[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 67 (Wednesday, May 25, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: May 25, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
              USAID'S PLANS FOR STRENGTHENING WID EFFORTS

                                 ______


                          HON. LEE H. HAMILTON

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 25, 1994

  Mr. HAMILTON. Mr. Speaker, in December 1993, the General Accounting 
Office released its report on the Agency for International 
Development's and the Department of State's compliance with the 1973 
Percy amendment, section 113 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as 
amended. The Percy amendment directed that U.S. foreign assistance 
efforts focus on integrating women into the economies of developing 
countries.
  On March 16, 1994, I wrote to Administrator Atwood to request that 
AID report to the committee on how the issues raised in the GAO report 
were being addressed.
  On April 1 and May 16, 1994 Mr. Atwood provided letters responding to 
my inquiry. In Mr. Atwood's response, he expresses his personal 
commitment to addressing the issues raised in the GAO report and 
outlines specific steps which the agency is taking to insure consistent 
compliance with the Percy amendment.
  The correspondence follows:
                                                   U.S. Agency for


                                    International Development,

                                    Washington, DC, April 1, 1994.
     Hon. Lee H. Hamilton,
     Chairman, Committee on Foreign Affairs, House of 
         Representatives, Washington, DC.
       Dear Mr. Chairman: Thank you for your letter of March 16, 
     1994 requesting that the Agency for International Development 
     (USAID) report to the Committee on Foreign Affairs on how the 
     issues raised by the General Accounting Office (GAO) on women 
     in development are being addressed.
       In my response to findings in the report on USAID's and the 
     Department of State's compliance with the 1973 ``Percy 
     Amendment,'' (Section 113 of the Foreign Assistance Act as 
     amended), I outlined some steps that I will take to 
     strengthen and accelerate the Agency's women-in-development 
     program. These steps are summarized below.
       By June 1, 1994, USAID Bureau Assistant Administrators will 
     submit to me plans of action delineating steps to be taken by 
     their Bureaus to address gender issues. The plans for both 
     geographic and central Bureaus will be based on Bureau 
     assessments of gender issues.
       USAID will require our overseas missions to integrate 
     gender concerns into country strategies and action plans. I 
     have directed that the geographic Bureaus take the lead in 
     establishing plans by July 1, 1994 for negotiating with 
     Missions deadlines for reaching gender integration 
     benchmarks.
       Further, USAID will enhance coordination between the Office 
     of Women in Development and USAID Bureaus to better monitor 
     the integration of gender concerns in Bureau and Mission 
     development strategies. To assist in this process we will 
     assure the timely completion of our program performance 
     monitoring system and will continue to explore ways to 
     strengthen the capacity of this system to monitor women-in-
     development program performance.
       I am taking steps to integrate women-in-development policy 
     objectives into non-project assistance programming by 
     directing that guidance be appropriately incorporated into 
     Agency guidance documents, including USAID Handbook 4.
       Finally, USAID will continue to explore and implement ways 
     of providing our program managers with information to monitor 
     women-in-development program performance.
       I greatly appreciate your enclosing a copy of the letter of 
     March 1, 1994, which you received from Congresswoman 
     Schroeder and your March 16 response to her. As you state to 
     Congresswoman Schroeder, we are taking steps at USAID to 
     ensure that integration of women-in-development concerns in 
     development assistance is a top priority. I believe our 
     response to GAO reflects this effort.
           Sincerely,
     J. Brian Atwood.

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