COMMITTEE ON INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS CLEMENT J. ZABLOCKI, Wisconsin, Chairman L. H. FOUNTAIN, North Carolina HELEN S. MEYNER, New Jersey DON BONKER, Washington GERRY E. STUDDS, Massachusetts DONALD J. PEASE, Ohio ANTHONY C. BEILENSON, California JOHN J. CAVANAUGH, Nebraska WILLIAM S. BROOMFIELD, Michigan BENJAMIN A. GILMAN, New York ROBERT J. LAGOMARSINO, California JOHN J. BRADY, Jr., Chief of Staff CHARLES PAOLILLO, Staff Consultant (II) FOREWORD HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, COMMITTEE ON INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS, Washington, D.C., January 31, 1977. In the Foreign Assistance Act of 1973, Public Law 93-189 (S. 1443), this committee and the Congress undertook a major redirection of the U.S. bilateral development assistance program. The main purpose of that redirection was to make the program more directly responsive to the most pervasive problems of poor people in the less developed countries. At the same time, the program was concentrated in a few key areas of prime concern to the poor-agriculture, rural development, and nutrition; population planning and health; and education. An additional theme of the 1973 aid legislation was increased coordination of all U.S. policies and programs affecting U.S. interests in the development of less developed countries. In the International Development and Food Assistance Act of 1975, Public Law 94-161 (H.R. 9005), these basic reforms were strengthened. In addition, the underlying concepts were introduced into our overseas food aid legislation, Public Law 480 (Food for Peace), and provisions were enacted to insure greater coordination between food aid and other U.S. development assistance programs. Both the 1973 and 1975 acts provided for an expanded role for private entities, such as cooperatives, voluntary organizations, and landgrant and other universities, in helping to carry out U.S. development aid programs. The 1973 and 1975 acts, as well as the Foreign Assistance Act of 1974, Public Law 93-559 (S. 3394), also contained provisions emphasizing aid to the poorest countries, particularly those in the Sahel region of Africa and those with low per capita income. The excerpts in this volume include the essential legislative framework of the reforms in the U.S. development assistance program undertaken since 1973 by the Agency for International Development (the "new directions" in development aid). This legislative framework, together with related provisions, form a body of new law in the field of development aid which is not available in compact form in any other document. These provisions are therefore reproduced in this volume for the convenience of the committee, other Members of Congress, and interested members of the public, the executive branch, and international bodies. CLEMENT J. ZABLOCKI, Chairman. (III) |