1.This Act may be cited as the
Organization of American States
Revitalization and Reform Act of 2010
.
2.Congress makes the following
findings:
(1)The Charter of the Organization of American
States recognizes that—
(A)representative democracy is indispensable
for the stability, peace, and development of the Western Hemisphere; and
(B)a purpose of the Organization of American
States is to promote and consolidate representative democracy, with due respect
for the principle of nonintervention;
(2)The United States supports the purposes and
principles enshrined in—
(A)the Charter of the Organization of American
States;
(B)the Inter-American Democratic Charter;
and
(C)the American Declaration on the Rights and
Duties of Man.
(3)The United States supports the Organization
of American States in its efforts with member states to meet their commitments
under the documents set forth in paragraph (2).
(4)Congress supports the Organization of
American States as it operates in a manner consistent with its Charter and
Articles 1, 3, and 7 of the Inter-American Democratic Charter, which
state—
(A)[t]he peoples of the Americas have a
right to democracy and their governments have an obligation to promote and
defend it
, and that [d]emocracy is essential for the social,
political, and economic development of the peoples of the
Americas
;
(B)[e]ssential elements of
representative democracy include, inter alia, respect for human rights and
fundamental freedoms, access to and the exercise of power in accordance with
the rule of law, the holding of periodic, free, and fair elections based on
secret balloting and universal suffrage as an expression of the sovereignty of
the people, the pluralistic system of political parties and organizations, and
the separation of powers and independence of the branches of
government
; and
(C)[d]emocracy is indispensable for the
effective exercise of fundamental freedoms and human rights in their
universality, indivisibility and interdependence, embodied in the respective
constitutions of states and in inter-American and international human rights
instruments
.
3.It is the policy of the United
States—
(1)to promote democracy and the rule of law
throughout the Western Hemisphere;
(2)to promote and protect human rights and
fundamental freedoms in the Western Hemisphere; and
(3)to support the practices, purposes, and
principles expressed in the Charter of the Organization of American States, the
American Declaration on the Rights and Duties of Man, the Inter-American
Democratic Charter, and other fundamental instruments of democracy.
4.It is the sense of Congress that—
(1)the Organization of American States
(hereafter referred to as the OAS
) should be the primary
multi-lateral diplomatic entity for regional dispute resolution and promotion
of democratic governance and institutions;
(2)the Summit of the Americas institution and
process embodies a valuable complement to regional dialogue and
cooperation;
(3)the Summit of the Americas process should
be formally and more effectively integrated into the work of the OAS, and the
OAS should play a central role in overseeing and managing the Summit
process;
(4)the OAS General Assembly and the Summit of
the Americas events should be combined geographically and chronologically in
the years in which they coincide;
(5)all contributing member states to the OAS
would benefit from and should adopt a transparent, results-based, and
deliberative budget process that is guided by International Public Sector
Accounting Standards;
(6)to ensure an appropriate balance of
priorities, the OAS should review its core functions at least annually and seek
opportunities to reduce the number of other mandates;
(7)any changes to OAS mandates should only be
accepted by the member states after the financial costs have been calculated
and formally presented, and any new mandates should include a calculation of
the financial costs and an identification of the source of funding, including
if such funding is internal or external to the OAS;
(8)key OAS strengths lie in strengthening
peace and security, promoting and consolidating representative democracy,
regional dispute resolution, election assistance and monitoring, development
promotion, and stewardship of the Inter-American Human Rights System;
(9)the core competencies referred to in
paragraph (8) should remain central to the strategic planning process of the
OAS and the consideration of future mandates;
(10)OAS member states would benefit from the
OAS Permanent Council’s implementation of a framework to establish—
(A)standard reporting requirements for each
project and grant agreement, such as measurable goals and clear roles and
responsibilities; and
(B)a process to ensure that agreements adhere
to such requirements;
(11)all contributing OAS member states would
benefit from the implementation of—
(A)transparent and merit-based human resource
standards and processes; and
(B)transparent hiring standards and processes,
including with respect to factors such as gender, national origin, and
citizenship;
(12)the OAS is a valuable platform from which
to launch initiatives aimed to benefit the countries of the Western
Hemisphere;
(13)multi-lateral diplomacy is a critical
component of United States foreign policy; and
(14)in order to foster a corps of diplomats
skilled in this environment, service in multilateral assignments should be
encouraged for and sought after by the best talent possible at the Department
of State.
5.Organization of American States
Revitalization and Reform Strategy
(a)
(1)Not later than 180 days after the date of
the enactment of the Organization of the American States Revitalization and
Reform Strategy, the Secretary of State shall submit a multiyear strategy to
the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate and the Committee on Foreign
Affairs of the House of Representatives that—
(A)outlines a recommended approach to the OAS
to encourage the adoption of—
(i)International Public Sector Accounting
Standards;
(ii)a results-based budgeting process in order
to strategically prioritize current and future mandates; and
(iii)transparent hiring practices; and
(B)reflects the inputs and coordination from
other Executive Branch agencies, as appropriate.
(2)Notification and coordinationThe Secretary of State shall—
(A)proactively inform Executive Branch
agencies about the role and importance of the OAS and encourage increased use
of the OAS as a forum through which to publicize hemispheric initiatives and
encourage increased use of the OAS as a forum through which to publicize
hemispheric initiatives;
(B)promote donor coordination among OAS member
states; and
(C)help set priorities for the OAS.
(b)Not later than 1 year after the date on
which the strategy is submitted under subsection (a), the Secretary of State
shall submit a report to the committees referred to in subsection (a)(1) that
analyzes the progress made by the Organization of American States—
(1)to adopt and implement International Public
Sector Accounting Standards, a results-based budgeting process in order to
strategically prioritize future mandates;
(2)to adopt and implement transparent and
merit-based human resource standards and practices and transparent hiring
standards and processes, including with respect to factors such as gender,
national origin, and citizenship; and
(3)to adopt the practice of soliciting member
quotas to be paid on a quarterly basis, without discounts, to improve the
consistency of its operating budget.
1.This Act may be cited as the
Organization of American States
Revitalization and Reform Act of 2010
.
2.Congress makes the following
findings:
(1)The Charter of the Organization of American
States recognizes that—
(A)representative democracy is indispensable
for the stability, peace, and development of the Western Hemisphere; and
(B)a purpose of the Organization of American
States is to promote and consolidate representative democracy, with due respect
for the principle of nonintervention;
(2)The United States supports the purposes and
principles enshrined in—
(A)the Charter of the Organization of American
States;
(B)the Inter-American Democratic Charter;
and
(C)the American Declaration on the Rights and
Duties of Man.
(3)The United States supports the Organization
of American States in its efforts with member states to meet their commitments
under the documents set forth in paragraph (2).
(4)Congress supports the Organization of
American States as it operates in a manner consistent with its Charter and
Articles 1, 3, and 7 of the Inter-American Democratic Charter, which
state—
(A)[t]he peoples of the Americas have a
right to democracy and their governments have an obligation to promote and
defend it
, and that [d]emocracy is essential for the social,
political, and economic development of the peoples of the
Americas
;
(B)[e]ssential elements of
representative democracy include, inter alia, respect for human rights and
fundamental freedoms, access to and the exercise of power in accordance with
the rule of law, the holding of periodic, free, and fair elections based on
secret balloting and universal suffrage as an expression of the sovereignty of
the people, the pluralistic system of political parties and organizations, and
the separation of powers and independence of the branches of
government
; and
(C)[d]emocracy is indispensable for the
effective exercise of fundamental freedoms and human rights in their
universality, indivisibility and interdependence, embodied in the respective
constitutions of states and in inter-American and international human rights
instruments
.
3.It is the policy of the United
States—
(1)to promote democracy and the rule of law
throughout the Western Hemisphere;
(2)to promote and protect human rights and
fundamental freedoms in the Western Hemisphere; and
(3)to support the practices, purposes, and
principles expressed in the Charter of the Organization of American States, the
American Declaration on the Rights and Duties of Man, the Inter-American
Democratic Charter, and other fundamental instruments of democracy.
4.It is the sense of Congress that—
(1)the Organization of American States
(hereafter referred to as the OAS
) should be the primary
multi-lateral diplomatic entity for regional dispute resolution and promotion
of democratic governance and institutions;
(2)the Summit of the Americas institution and
process embodies a valuable complement to regional dialogue and
cooperation;
(3)the Summit of the Americas process should
be formally and more effectively integrated into the work of the OAS, the
Inter-American Development Bank, and the Members of the Joint Summit Working
Group, and the OAS should play a central role in overseeing and managing the
Summit process;
(4)the OAS General Assembly
and the Summit of the Americas events should be combined geographically and
chronologically in the years in which they coincide;
(5)the OAS General Assembly and the Summit of
the Americas that relate specifically to economic development should be
coordinated with similar efforts by the Inter-American Development Bank;
(6)all contributing member states to the OAS
would benefit from and should adopt a transparent, results-based, and
deliberative budget process that is guided by International Public Sector
Accounting Standards;
(7)to ensure an appropriate balance of
priorities, the OAS should review its core functions at least annually and seek
opportunities to reduce the number of other mandates;
(8)any changes to OAS mandates should only be
accepted by the member states after the financial costs have been calculated
and formally presented, and any new mandates should include a calculation of
the financial costs and an identification of the source of funding, including
if such funding is internal or external to the OAS;
(9)key OAS strengths lie in strengthening
peace and security, promoting and consolidating representative democracy,
regional dispute resolution, election assistance and monitoring, development
promotion, and stewardship of the Inter-American Human Rights System;
(10)the core competencies referred to in
paragraph (9) should remain central to the strategic planning process of the
OAS and the consideration of future mandates;
(11)OAS member states would
benefit from enhanced coordination between the OAS and the Inter-American
Development Bank on issues that relate to economic development;
(12)OAS member states would benefit from the
OAS Permanent Council’s implementation of a framework to establish—
(A)standard reporting requirements for each
project and grant agreement, such as measurable goals and clear roles and
responsibilities; and
(B)a process to ensure that agreements adhere
to such requirements;
(13)all contributing OAS member states would
benefit from the implementation of—
(A)transparent and merit-based human resource
standards and processes; and
(B)transparent hiring standards and processes,
including with respect to factors such as gender, national origin, and
citizenship;
(14)the OAS is a valuable platform from which
to launch initiatives aimed to benefit the countries of the Western
Hemisphere;
(15)multi-lateral diplomacy is a critical
component of United States foreign policy; and
(16)in order to foster a corps of diplomats
skilled in this environment, service in multilateral assignments should be
encouraged for and sought after by the best talent possible at the Department
of State.
5.Organization of American States
Revitalization and Reform Strategy
(a)
(1)Not later than 180 days after the date of
the enactment of the Organization of American
States Revitalization and Reform Act of 2010, the Secretary of
State shall submit a multiyear strategy to the Committee on Foreign Relations
of the Senate and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of
Representatives that—
(A)outlines a recommended approach to the OAS
to encourage the adoption of—
(i)International Public Sector Accounting
Standards;
(ii)a results-based budgeting process in order
to strategically prioritize current and future mandates; and
(iii)transparent hiring practices; and
(B)reflects the inputs and coordination from
other Executive Branch agencies, as appropriate.
(2)Notification and coordinationThe Secretary of State shall—
(A)proactively inform Executive Branch
agencies about the role and importance of the OAS and encourage increased use
of the OAS as a forum through which to publicize hemispheric initiatives and
encourage increased use of the OAS as a forum through which to publicize
hemispheric initiatives;
(B)promote donor coordination among OAS member
states; and
(C)help set priorities for the OAS.
(b)Not later than 1 year after the date on
which the strategy is submitted under subsection (a), the Secretary of State
shall submit a report to the committees referred to in subsection (a)(1) that
analyzes the progress made by the Organization of American States—
(1)to adopt and implement International Public
Sector Accounting Standards, a results-based budgeting process in order to
strategically prioritize future mandates;
(2)to adopt and implement transparent and
merit-based human resource standards and practices and transparent hiring
standards and processes, including with respect to factors such as gender,
national origin, and citizenship; and
(3)to adopt the practice of soliciting member
quotas to be paid on a quarterly basis, without discounts, to improve the
consistency of its operating budget.
June 10, 2010
Reported with an amendment