[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 200 (Wednesday, October 18, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 71817-71818]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-22912]


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 Notices
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 This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules 
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  Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 200 / Wednesday, October 18, 2023 / 
Notices  

[[Page 71817]]



AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT


Partnership for Peace Fund Advisory Board; Notice of Meeting

AGENCY: United States Agency for International Development.

ACTION: Request for public comment and notice of public meeting.

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SUMMARY: The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) 
announces a public meeting, and requests public comment for the third 
meeting of the Partnership for Peace Fund (PPF) Advisory Board to 
receive updates on programming and progress under MEPPA; receive 
information regarding ongoing efforts aiming to improve program 
implementation; and discuss and provide recommendations for 
peacebuilding programming at USAID.

DATES: Written comments and information are requested on or before 
November 9, 2023, at 5:00 p.m. EST.
    The public meeting will take place on Tuesday, November 14, 2023, 
from 1:15 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. EST via the Zoom platform (https://usaid.zoomgov.com/j/1600787082).
    The meeting does not require pre-registration.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments regarding the work of the PPF 
Advisory Board by email to [email protected]. Include ``Public Comment, 
PPF Advisory Board Meeting, November 14'' in the subject line. All 
public comments and questions will be included in the official record 
of the meeting and posted publicly on the USAID website.
    Please email [email protected] to request reasonable accommodations 
for the public meeting. Include ``Request for Reasonable Accommodation, 
PPF Advisory Board Meeting, November 14'' in the subject line.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dan McDonald, 202-712-4965, 
[email protected]

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In December 2020, Congress passed the Nita 
M. Lowey Middle East Partnership for Peace Act (https://www.usaid.gov/west-bank-and-gaza/documents/nita-m-lowey-middle-east-partnership-peace-act), or MEPPA, with bipartisan support. The Act directs USAID 
and the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), in 
coordination with the Department of State, to program $250 million over 
five years to build the foundation for peaceful coexistence between 
Israelis and Palestinians through a new PPF, managed by USAID, and a 
Joint Investment Initiative, managed by the DFC.
    MEPPA serves as a recognition that economic, social, and political 
connections between Israelis and Palestinians are the best way to 
foster mutual understanding and provide the strongest basis for a 
sustainable, two-state solution. USAID's Middle East Bureau has been 
working with Congress, interagency colleagues, and partners in Israel, 
the West Bank, and Gaza to implement the Act. MEPPA also calls for the 
establishment of a board to advise USAID on the strategic direction of 
the PPF.
    Composed of up to 15 members, the PPF Advisory Board includes 
development experts, private sector leaders and faith-based leaders who 
are appointed by members of Congress and the USAID Administrator. As 
stated in its charter (https://www.usaid.gov/west-bank-and-gaza/documents/charter-partnership-peace-fund-advisory-board), the Board's 
role is purely advisory and possesses no enforcement authority or power 
to bind USAID. Duties of the Board and individual members are 
restricted to providing information and making recommendations to USAID 
on matters and issues relating to the types of projects USAID should 
seek to support in order to further the purposes of the People-to-
People Partnership for Peace Fund and partnerships with foreign 
governments and international organizations to leverage the impact of 
the People-to-People Partnership for Peace Fund.
    The following are the current members of the Advisory Board:

Chair: The Honorable George R. Salem
The Honorable Elliott Abrams
Farah Bdour
Rabbi Angela Buchdahl
Rabbi Michael M. Cohen
Sander Gerber
Ambassador Mark Green (ret.)
Hiba Husseini
Heather Johnston
Harley Lippman
The Honorable Nita M. Lowey
Dina Powell McCormick
Nickolay Mladenov
Jen Stewart
The Honorable Robert Wexler

    PPF Advisory Board meetings are held twice a year and are public. 
More information about how USAID is implementing MEPPA to increase 
people-to-people partnerships between Israelis and Palestinians is 
available at: https://www.usaid.gov/west-bank-and-gaza/meppa.
    The purpose of this meeting is for the Advisory Board to gain a 
better understanding of the progress so far to program funds under the 
PPF to bring Israelis and Palestinians together to increase 
understanding and advance the goal of a two-state solution.
    During this meeting, the Board will (1) receive updates on 
programming and progress under MEPPA; (2) receive information regarding 
ongoing efforts aiming to improve program implementation; and (3) 
discuss and provide recommendations for peacebuilding programming at 
USAID.

Request for Public Comment

    To inform the direction and advice of the Board, USAID invites 
written comments from the public on areas for focus and strategies for 
people-to-people peacebuilding under the PPF.
    Written comments and information are requested on or before 
Thursday, November 9, 2023, at 5:00 p.m. EDT. Include ``Public Comment, 
PPF Advisory Board Meeting, November 14'' in the subject line. Please 
submit comments and information as a Word or PDF attachment to your 
email. You are encouraged to submit written comments even if you plan 
to attend the public meeting. All public comments and questions will be 
included in the official record of the meeting and posted publicly on 
the USAID website.

Public Meeting

    A public meeting will take place Tuesday, November 14, 2023, from 
1:15

[[Page 71818]]

p.m. to 3:15 p.m. This meeting is free and open to the public. Persons 
wishing to attend the meeting should use the following link: (https://usaid.zoomgov.com/j/1613820653).
    Requests for reasonable accommodations should be directed to Daniel 
McDonald at [email protected]. Please include ``Request for Reasonable 
Accommodation, PPF Advisory Board Meeting, November 14'' in the subject 
line.

Daniel McDonald,
USAID Designated Federal Officer for the PPF Advisory Board, Bureau for 
the Middle East, U.S. Agency for International Development.
[FR Doc. 2023-22912 Filed 10-17-23; 8:45 am]
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