[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 251 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 251

  Reaffirming bilateral and multilateral relations between the United 
    States and African countries and recognizing the importance of 
               diplomatic, security, and trade relations.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 18, 2021

Ms. Bass (for herself, Ms. Norton, Mr. Bishop of Georgia, Mr. Rush, Ms. 
 Jackson Lee, Mr. Green of Texas, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Mr. Carson, 
   Mr. Payne, Mr. Cicilline, Ms. Titus, Mr. Vargas, Mr. Veasey, Mr. 
Takano, Mr. Castro of Texas, Mr. Bera, Mrs. Lawrence, Mr. Gallego, Mr. 
Evans, Mr. Panetta, Mr. Khanna, Ms. Pressley, Mr. Neguse, Ms. Omar, and 
Ms. Jacobs of California) submitted the following resolution; which was 
              referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Reaffirming bilateral and multilateral relations between the United 
    States and African countries and recognizing the importance of 
               diplomatic, security, and trade relations.

Whereas the United States and countries across the African Continent have 
        enjoyed long standing and mutually beneficial bilateral and multilateral 
        relations and share strong political, economic, and cultural ties 
        including involuntary and other migrations of Africans to the Americas 
        and the economic and social development of that population into a highly 
        contributing citizenry with lasting ties to the African Continent;
Whereas the United States looks to reset its relationship with the continent of 
        Africa by enhancing its partnership through supporting the African 
        Union, mutual trade and investment, continuity, and highlighting climate 
        change;
Whereas the pillars for partnership between the United States and the continent 
        of Africa are peace and security, economic growth, trade, investment, 
        democracy and governance, and promoting investment opportunities and 
        development including through the African Continental Free Trade Area 
        agreement (AfCFTA);
Whereas the United States, through Presidential initiatives, targeted 
        legislation, and special programs have collaborated with African 
        countries to improve health, build critical infrastructure, advance 
        trade, increase stability, support future leaders, and leverage capital 
        to further socio-economic opportunities across the continent;
Whereas initiatives such as the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), the 
        President's Malaria Initiative, Feed the Future, the President's 
        Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, the Millennium Challenge Corporation, 
        and United States trade and investment hubs have generated opportunities 
        for millions of Africans and Americans, now will require a reset, new 
        ideas, and a new approach to Africa's opportunities and challenges;
Whereas after decades of conflict, Sudan is starting to make progress toward 
        peace and build democratic institutions, and this is the time for the 
        United States to pave the way and help strengthen economic development 
        and promote democracy;
Whereas the Sahel region is very volatile, and the United States must use a 
        multidimensional peacekeeping approach to help to resolve the fragility, 
        climate change, demographic growth, and economic hardship in the region;
Whereas the United States could help encourage good financial governance through 
        the IMF and World Bank by engaging in more proactive regulation and 
        oversight of financial sectors in debt-laden countries to help improve 
        debt management and transparency, helping to create sustainable 
        borrowing and lending practices;
Whereas Africa is important to United States national security and trade 
        interests, and the AfCFTA, which will bring together nearly all 55 
        African Union member states and create a more integrated market with a 
        total GDP of $2.2 trillion, gives the United States an opportunity to 
        accelerate its multilateral partners;
Whereas trade in goods and services between the United States and sub-Saharan 
        Africa reached more than $38 billion in 2019, during the same period, 
        sub-Saharan Africa imported $238 billion, only of which $15 billion from 
        the United States, underlining an opportunity for growth in American 
        market share;
Whereas it is vital that the United States and the African Union cooperate on 
        objectives of mutual interest, especially achieving democracy and 
        sustainable economic development, and consider negotiating a continental 
        trade partnership after AGOA ends in 2025;
Whereas African countries are increasingly integrated into the international 
        system through communications technology and are often the origin of 
        transnational issues such as the 2009 Horn of Africa piracy crisis and 
        the 2013 Ebola outbreak, which prodded adoption of new shipping 
        protocols and stimulated thought on creating a global health security 
        architecture; and
Whereas African countries are committed to multilateralism, hold three 
        nonpermanent seats on the United Nations Security Council, represent the 
        largest and most unified block at the United Nations General Assembly, 
        and are integral to finding solutions to global challenges, such as 
        climate change, violent extremism, and the COVID-19 pandemic: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) reaffirms the mutually beneficial ties between the 
        United States and African countries, based on a strong desire 
        for accountable governance, regional security, inclusive 
        development, and stronger trade relations;
            (2) recognizes the importance of the bilateral and 
        multilateral partnerships between the United States and African 
        countries and remains committed to advancing these strategic 
        partnerships through greater interaction between government 
        leaders, agencies and departments, civil society, private 
        industry, and youth;
            (3) acknowledges the dynamic changes on the African 
        continent require a proactive African policy that broadens 
        diplomatic, economic, and academic engagement to harness the 
        ideas and expertise of African countries at the national, 
        regional, and municipal levels to address key issues;
            (4) encourages greater and more strategic collaboration 
        with the African countries and the African Union, and the 
        support of the African Continental Free Trade Area, by 
        providing technical, financial, and professional assistance to 
        accelerate and expand capacity to achieve and sustain goals of 
        socioeconomic transformation over the next 50 years, as 
        articulated in the African Union's Agenda 2063; and
            (5) encourages the United States to advance interests in 
        Africa to--
                    (A) strengthen some of the world's fastest growing 
                economies by educating the youth, having strong 
                democratic institutions, and having mutual trade and 
                partnerships at all levels;
                    (B) support United States businesses gain access to 
                investment opportunities, as estimated by the United 
                States Government, of--
                            (i) $125 billion in energy;
                            (ii) $60 billion in infrastructure;
                            (iii) $42 billion in health care (pre-
                        COVID-19 projections); and
                            (iv) $15 billion in information and 
                        communications technology (ICT);
                    (C) support science and collaborate with the 
                biodiversity community to decrease the negative effects 
                of climate change; and
                    (D) invest in the continent's 60-percent share of 
                the world's total amount of uncultivated, arable land 
                to help eradicate food insecurity; and integrate 
                processes that will help cultivate raw minerals into 
                finished goods to export globally.
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