[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 119 (Wednesday, July 12, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2429-S2431]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 266. Mr. RISCH submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by 
him to the bill S. 2226, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 
2024 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military 
construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, 
to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for 
other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

       At the appropriate place in title XII, insert the 
     following:

     SEC. 12__. UNITED STATES MULTILATERAL AID REVIEW.

       (a) Short Title.--This section may be cited as the 
     ``Multilateral Aid Review Act of 2023''.
       (b) Purpose.--The purpose of this section is to establish a 
     United States Multilateral Aid Review (referred to in this 
     section as the ``Review'') to publicly assess the value of 
     United States Government investments in multilateral 
     entities.
       (c) Defined Term.--In this section, the term ``appropriate 
     congressional committees'' means--
       (1) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate;
       (2) the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate;
       (3) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of 
     Representatives;
       (4) the Committee on Financial Services of the House of 
     Representatives; and
       (5) the Committee on Appropriations of the House of 
     Representatives.
       (d) Objectives.--The objectives of the Review are--
       (1) to provide a tool to guide the United States 
     Government's decision making and prioritization with regard 
     to funding multilateral entities;
       (2) to provide a methodological basis for allocating 
     budgetary resources to entities that advance relevant United 
     States foreign policy objectives;
       (3) to incentivize improvements in the performance of 
     multilateral entities to achieve better outcomes, including 
     in developing, fragile, and crisis-afflicted regions; and
       (4) to protect United States taxpayer investments in 
     foreign assistance by promoting transparency with regard to 
     the funding of multilateral entities.
       (e) Scope.--The Review shall assess, at a minimum, the 
     following multilateral entities to which the United States 
     Government contributes voluntary or assessed funding, whether 
     cash or in-kind:
       (1) The World Bank Group, including the International Bank 
     for Reconstruction and Development, the International 
     Development Association, and the International Finance 
     Corporation.
       (2) The regional development banks, including the Asian 
     Development Bank, the African Development Bank, the Inter-
     American Development Bank, the European Bank for 
     Reconstruction and Development, and the North American 
     Development Bank.
       (3) Climate Investment Funds.
       (4) The Food and Agriculture Organization.
       (5) Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.
       (6) The Global Environment Facility.
       (7) The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and 
     Malaria.
       (8) The Green Climate Fund.
       (9) The Inter-American Institute for Cooperation for 
     Agriculture.
       (10) The International Civil Aviation Organization.
       (11) The International Committee of the Red Cross.
       (12) The International Fund for Agricultural Development.
       (13) The International Labour Organization.
       (14) The International Organization for Migration.
       (15) The International Telecommunication Union.
       (16) The Joint UN Program on HIV/AIDS.
       (17) The Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the 
     Montreal Protocol.
       (18) The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for 
     Human Rights.
       (19) The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for 
     Refugees.
       (20) The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and 
     Development.
       (21) The Organization of American States.
       (22) The Pacific Forum Fisheries Agency.
       (23) The Pan American Health Organization.
       (24) The United Nations Children's Fund.
       (25) The United Nations Department of Economic and Social 
     Affairs.
       (26) The United Nations Development Programme.
       (27) The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the 
     Empowerment of Women.
       (28) The United Nations Environment Programme.
       (29) The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate 
     Change.
       (30) The United Nations Office for Project Services.
       (31) The United Nations Office for the Coordination of 
     Humanitarian Affairs.
       (32) The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
       (33) The United Nations Population Fund.

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       (34) The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for 
     Palestine Refugees in the Near East.
       (35) The United Nations Voluntary Fund for Victims of 
     Torture.
       (36) The World Food Program.
       (37) The World Health Organization.
       (38) The World Meteorological Organization.
       (f) Report on Review.--
       (1) Submission.--
       (A) In general.--Not later than 21 months after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, the Task Force established 
     pursuant to subsection (g), in regular consultation with the 
     Peer Review Group established under subsection (h), shall 
     submit a report to the appropriate congressional committees 
     that describes the findings of the Review.
       (B) Publication.--The Secretary of State shall publish the 
     report described in subparagraph (A) on the internet website 
     of the Department of State not later than 15 days after the 
     date on which the report is submitted to the appropriate 
     congressional committees.
       (2) Methodology.--
       (A) Use of criteria.--The Task Force shall establish an 
     analytical framework and assessment scorecard for the Review 
     using the criteria set forth in paragraph (3).
       (B) Consultation with congress.--
       (i) Submission of methodology.--Not later than 90 days 
     after the appointments to the Peer Review Group are made 
     pursuant to subsection (h)(2), the Task Force shall submit 
     the methodology for the Review to the appropriate 
     congressional committees.
       (ii) Consideration of congressional views.--The Task Force 
     may not proceed with the Review until 30 days after the 
     methodology to the appropriate congressional committees, 
     taking into consideration the views of the Chairmen and 
     Ranking Members of each of the appropriate congressional 
     committees.
       (C) Publication of criteria and methodology.--The Secretary 
     of State shall publish the final criteria and methodology for 
     the Review on the internet website of the Department of State 
     not later than 60 days after submitting the proposed 
     methodology to the appropriate congressional committees 
     pursuant to subparagraph (B)(i).
       (3) Assessment criteria.--The assessment scorecard shall 
     include the following criteria:
       (A) Relationship of stated goals to actual results.--The 
     extent to which the stated mission, goals, and objectives of 
     the entity have been achieved during the review period, 
     including--
       (i) an identification of the stated mission, goals, and 
     objectives of each entity;
       (ii) an evaluation of the extent to which the entity met 
     its stated implementation timelines and achieved declared 
     results; and
       (iii) an evaluation of whether the entity optimizes 
     resources to achieve the stated mission, goals, and 
     objectives of the entity.
       (B) Responsible management.--The extent to which management 
     of the entity follows best management practices, including--
       (i) an evaluation of the ratio of management and 
     administrative expenses to program expenses, including an 
     evaluation of entity resources spent on nonprogrammatic 
     expenses;
       (ii) an evaluation of program expense growth, including a 
     comparison of the annual growth of program expenses to the 
     annual growth of management and administrative expenses; and
       (iii) an evaluation of whether the entity has established 
     appropriate levels of senior management compensation.
       (C) Accountability and transparency.--The extent to which 
     the policies and procedures of the entity follow best 
     practices of accountability and transparency, taking into 
     consideration credible reporting regarding unauthorized 
     conversion or diversion of entity resources, and including an 
     evaluation of whether the entity has--
       (i) established and enforced--

       (I) appropriate auditing procedures;
       (II) appropriate rules to reduce the risk of conflicts of 
     interest among the senior leadership of the entity; and
       (III) appropriate whistleblower policies;

       (ii) established and maintained--

       (I) appropriate records retention policies and guidelines;
       (II) best practices with respect to transparency and public 
     disclosure; and
       (III) best practices with respect to disclosure of the 
     compensation of senior leadership officials.

       (D) Alignment with united states foreign policy 
     objectives.--The extent to which the policies and practices 
     of the entity align with relevant United States foreign 
     policy objectives, including an evaluation of--
       (i) the entity's stated mission, goals, and objectives in 
     comparison to relevant United States foreign policy 
     objectives;
       (ii) any significant divergence between the actions of the 
     entity and relevant United States foreign policy objectives; 
     and
       (iii) whether continued participation by the United States 
     in the entity contributes a net benefit towards achieving 
     relevant United States foreign policy objectives, including 
     the reasons for such conclusion.
       (E) Multilateral approach compared to bilateral approach.--
     The extent to which pursuing relevant United States foreign 
     policy objectives through a multilateral approach is 
     effective and cost-efficient compared to, or complementary 
     to, a bilateral approach, including an evaluation of--
       (i) whether relevant United States foreign policy 
     objectives are effectively pursued through the entity, 
     compared to existing or potential bilateral approaches, 
     including the criteria used in the evaluation; and
       (ii) whether relevant United States foreign policy 
     objectives are pursued on a cost-effective basis through the 
     entity, including the amount of funding leveraged from non-
     United States Government sources, compared to existing or 
     potential bilateral approaches.
       (F) Redundancies and overlap.--The extent to which the 
     mission, goals, and objectives of the entity overlap with, or 
     complement, the mission, goals, objectives, and programs of 
     other multilateral institutions to which the United States 
     Government contributes voluntary or assessed funding, whether 
     cash or in-kind, including--
       (i) a comparison of the extent to which relevant United 
     States foreign policy objectives are effectively pursued on a 
     cost-effective basis through each of the overlapping 
     entities; and
       (ii) whether continued participation in each entity 
     contributes a benefit towards achieving United States foreign 
     policy objectives.
       (g) United States Multilateral Review Task Force.--
       (1) Establishment.--The President shall establish an 
     interagency Multilateral Review Task Force (referred to in 
     this section as the ``Task Force''), which shall--
       (A) review and assess United States participation in 
     multilateral entities identified in subsection (e); and
       (B) develop and submit the report required under subsection 
     (f) to the appropriate congressional committees.
       (2) Leadership.--The Task Force shall be chaired by the 
     Secretary of State, who may delegate his or her 
     responsibilities under this section to an appropriate senior 
     Department of State official who has been confirmed by the 
     Senate.
       (3) Membership.--The President may appoint to the 
     interagency Task Force senior Senate-confirmed officials from 
     the Department of State, the Department of the Treasury, the 
     United States Agency for International Development, the 
     Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Department of 
     Agriculture, the Department of Energy, and any other relevant 
     executive branch department or agency.
       (4) Consultation.--In preparing the report required under 
     subsection (f), including the initial review of methodology, 
     the Task Force shall consult regularly with the Peer Review 
     Group established under subsection (h).
       (h) United States Multilateral Aid Review Peer Review 
     Group.--
       (1) Establishment.--There is established the United States 
     Multilateral Aid Review Peer Review Group (referred to in 
     this section as the ``Peer Review Group'').
       (2) Membership.--
       (A) Composition.--The Peer Review Group shall be composed 
     of 8 nongovernmental volunteer members, of whom--
       (i) 2 shall be appointed by the majority leader of the 
     Senate;
       (ii) 2 shall be appointed by the minority leader of the 
     Senate;
       (iii) 2 shall be appointed by the Speaker of the House of 
     Representatives; and
       (iv) 2 shall be appointed by the minority leader of the 
     House of Representatives.
       (B) Appointment criteria.--The members of the Peer Review 
     Group shall have appropriate expertise and knowledge of the 
     multilateral entities subject to the Review established under 
     this section. In making appointments to the Peer Review 
     Group, the appointing authorities should take into account 
     potential conflicts of interest.
       (C) Date.--The appointments to the Peer Review Group shall 
     be made not later than 30 days after the date on which the 
     Task Force is established pursuant to subsection (g)(1), and 
     the terms of the members so appointed shall begin on such 
     date.
       (D) Chairman and vice chairman.--The Peer Review Group 
     shall select a Chairman and Vice Chairman from among the 
     members of the Peer Review Group.
       (3) Expert analysis.--The Peer Review Group shall meet 
     regularly with the Task Force, including regarding the 
     initial review of methodology, to offer their expertise of 
     the funding and performance of multilateral entities.
       (4) Review of report.--
       (A) In general.--Not later than 180 days before submitting 
     the report required under subsection (f)(1), the Task Force 
     shall submit a draft of the report to--
       (i) the Peer Review Group; and
       (ii) the appropriate congressional committees.
       (B) Review.--The Peer Review Group shall--
       (i) review the draft report submitted under subparagraph 
     (A); and
       (ii) not later than 90 days before the submission of the 
     report required under subsection (f)(1), provide to the Task 
     Force and to the appropriate congressional committees--

       (I) an analysis of the conclusions of the report;
       (II) an analysis of the established methodologies used to 
     reach such conclusions;
       (III) an analysis of the evidence used to reach such 
     conclusions; and
       (IV) any additional comments to improve the evaluations and 
     analysis of the report.

       (5) Period of appointment; vacancies.--

[[Page S2431]]

       (A) In general.--Each member of the Peer Review Group shall 
     be appointed for a 2-year term.
       (B) Vacancies.--Any vacancy in the Peer Review Group--
       (i) shall not affect the powers of the Peer Review Group; 
     and
       (ii) shall be filled in the same manner as the original 
     appointment.
       (6) Meetings.--
       (A) In general.--The Peer Review Group shall meet at the 
     call of the Chairman.
       (B) Initial meeting.--The Peer Review Group shall hold its 
     first meeting not later than 30 days after its last member is 
     appointed.
       (C) Quorum.--A majority of the members of the Peer Review 
     Group shall constitute a quorum, but a lesser number of 
     members may hold meetings.
       (i) Termination of Authorities and Requirements.--The 
     authorities and requirements provided under this section 
     shall terminate on the date that is 2 years after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act.
                                 ______