[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 4 (Wednesday, January 7, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Page 948]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-372]


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OVERSEAS PRIVATE INVESTMENT CORPORATION


Sunshine Act Meeting

TIME AND DATE: 2 p.m., Thursday, January 22, 2004.

PLACE: Offices of the Corporation, Twelfth Floor Board Room, 1100 New 
York Avenue, NW., Washington, DC.

STATUS: Hearing open to the Public at 2 p.m.

PURPOSE: Annual public hearing and hearing in to afford an opportunity 
for any person to present views regarding the activities of the 
Corporation.

PROCEDURES: Individuals wishing to address the hearing orally must 
provide advance notice to OPIC's Corporate Secretary no later than 5 
p.m., Friday, January 16, 2004. The notice must include the 
individual's name, organization, address, and telephone number, and a 
concise summary of the subject matter to be presented.
    Oral presentations may not exceed ten (10) minutes. The time for 
individual presentations may be reduced proportionately, if necessary, 
to afford all participants who have submitted a timely request to 
participate an opportunity to be heard.
    Participants wishing to submit a written statement for the record 
must submit a copy of such statement to OPIC's Corporate Secretary no 
later than 5 p.m., Friday, January 16, 2004. Such statements must be 
typewritten, double-spaced and may not exceed twenty-five (25) pages.
    Upon receipt of the required notice, OPIC will prepare an agenda 
for the hearing identifying speakers, setting forth the subject on 
which each participant will speak, and the time allotted for each 
presentation. The agenda will be available at the hearing.
    A written summary of the hearing will be compiled, and such summary 
will be made available, upon written request to OPIC's Corporate 
Secretary, at the cost of reproduction.

CONTACT PERSON FOR INFORMATION: Information on the hearing may be 
obtained from Connie M. Downs at (202) 336-8438, via facsimile at (202) 
218-0136, or via email at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: OPIC is a U.S. Government agency which 
provides, on a commercial basis, political risk insurance and financing 
in friendly developing countries and emerging democracies for 
environmentally sound projects which confer positive development 
benefits upon the project country while creating employment in the U.S. 
OPIC is required by section 231A(c)(1) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 
1961, as amended (``the Act'') to hold at least one public hearing each 
year; and by section 231A(c)(2) to hold a public hearing in conjunction 
with the quarterly meeting of the Board of Directors.
    Among other issues, OPIC's annual public hearing has, in previous 
years, provided a forum for testimony concerning section 231A(a) of the 
Act. This section provides that OPIC may operate its programs only in 
those countries that are determined to be ``taking steps to adopt and 
implement laws that extend internationally recognized worker rights * * 
* to workers in that country (including any designated zone in that 
country).''
    Based on consultations with Congress, OPIC complies with annual 
determinations made by the Executive Branch with respect to worker 
rights for countries that are eligible for the Generalized System of 
Preferences (``GSP''). Any country for which GSP eligibility is revoked 
on account of its failure to take steps to adopt and implement 
internationally recognized worker rights is subject concurrently to the 
suspension of OPIC programs until such time as a favorable worker 
rights determination can be made.
    For non-GSP countries in which OPIC operates its programs, OPIC 
reviews any country which is the subject of a formal challenge at its 
annual public hearing. To qualify as a formal challenge, testimony must 
pertain directly to the worker rights requirements of the law as 
defined in OPIC's 1985 reauthorizing legislation (Pub. L. 99-204) with 
reference to the Trade Act of 1974, as amended, and be supported by 
factual information.

    Dated: January 5, 2004.
Connie M. Downs,
OPIC Corporate Secretary.
[FR Doc. 04-372 Filed 1-5-04; 1:42 pm]
BILLING CODE 3210-01-M