objective to provide affordable and equitable access to safe water and sanitation in developing countries, as described in section 135 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as added by section 5(a) of this Act.

(b) CONSULTATION.-The strategy required by subsection (a) shall be developed in consultation with the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, the heads of other appropriate Federal departments and agencies, international organizations, international financial institutions, recipient governments, United States and international nongovernmental organizations, indigenous civil society, and other appropriate entities.

2 Sec. 5(a) added a new sec. 135 to the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (at 22 U.S.C. 2152h:

(c) IMPLEMENTATION.-The Secretary of State, acting through the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, shall implement the strategy required by subsection (a). The strategy may also be implemented in part by other Federal departments and agencies, as appropriate.

(d) CONSISTENT WITH SAFE WATER AND SANITATION POLICY.— The strategy required by subsection (a) shall be consistent with the policy stated in section 3 of this Act.

(e) CONTENT.-The strategy required by subsection (a) shall include

(1) an assessment of the activities that have been carried out, or that are planned to be carried out, by all appropriate Federal departments and agencies to improve affordable and equitable access to safe water and sanitation in all countries that receive assistance from the United States;

(2) specific and measurable goals, benchmarks, and timetables to achieve the objective described in subsection (a);

(3) an assessment of the level of funding and other assistance for United States water and sanitation programs needed each year to achieve the goals, benchmarks, and timetables described in paragraph (2);

(4) methods to coordinate and integrate United States water and sanitation assistance programs with other United States development assistance programs to achieve the objective described in subsection (a);

(5) methods to better coordinate United States water and sanitation assistance programs with programs of other donor countries and entities to achieve the objective described in subsection (a); and

(6) an assessment of the commitment of governments of countries that receive assistance under section 135 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as added by section 5(a) of this Act, to policies or policy reforms that support affordable and equitable access by the people of such countries to safe water and sanitation.

(f) DESIGNATION OF HIGH PRIORITY COUNTRIES.-The strategy required by subsection (a) shall further include the designation of high priority countries for assistance under section 135 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as added by section 5(a) of this Act. This designation shall be made on the basis of

(1) countries in which the need for increased access to safe water and sanitation is greatest; and

(2) countries in which assistance under such section can be expected to make the greatest difference in promoting good health, economic development, poverty reduction, women's empowerment, conflict prevention, and environmental sustainability.

(g) REPORTS.—

(1) INITIAL REPORT.-Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report that describes the strategy required by subsection (a). (2) SUBSEQUENT REPORTS.

(A) IN GENERAL.-Not less than once every year after the submission of the initial report under paragraph (1) until 2015, the Secretary of State shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report on the status of the implementation of the strategy, progress made in achieving the objective described in subsection (a), and any changes to the strategy since the date of the submission of the last report.

(B) ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.-Such reports shall include information on the amount of funds expended in each country or program, disaggregated by purpose of assistance, including information on capital investments, and the source of such funds by account.

(3) DEFINITION.-In this subsection, the term "appropriate congressional committees" means

(A) the Committee on International Relations and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives; and

(B) the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate.

SEC. 7. MONITORING REQUIREMENT.

The Secretary of State and the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development shall monitor the implementation of assistance under section 135 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as added by section 5(a) of this Act, to ensure that the assistance is reaching its intended targets and meeting the intended purposes of assistance.

SEC. 8. SENSE OF CONGRESS REGARDING DEVELOPMENT OF LOCAL CAPACITY.

It is the sense of Congress that the Secretary of State should expand current programs and develop new programs, as necessary, to train local water and sanitation managers and other officials of countries that receive assistance under section 135 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as added by section 5(a) of this Act.

SEC. 9. SENSE OF CONGRESS REGARDING ADDITIONAL WATER AND SANITATION PROGRAMS.

It is the sense of the Congress that—

(1) the United States should further support, as appropriate, water and sanitation activities of United Nations agencies. such as the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP); and

(2) the Secretary of the Treasury should instruct each United States Executive Director at the multilateral development banks (within the meaning of section 1701(c) of the International Financial Institutions Act) to encourage the inclusion of water and sanitation programs as a critical element of their development assistance.

SEC. 10. REPORT REGARDING WATER FOR PEACE AND SECURITY.

(a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.-It is the sense of Congress that United States programs to support and encourage efforts around the world

to develop river basin, aquifer, and other watershed-wide mechanisms for governance and cooperation are critical components of long-term United States national security and should be expanded.

(b) REPORT.—The Secretary of State, in consultation with the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, shall submit to the Committee on International Relations of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate a report on efforts that the United States is making to support and promote programs that develop river basin, aquifer, and other watershed-wide mechanisms for governance and cooperation.

SEC. 11. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

(a) IN GENERAL.-There are authorized to be appropriated for fiscal year 2006 and each subsequent fiscal year such sums as may be necessary to carry out this Act and the amendments made by this Act.

(b) OTHER AMOUNTS.-Amounts appropriated pursuant to the authorization of appropriations in subsection (a) shall be in addition to the amounts otherwise available to carry out this Act and the amendments made by this Act.

(c) AVAILABILITY.-Amounts appropriated pursuant to the authorization of appropriations under subsection (a) are authorized to remain available until expended.

5. Ausscantes fir Cratus and Other Vulnerable Children in Cemerging Countries Act of 2005

of Panic Law 156 ER 1409, 119 Stat. 2111, approved Sptember 6, 2005

Astance Act of 1961 to provide assistance for or mira i teverging countries, and for other pur

Be a crazed to the Sauce and House of Representatives of the Te Stes me a Congress assembled,

[ocr errors]

This fuit may be coed as the "Assistance for Orphans and Other Tiberie See = Develing Countries Act of 2005”.

SEC. 4- FINNS

Congress makes the hooving findings:

In 2004 there were more than 143,000,000 chi free bring = sHere Ainca, Asia, Latin America, and the Canicean who were identified as orphans, having lost one I be of their parents. Of this number, approximately 2000 ren were identified as double orphans, having Jost boce pares-de nas majority of whom died of AIDS These free then are disadvantaged in numerous and devastating ways and most baseholds with orphans cannot meet the basic needs of health care, food, clothing, and educational

[ocr errors]

2 It is estimated that 121.000.000 children worldwide do not attend school and that the majority of such children are young girls. According to the United Nations Children's Fund UNICEF, orphans are less likely to be in school and more likely to be working full time.

3 School food programs, including take-home rations, in developing countries provide strong incentives for children to remain in school and continue their education. School food programs can reduce short-term hunger, improve cognitive functions, and enhance learning, behavior, and achievement.

(4) Financial barriers, such as school fees and other costs of education, prevent many orphans and other vulnerable children in developing countries from attending school. Providing children with free primary school education, while simultaneously ensuring that adequate resources exist for teacher training and infrastructure, would help more orphans and other vulnerable children obtain a quality education.

122 U.S.C. 2151 note. 222 U.S.C. 2152f note.

« ÎnapoiContinuă »