[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1590 Introduced in House (IH)]







108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1590

      To enhance United States leadership and the functioning of 
       international organizations and multilateral institutions.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 3, 2003

Mr. Lantos (for himself and Mr. Dreier) introduced the following bill; 
     which was referred to the Committee on International Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
      To enhance United States leadership and the functioning of 
       international organizations and multilateral institutions.

    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 ``United States International 
Leadership Act of 2003''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) International organizations and other multilateral 
        institutions play a key role in United States foreign policy 
        and serve key United States foreign policy objectives, such as 
        obligating all countries to freeze assets of terrorist groups, 
        preventing the proliferation of chemical, biological and 
        nuclear weapons, and spearheading the fight to combat the 
        ravages of HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases.
            (2) Decisions at many international organizations, 
        including membership and key positions, remain subject to 
        determinations made by regional groups where democratic states 
        are often in the minority and where there is intensive 
        cooperation among repressive regimes. As a result, the United 
        States has often been blocked in its attempts to take action in 
        these institutions to advance its goals and objectives, 
        including at the United Nations Human Rights Commission (where 
        a representative of Libya was elected as chairman and the 
        United States temporarily lost a seat).
            (3) In order to address these shortcomings, the United 
        States must actively work to improve the workings of 
        international organizations and multilateral institutions, 
        particularly by creating a caucus of democratic countries that 
        will advance United States interests. In the Second Ministerial 
        Conference of the Community of Democracies in Seoul, Korea, on 
        November 10-20, 2002, numerous countries recommended working 
        together as a democracy caucus in international organizations 
        such as the United Nations and ensuring that international and 
        regional institutions develop and apply democratic standards 
        for member states.
            (4) In addition, the United States has shortchanged its 
        ability to influence these organizations by failing to obtain 
        enough support for positions that are congruent to or 
        consistent with United States objectives and has not done 
        enough to build expertise in the United States Government in 
        the area of multilateral diplomacy.

SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF A DEMOCRACY CAUCUS.

    (a) In General.--The President of the United States, acting through 
the Secretary of State and the relevant United States chiefs of 
mission, shall seek to establish a democracy caucus at the United 
Nations, the United Nations Human Rights Commission, the United Nations 
Conference on Disarmament, and at other broad-based international 
organizations.
    (b) Purposes of the Caucus.--A democracy caucus at an international 
organization should--
            (1) forge common positions, including, as appropriate, at 
        the ministerial level, on matters of concern before the 
        organization and work within and across regional lines to 
        promote agreed positions;
            (2) work to revise an increasingly outmoded system of 
        regional voting and decision making; and
            (3) set up a rotational leadership scheme to provide member 
        states an opportunity, for a set period of time, to serve as 
        the designated president of the caucus, responsible for serving 
        as its voice in each organization.

SEC. 4. ANNUAL DIPLOMATIC MISSIONS ON MULTILATERAL ISSUES.

    The Secretary of State, acting through the principal officers 
responsible for advising the Secretary on international organizations, 
shall ensure that a high-level delegation from the United States 
Government, on an annual basis, is sent to consult with key foreign 
governments in every region in order to promote the United States 
agenda at key international fora, such as the United Nations General 
Assembly, United Nations Human Rights Commission, the United Nations 
Education, Science, and Cultural Organization, and the International 
Whaling Commission.

SEC. 5. LEADERSHIP AND MEMBERSHIP OF INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS.

    The President, acting through the Secretary of State and the 
relevant United States chiefs of mission, shall use the voice, vote, 
and influence of the United States to--
            (1) where appropriate, reform the criteria for leadership 
        and, in appropriate cases for membership, at all United Nations 
        bodies and at other international organizations and 
        multilateral institutions to which the United States is a 
        member so as to exclude nations that violate the principles of 
        the specific organization;
            (2) make it a policy of the United Nations and other 
        international organizations and multilateral institutions, in 
        which the United States is a member, that a member state may 
        not stand in nomination or be in rotation for a leadership 
        position in such bodies if such member state is subject to 
        sanctions imposed by the United Nations Security Council; and
            (3) work to ensure that no member state stand in nomination 
        or be in rotation for a leadership position in such 
        organizations if such member state is subject to a 
        determination under section 620A of the Foreign Assistance Act 
        of 1961, section 40 of the Arms Export Control Act, or section 
        6(j) of the Export Administration Act.

SEC. 6. INCREASED TRAINING IN MULTILATERAL DIPLOMACY.

    (a) Training Programs.--Section 708 of the Foreign Service Act (22 
U.S.C. 4028) is amended by adding after subsection (b) the following 
new subsection:
    ``(c) Training in Multilateral Diplomacy.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall establish a series 
        of training courses for officers of the Service, including 
        appropriate chiefs of mission, on the conduct of diplomacy at 
        international organizations and other multilateral institutions 
        and at broad-based multilateral negotiations of international 
        instruments.
            ``(2) Particular programs.--The Secretary shall ensure that 
        the training described in paragraph (1) is provided at various 
        stages of the career of members of the Service. In particular, 
        the Secretary shall ensure that after January 1, 2004--
                    ``(A) officers of the Service receive training on 
                the conduct of diplomacy at international organizations 
                and other multilateral institutions and at broad-based 
                multilateral negotiations of international instruments 
                as part of their training upon entry of the service; 
                and
                    ``(B) officers of the Service, including chiefs of 
                mission, who are assigned to United States missions 
                representing the United States to international 
                organizations and other multilateral institutions or 
                who are assigned in Washington, D.C. to positions that 
                have as their primary responsibility formulation of 
                policy towards such organizations and institutions or 
                towards participation in broad-based multilateral 
                negotiations of international instruments receive 
                specialized training in the areas described in 
                paragraph (1) prior to beginning of service for such 
                assignment or, if receiving such training at that time 
                is not practical, within the first year of beginning 
                such assignment.''.
    (b) Training for Civil Service Employees.--The Secretary shall 
ensure that employees of the Department of State that are members of 
the civil service and that are assigned to positions described in 
section 708(c) of the Foreign Service Act (as amended by this Act) have 
training described in such section.
    (c) Conforming Amendments.--Section 708 of such Act is further 
amended--
            (1) in subsection (a) by striking ``(a) The'' and inserting 
        ``(a) Training on Human Rights.--The''; and
            (2) in subsection (b) by striking ``(b) The'' and inserting 
        ``(b) Training on Refugee Law and Religious Persecution.--
        The''.

SEC. 7. PROMOTING ASSIGNMENTS TO INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS.

    (a) Promotions.--
            (1) In general.--Section 603(b) of the Foreign Service Act 
        of 1980 (22 U.S.C. 4003) is amended by striking the period at 
        the end and inserting the following: ``, and shall consider 
        whether the member of the Service has served in a position 
        whose primary responsibility is to formulate policy towards or 
        represent the United States at an international organization, a 
        multilateral institution, or a broad-based multilateral 
        negotiation of an international instrument.''.
            (2) Effective date.--The amendment made by paragraph (1) 
        shall take effect January 1, 2010.
    (b) Establishment of a Multilateral Diplomacy Cone in The Foreign 
Service.--
            (1) Findings.--
                    (A) The Department of State maintains a number of 
                United States missions both within the United States 
                and abroad that are dedicated to representing the 
                United States to international organizations and 
                multilateral institutions, including missions in New 
                York, Brussels, Geneva, Rome, Montreal, Nairobi, 
                Vienna, and Paris, which will soon be responsible for 
                United States representation to UNESCO and OECD.
                    (B) In offices at the Harry S. Truman Building, the 
                Department maintains a significant number of positions 
                in bureaus that are either dedicated, or whose primary 
                responsibility is, to represent the United States to 
                such organizations and institutions or at multilateral 
                negotiations.
                    (C) Given the large number of positions in the 
                United States and abroad that are dedicated to 
                multilateral diplomacy, the Department of State may be 
                well served in developing persons with specialized 
                skills necessary to become experts in this unique form 
                of diplomacy.
            (2) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the 
        enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the 
appropriate congressional committees a report--
                    (A) evaluating whether a new cone should be 
                established for the Foreign Service that concentrates 
                on members of the Service that serve at international 
                organizations and multilateral institutions or are 
                primarily responsible for participation in broad-based 
                multilateral negotiations of international instruments; 
                and
                    (B) provides alternative mechanisms for achieving 
                the objective of developing a core group of United 
                States diplomats and other government employees who 
                have expertise and broad experience in conducting 
                multilateral diplomacy.

SEC. 8. IMPLEMENTATION AND ESTABLISHMENT OF OFFICE ON MULTILATERAL 
              NEGOTIATIONS.

    (a) Establishment of Office.--The Secretary of State is authorized 
to establish, within the Bureau of International Organizational 
Affairs, an Office on Multilateral Negotiations to be headed by a 
Special Representative for Multilateral Negotiations (in this section 
referred to as the ``special representative'').
    (b) Appointment.--The special representative shall be appointed by 
the President with the advice and consent of the Senate and shall have 
the rank of Ambassador-at-Large. At the discretion of the President 
another official at the Department may serve as the special 
representative. The President may direct that the special 
representative report to the Assistant Secretary for International 
Organizations.
    (c) Staffing.--The special representative shall have a staff of 
foreign service and civil service officers skilled in multilateral 
diplomacy.
    (d) Duties.--The special representative shall have the following 
responsibilities:
            (1) In general.--The primary responsibility of the special 
        representative shall be to assist in the organization of, and 
        preparation for, United States participation in multilateral 
        negotiations, including the advocacy efforts undertaken by the 
        Department of State and other United States agencies.
            (2) Advisory Role.--The special representative shall advise 
        the President and the Secretary of State, as appropriate, 
        regarding advocacy at international organizations and 
        multilateral institutions and negotiations and, in coordination 
        with the Assistant Secretary of State for International 
        Organizational Affairs, shall make recommendations regarding--
                    (A) effective strategies (and tactics) to achieve 
                United States policy objectives at multilateral 
                negotiations;
                    (B) the need for and timing of high level 
                intervention by the President, the Secretary of State, 
                the Deputy Secretary of State, and other United States 
                officials to secure support from key foreign government 
                officials for the United States position at such 
                organizations, institutions, and negotiations;
                    (C) the composition of United States delegations to 
                multilateral negotiations; and
                    (D) liaison with Congress, international 
                organizations, nongovernmental organizations, and the 
                private sector on matters affecting multilateral 
                negotiations.
            (3) Democracy caucus.--The special representative, in 
        coordination with the Assistant Secretary for International 
        Organizational Affairs, shall ensure the establishment of a 
        democracy caucus (described in section 3).
            (4) Annual diplomatic missions of multilateral issues.--The 
        special representative, in coordination with the Assistant 
        Secretary for International Organizational Affairs, shall 
        organize annual consultations between the principal officers 
        responsible for advising the Secretary of State on 
        international organizations and foreign governments to promote 
        the United States agenda at the United Nations General Assembly 
        and other key international fora (such as the United Nations 
        Human Rights Commission) as described in section 4.
            (5) Leadership and membership of international 
        organizations.--The special representative, in coordination 
        with the Assistant Secretary of International Organizational 
        Affairs, shall direct the efforts of the United States 
        Government to reform the criteria for leadership and membership 
        of international organizations as described in section 5.
            (6) Participation in multilateral negotiations.--The 
        special representative, or members of the special 
        representative's staff, may, as required by the President or 
        the Secretary of State, serve on a United States delegation to 
        any multilateral negotiation.
    (e) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall submit a plan to 
establish a democracy caucus (described in section 3) to the Committee 
on International Relations of the House of Representatives and the 
Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate. The report required by 
section 7(c) may be submitted together with the report under this 
subsection.

SEC. 9. SYNCHRONIZATION OF UNITED STATES CONTRIBUTIONS TO INTERNATIONAL 
              ORGANIZATIONS.

    Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this 
Act, the President shall submit a plan to the appropriate congressional 
committees on the implementation of section 404 of the Foreign 
Relations Authorization Act of 2003 (Public Law 107-228), (relating to 
a resumption by the United States of the payment of its full 
contribution to certain international organizations at the beginning of 
each calendar year).
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