[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.--
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(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.
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