[Congressional Bills 104th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 966 Introduced in House (IH)]

  1st Session
                                H. R. 966

   To assist in implementing the Plan of Action adopted by the World 
                          Summit for Children.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 15, 1995

    Mr. Walsh (for himself, Mr. Hall of Ohio, Mr. Abercrombie, Mr. 
Beilenson, Mr. Boehlert, Mr. Brown of Ohio, Mrs. Clayton, Mr. Chrysler, 
  Mrs. Collins of Illinois, Mr. Crapo, Mr. Dellums, Mr. Deutsch, Mr. 
Dicks, Mr. Doggett, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Frank of Massachusetts, Mr. Frost, 
     Ms. Furse, Mr. Hinchey, Mr. Jacobs, Mr. Lewis of Georgia, Mr. 
McDermott, Ms. McKinney, Mrs. Meek of Florida, Mrs. Mink of Hawaii, Mr. 
 Moran, Mrs. Morella, Mr. Oberstar, Mr. Payne of New Jersey, Mr. Payne 
 of Virginia, Ms. Pelosi, Mr. Reed, Mr. Reynolds, Mr. Richardson, Ms. 
   Rivers, Ms. Roybal-Allard, Mr. Rush, Mr. Saxton, Mr. Schiff, Mr. 
  Serrano, Ms. Slaughter, Mr. Torricelli, Mr. Ward, Mr. Watt of North 
Carolina, Mr. Waxman, Ms. Woolsey, Mr. Young of Alaska, and Mr. Filner) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                        International Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To assist in implementing the Plan of Action adopted by the World 
                          Summit for Children.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``James P. Grant World Summit for 
Children Implementation Act of 1995''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.

    (a) Findings.--The Congress finds the following:
            (1) The World Summit for Children held in 1990, the largest 
        gathering of heads of state and heads of government up until 
        that time, united the world in a commitment to protect the 
        lives of children, diminish their suffering, and enhance their 
        futures.
            (2) This commitment is reflected in specific goals set 
        forth in the Declaration and Plan of Action of the 1990 World 
        Summit for Children that require international cooperation and 
        the commitment of all nations, goals which were endorsed in the 
        World Declaration on Nutrition adopted at the 1992 
        International Conference on Nutrition and endorsed at the 1994 
        Summit of the Americas.
            (3) The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) estimates 
        that these goals could be implemented by the year 2000 with a 
        global commitment of just $30,000,000,000 to $40,000,000,000 
        annually, to be achieved through reallocation of resources to 
        increase the proportion of resources going to meet basic human 
        needs, with two-thirds of those resources coming from the 
        developing nations themselves and one-third from the 
        industrialized nations.
            (4) In 1994 UNICEF estimated that only 10 percent of 
        developing country budgets and less than 12 percent of 
        bilateral United States development assistance was devoted to 
        meeting basic human needs, as defined by the United Nations 
        Development Program in their 1994 Human Development Report.
            (5) If that proportion were doubled to just 20 percent, 
        through reallocation of current resources and without requiring 
        additional resources, this would provide the resources UNICEF 
        estimates is required annually to achieve by the year 2000 the 
        goals of the World Summit for Children.
            (6) The United States share of these resources can be 
        realized through a reallocation of bilateral United States 
        development assistance by increasing the percentage of such 
        development assistance to at least 20 percent of the United 
        States foreign assistance budget without an overall increase in 
        such foreign assistance budget.
            (7) The United States Government participated in the World 
        Summit for Children and signed the Declaration and Plan of 
        Action adopted at that Summit.
            (8) Participants in the Summit committed themselves and 
        their governments--
                    (A) to prepare, before the end of 1991, national 
                programs of action to help implement the goals and 
                objectives of the Summit; and
                    (B) to take steps to ensure that child survival, 
                protection, and development programs will have a 
                priority in the allocation of resources.
            (9) The United States Government should implement a plan of 
        action to fulfill its commitment to children, both at home and 
        abroad.
    (b) Purposes.--The purposes of this Act are--
            (1) to help define a plan of action to fulfill the 
        commitment of the United States Government to children; and
            (2) to provide the necessary authorities to implement that 
        plan of action.

SEC. 3. INTERNATIONAL INFANT AND CHILD MORTALITY.

    (a) Findings.--The Congress finds the following:
            (1) During the period 1984 to 1994 the international 
        campaign to save the lives of children has resulted in dramatic 
        increases in the adoption of low-cost measures to save 
        children's lives, such as immunizations and oral rehydration 
        therapy.
            (2) In September 1991, the United Nations Children's Fund 
        (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization were able to report 
        that the goal of 80 percent universal childhood immunization 
        had been achieved, saving over 12,000,000 young lives during 
        the 1980's, and continuing to save over 3,000,000 children's 
        lives each year.
            (3) The Plan of Action adopted by the World Summit for 
        Children calls for the reduction of under-5 mortality rates by 
        at least one-third by the year 2000, and halving moderate and 
        severe malnutrition among children under 5.
            (4) Such progress is possible by consolidating gains 
        already made, and by pursuing new goals and effective programs 
        in such areas as measles, neonatal tetanus, poliomyelitis, and 
        acute respiratory infections.
            (5) Both UNICEF and the United States Agency for 
        International Development have provided strong leadership as 
        well as financial and technical support for these goals.
    (b) Contributions to UNICEF.--To carry out section 301 of the 
Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2221; relating to voluntary 
contributions to international organizations and programs), there are 
authorized to be appropriated $110,000,000 for fiscal year 1996 and 
$120,000,000 for fiscal year 1997 for contributions to the United 
Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) for activities to promote child health 
and other assistance programs on behalf of children.
    (c) Child Survival Activities.--Section 104(c)(2) of the Foreign 
Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151b(c)(2); relating to the Child 
Survival Fund) is amended--
            (1) in subparagraph (B), by striking ``$25,000,000 for 
        fiscal year 1986 and $75,000,000 for fiscal year 1987'' and 
        inserting ``$180,000,000 for fiscal year 1996 and $210,000,000 
        for fiscal year 1997''; and
            (2) by inserting after subparagraph (C) the following new 
        subparagraphs:
    ``(D)(i) Subject to clauses (ii) and (iii), of the aggregate of the 
amounts made available to carry out subparagraph (B) of this paragraph, 
sections 103(a) and section 106 of this chapter, chapter 10 of this 
part, and chapter 4 of part II and for the Multilateral Assistance 
Initiative for the Philippines, not less than $330,000,000 for fiscal 
year 1996 and not less than $380,000,000 for fiscal year 1997 shall be 
available only for activities described in subparagraph (A) which have 
a direct measurable impact on the reduction in the rates of child 
morbidity and mortality, with a particular emphasis on delivery of 
community-based primary health care and health education services which 
benefit the poorest of the poor.
    ``(ii) Of the amounts made available under clause (i) for 
activities described in subparagraph (A), not less than $30,000,000 for 
fiscal year 1996 and not less than $50,000,000 for fiscal year 1997 
shall be provided to private and voluntary organizations under the PVO 
Child Survival grants program carried out by the United States Agency 
for International Development.
    ``(iii) Amounts made available under section 103(h) of this chapter 
(relating to the Vitamin A Deficiency Program), part I of this Act for 
iodine and iron fortification programs and for iron supplementation 
programs for pregnant women, chapter 9 of this part (relating to 
international disaster assistance), section 104(c)(4) of this chapter 
(relating to international AIDS prevention and control), and any other 
provision of law for migration and refugee assistance, shall not be 
included in the aggregate amounts described in clause (i) for purposes 
of the requirements contained in such clause.
    ``(E) The President shall include in the annual budget submitted to 
the Congress a description of the measured or estimated impact on the 
rates of child morbidity and mortality of each project or program 
carried out under this paragraph.''.

SEC. 4. GLOBAL MALNUTRITION.

    (a) Findings.--The Congress finds the following:
            (1) Malnutrition, which is preventable at low cost, is an 
        underlying cause of death in the vast majority of childhood 
        diseases.
            (2) The Plan of Action adopted at the World Summit for 
        Children calls for halving severe and moderate malnutrition 
        among children under 5 years of age by the year 2000.
            (3) The Congress has already undertaken substantial action 
        to address this problem in the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, 
        and Trade Act of 1990, which established food security for the 
        poorest and the prevention of malnutrition as priorities in 
        food assistance programs administered by the United States 
        Agency for International Development under the Agriculture 
        Trade Development and Assistance Act of 1954.
            (4) Child survival activities are also key to reducing 
        child malnutrition and must be pursued in conjunction with 
        efforts to ensure food security.
            (5) Section 411 of the Agricultural Trade Development and 
        Assistance Act of 1954 (7 U.S.C. 1736e), as amended by the 
        Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990, 
        authorizes the forgiveness of Public Law 480 debt owed by least 
        developed countries that are pursuing national economic policy 
        reforms that would promote long-term economic development, but 
        the exercise of that authority requires further action by the 
        Congress in an appropriations Act.
            (6) Vitamin A deficiency remains a scourge of children in 
        developing countries, with an estimated 2,000,000 children 
        facing blindness in the 1990's and tens of millions more facing 
        increased risk of infection and death, if access to vitamin A 
        is not increased. Vitamin A intake has been associated with 
        significant reductions in infant mortality rates.
            (7) 1,000,000,000 people are at risk of iodine deficiency 
        disease, with the very young being most vulnerable. Iodine 
        deficiency is a major cause of mental retardation worldwide.
            (8) 2,000,000,000 people suffer from some degree of iron 
        deficiency anemia, particularly women of childbearing age and 
        young children.
            (9) It should be possible to eliminate the majority of 
        vitamin A deficiency and iodine deficiency disorders by the 
        year 2000 and to also reduce iron deficiency anemia among women 
        of childbearing age by one-third by the year 2000.
    (b) Public Law 480 Debt Authority.--It is the sense of the Congress 
that authority, in such amounts as may be required, should be granted 
to the President in an appropriations Act to exercise the debt 
authority with respect to least developed countries that is provided in 
section 411 of the Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act of 
1954.
    (c) Vitamin A Deficiency Program.--Section 103 of the Foreign 
Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151a; relating to development 
assistance for agriculture, rural development, and nutrition) is 
amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(h) Vitamin A Deficiency Program.--(1) The Congress finds that--
            ``(A) vitamin A deficiency is a major cause of childhood 
        mortality;
            ``(B) vitamin A intervention programs are inexpensive, 
        practical to administer, and cost-effective in terms of human 
        productivity; and
            ``(C) the United States Agency for International 
        Development is already implementing a Vitamin A Deficiency 
        Program.
    ``(2) Of the amounts made available to carry out this section, not 
less than $17,000,000 for fiscal year 1996 and not less than 
$23,000,000 for fiscal year 1997 shall be available only for Vitamin A 
supplementation and fortification through the Vitamin A Deficiency 
Program.''.
    (d) Other Micronutrient Deficiencies.--In addition to amounts 
otherwise available for such programs, there are authorized to be 
appropriated $13,000,000 for fiscal year 1996 and $17,000,000 for 
fiscal year 1997 for iodine and iron fortification programs, and for 
iron supplementation programs for pregnant women, under part I of the 
Foreign Assistance Act of 1961.

SEC. 5. MATERNAL AND CHILD MORTALITY RESULTING FROM AIDS.

    (a) Findings.--The Congress finds the following:
            (1) As of 1992, nearly 5,000,000 women of childbearing age 
        and over 1,000,000 children were infected with the human 
        immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the virus that causes the 
        acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). The vast majority 
        of these women and children live in developing countries.
            (2) The maternal and child mortality rate in many 
        developing countries will increase dramatically until HIV/AIDS 
        prevention and control efforts are successful, as will the 
        number of orphans with HIV/AIDS.
            (3) The most effective efforts to respond to HIV/AIDS are 
        based at the community level and involve nongovernmental 
        organizations as well as government agencies.
            (4) The United States Agency for International Development 
        should expand its assistance to developing countries for 
        community-based prevention, care, and control programs and 
        activities relating to HIV/AIDS, and should participate in 
        coordinated efforts with other donors.
            (5) Coordination of efforts of bilateral, multilateral, and 
        nongovernmental agencies and organizations is essential.
    (b) International AIDS Prevention and Control Fund.--Section 104(c) 
of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151b(c); relating to 
development assistance for health related activities) is amended by 
adding at the end the following new paragraph:
    ``(4)(A) In carrying out this subsection, the President shall 
promote, encourage, and undertake community-based prevention, care, and 
control programs and activities relating to the human immunodeficiency 
virus (HIV) and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) in 
developing countries, including research as to the effectiveness of 
such programs and activities.
    ``(B) There are authorized to be appropriated $125,000,000 for 
fiscal year 1996 and $145,000,000 for fiscal year 1997 for use in 
carrying out this paragraph, which shall be in addition to amounts made 
available under subsection (g) or otherwise available for such purpose. 
Amounts appropriated under this subparagraph are authorized to remain 
available until expended.
    ``(C) Appropriations pursuant to subparagraph (B) may be referred 
to as the `International AIDS Prevention and Control Fund'.''.

SEC. 6. INTERNATIONAL BASIC EDUCATION.

    (a) Findings.--The Congress finds the following:
            (1) Primary education, early childhood development 
        activities, and programs to achieve literacy, are essential for 
        increasing the productive capacity of people and their ability 
        to earn income.
            (2) More than 100,000,000 children, the majority of them 
        girls, are not enrolled in primary school.
            (3) The Plan of Action adopted by the World Summit for 
        Children calls for basic education for all children and for 
        completion of primary education by at least 80 percent of all 
        children.
            (4) United States assistance for basic education in 
        developing countries has accounted for less than 2 percent of 
        all United States foreign assistance in recent years.
    (b) International Basic Education.--Section 105 of the Foreign 
Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151c; relating to development 
assistance for education and human resource development) is amended by 
adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(c) Basic Education.--(1) Of the aggregate of the amounts made 
available to carry out this section, chapter 10 of this part, and 
chapter 4 of part II and for the Multilateral Assistance Initiative for 
the Philippines, not less than $165,000,000 for fiscal year 1996 and 
not less than $200,000,000 for fiscal year 1997 shall be available only 
for programs in support of basic education, including early childhood 
education, primary education, teacher training, and other necessary 
activities in support of early childhood and primary education, and 
literacy training for adults.
    ``(2) The President shall include in the annual budget submitted to 
the Congress a description of the measured or estimated impact on 
primary school enrollment, literacy, and educational attainment of each 
project or program carried out under this subsection.''.

SEC. 7. INTERNATIONAL FAMILY PLANNING AND CHILD SPACING.

    (a) Findings.--The Congress finds the following:
            (1) Universal access to voluntary family planning could 
        save the lives of several million children each year and could 
        significantly improve the health of children throughout the 
        developing world by reducing prematurity and low birthweight 
        and allowing longer breastfeeding.
            (2) The risk of maternal death or illness in the developing 
        world is highest for women who bear children when they are 
        under the age of 18 or over the age of 35, for pregnancies 
        spaced less than 2 years apart, and for women who already have 
        4 or more children. Universal access to voluntary family 
        planning could prevent up to one-third of the 500,000 maternal 
        deaths annually.
            (3) The inability of couples to plan births decreases the 
        quality of women's lives and undermines their opportunities for 
        education, for earning income, for improving the care of 
        children, and for community activities and personal 
        development.
            (4) Rapid world population growth, combined with 
        unsustainable patterns of natural resource consumption, has 
        become an urgent economic, social, and environmental problem.
            (5) The Plan of Action adopted at the 1990 World Summit for 
        Children calls for voluntary family planning services and 
        education to be made available to all couples to empower them 
        to prevent unwanted pregnancies which are ``too many and too 
        close'' and to women who are ``too young or too old''.
            (6) Efforts to reduce child death rates and to lower 
        birthrates are mutually reinforcing because closely-spaced 
        pregnancies contribute in important ways to high child 
        mortality and parents need assurances that their children will 
        survive.
    (b) Authorizations of Appropriations.--In addition to any other 
amounts made available for such purposes, there are authorized to be 
appropriated to the President for United States population assistance 
programs and activities under part I of the Foreign Assistance Act of 
1961 not less than $525,000,000 for fiscal year 1996 and not less than 
$575,000,000 for fiscal year 1997.

SEC. 8. REFUGEES.

    (a) Findings.--The Congress finds the following:
            (1) The number of refugees worldwide has grown to 
        20,000,000 in 1995. In addition, there are estimated to be more 
        than 25,000,000 internally displaced persons. More than half of 
        these refugees and internally displaced persons are children.
            (2) The dramatic growth in the number of refugees and 
        displaced persons has resulted in serious reductions in legal 
        assistance and protection, health, nutrition, and basic 
        education services available to them.
            (3) Refugee children are particularly vulnerable in first 
        asylum camps from Africa to Southeast Asia where they languish 
        without the comfort of a parent or adult guardian.
    (b) Funding for Refugee Assistance Programs.--It is the sense of 
the Congress that--
            (1) not less than $750,000,000 for fiscal year 1996 and 
        $780,000,000 for fiscal year 1997 should be appropriated for 
        the ``Migration and Refugee Assistance'' account, of which not 
        less than $450,000,000 for fiscal year 1996 and $480,000,000 
        for fiscal year 1997 should be available only for programs of 
        refugee assistance overseas (in addition to the amounts 
        available for programs for refugees from the former Soviet 
        Union, Eastern Europe, and elsewhere who resettle in Israel); 
        and
            (2) not less than $100,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 
        1996 and 1997 should be appropriated for the ``United States 
        Emergency Refugee and Migration Assistance Fund'' account.

SEC. 9. EFFORTS BY OTHER COUNTRIES.

    The President shall call upon the governments of other countries to 
provide their share of the resources required to achieve the World 
Summit for Children goals by the year 2000, specifically through giving 
highest priority to increasing the proportion of public expenditures 
and foreign assistance devoted to priority human needs areas outlined 
in the Declaration and Plan of Action of the World Summit for Children.

SEC. 10. ANNUAL REPORT.

    (a) Requirement for Report.--In order that the Congress and the 
people of the United States may be fully informed of efforts undertaken 
by the United States Government to fulfill agreements signed by the 
United States at the World Summit for Children, the President shall 
report annually to the Congress on United States contributions to the 
achievement of the goals of the World Summit for Children. Each such 
report should include--
            (1) a discussion of efforts by the United States to achieve 
        those goals both within the United States and in other 
        countries; and
            (2) a comparative analysis of current and past funding 
        levels and planned funding levels for the next 2 fiscal years.
    (b) Submission Date.--The reports required by this section shall be 
submitted to the Congress no later than February 1 of each year.
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HR 966 IH----2