[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 26 (Monday, February 12, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E326]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      INTRODUCTION OF H.R. 982, THE ADVANCE DEMOCRACY ACT OF 2007

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                            HON. TOM LANTOS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, February 12, 2007

  Mr. LANTOS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to inform my colleagues that 
today I, along with Frank Wolf, David Price, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and a 
number of other members have introduced the Advancing Democratic 
Values, Addressing Non-Democratic Countries and Enhancing (ADVANCE) 
Democracy Act of 2007. In the 109th Congress, precursor legislation 
spurred the Administration to start a number of changes in its 
approach, including adding capacity to the Department's Bureau of 
Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, and creating an Advisory Committee 
on Democracy Promotion. H.R. 982 builds on that momentum by continuing 
to try to achieve five major reforms. H.R. 982
  (1) Requires the Secretary to develop long-term strategies for 
democracy promotion and human rights protection for non-democratic and 
democratic transition countries and countries where there are severe 
human rights violations, and focuses such strategies on building 
democratic institutions.
  (2) Requires that such strategies be developed in consultation with 
individuals and groups from each particular country that support 
democratic values and that such strategies be carried out in 
cooperation with our friends and allies and with international 
organizations.
  (3) Requires training on democracy promotion and human rights 
protection throughout the careers of members of the Foreign Service and 
other State Department employees.
  (4) Creates financial and promotion incentives for State Department 
employees who excel in democracy promotion and human rights protection.
  (5) Requires that Ambassadors and other senior members of the Foreign 
Service do more to reach out to foreign audiences and engage robustly 
with government officials, foreign media, non-governmental 
organizations and students to have serious discussions about U.S. 
foreign policy, particularly that related to democracy and human 
rights.
  The ADVANCE Democracy Act also contains a number of other additional 
reforms, such as requiring the establishment of an office to serve as a 
contact point for emerging activists, the development of guidelines for 
when nongovernmental organizations and contractors are appropriate 
implementing partners, and efforts to foster more multilateral 
cooperation on democracy promotion. The central thrust of these reforms 
is to ensure that democracy promotion is based on a long-term, 
multilateral approach that is created in consultation with those who 
are risking their lives for dignity and freedom and that does not 
ignore the most difficult countries.
  Madam Speaker, the promotion of democracy and the protection of human 
rights are two sides of the same coin. We all recognize that these must 
be fundamental components of U.S. foreign policy, just as we realize 
that they are not the only components of U.S. foreign policy. We 
recognize the tension between these and other imperatives, but must 
always remember that building of democratic institutions and forward 
movement on democracy and human rights is always in U.S. interest, even 
if such movement is not as fast.
  I urge my colleagues to cosponsor this important reform initiative.

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