[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 167 (Wednesday, August 28, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 68850-68851]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-19357]


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AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT


Request for Information (RFI) Regarding Sanctions and USAID 
Programs

AGENCY: Agency for International Development.

ACTION: Notice of request for information.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is 
considering updating its sanctions-related provisions and contract 
clauses for assistance and acquisition awards. A primary factor under 
review is whether to expand reporting requirements to enhance USAID's 
monitoring of recipients' and contractors' activities involving 
sanctioned jurisdictions or sanctioned individuals and entities subject 
to the sanctions programs administered by the U.S. Department of the 
Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). This reporting 
would facilitate the assessment of whether the U.S. Government is 
ensuring the efficient delivery of humanitarian and development 
assistance internationally to the most vulnerable people, while 
achieving U.S. national security objectives by minimizing benefits to 
sanctioned individuals and entities. This RFI supports this effort by 
soliciting feedback from the general public, which will be considered 
during the process of analyzing whether changes are required, as well 
as any subsequent drafting of new or revised award terms.

DATES: Interested persons and organizations are invited to submit 
comments October 28, 2024.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jasen Andersen, USAID/M/OAA/P, 202-
286-3116, or [email protected] for clarification of content or 
information pertaining to this RFI. All communications regarding this 
notice must cite the docket number.
    Instructions: Comments regarding this RFI must be submitted via the 
Federal eRulemaking Portal at https://www.regulations.gov. Response to 
this RFI is voluntary. Any information obtained from this RFI is 
intended to be used by USAID on a non-attribution basis for drafting 
updated award provisions and contract clauses. USAID will not respond 
to individual submissions or provide any responses to comments 
received.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

A. Background

    The U.S. Government has taken steps, in line with its foreign 
policy and national security goals, to modernize and adapt its 
sanctions policy and operational framework and to ensure that economic 
sanctions do not impede the delivery of critical humanitarian and 
development assistance. The Department of the Treasury's sanctions 
review process highlighted the need to mitigate unintended humanitarian 
impacts of sanctions, particularly related to the provision of life-
saving and other humanitarian or development assistance to civilian 
populations in sanctioned jurisdictions, as well as those living under 
sanctioned group influence or control or alongside sanctioned 
individuals in nondifferentiable populations. Recognizing that 
sanctioned individuals and entities may attempt to access humanitarian 
and development assistance as a means to advance or support their own 
interests, the U.S. Government has also taken steps to ensure that it 
continues to deny benefits to sanctioned individuals and entities, 
while supporting the delivery of legitimate humanitarian assistance.
    On December 9, 2022, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) 
adopted Resolution No. 2664 to carve out certain humanitarian-related 
activities from UNSC asset freeze sanctions regimes, thereby allowing 
the flow of funds, financial assets, economic resources, and goods/
services to ensure timely delivery of humanitarian aid or support 
activities that support basic human needs (UNSCR 2664). On December 21, 
2022, OFAC made corresponding amendments to its regulations in multiple 
sanctions programs to facilitate humanitarian-related activities and 
certain development assistance by adding,

[[Page 68851]]

amending, or updating general licenses (GLs) authorizing the official 
business of the U.S. Government and the official business of certain 
international organizations and entities (87 FR 78470). OFAC's GLs can 
be found in Subpart E of each sanctions program in 31 CFR subtitle B, 
chapter V or on OFAC's website.
    The U.S. Government, including USAID and its interagency partners, 
continue to monitor and assess whether and to what extent the U.S. 
Government is (1) facilitating the delivery of humanitarian and 
development assistance, and (2) preventing unanticipated and 
undesirable benefits to sanctioned individuals and entities.
    USAID is considering whether and how to update provisions and 
contract clauses for USAID assistance and acquisition awards to include 
a new reporting mechanism for all humanitarian assistance and 
development work overseas conducted under a USAID award. This approach 
would (i) require USAID awardees to report on certain incidents 
involving sanctioned individuals and entities (e.g., payments or 
diversions) that take place under the awards; (ii) re-emphasize 
requirements for maintaining relevant records relating to transactions 
subject to OFAC's sanctions programs, including transactions conducted 
pursuant to GLs; (iii) emphasize that USAID recipients and contractors 
must exercise reasonable due diligence to minimize the accrual of any 
impermissible benefits (in the form of payments or diversions) to any 
sanctioned individuals or entities; and (iv) provide data to USAID to 
inform impact assessments and for use in dialogue with the U.S. 
Government interagency, as well as the UNSC. Some illustrative examples 
of proposed reporting requirements for USAID recipients and contractors 
include:
     Reporting itemized details regarding payments of funds 
under the award in the form of taxes, tolls, and fees to, or for the 
benefit of, sanctioned individuals or entities. For each payment, the 
awardee will make best efforts to include details about the amount 
paid, the approximate date and location of the payment, the name of the 
individual or entity receiving the payment, a description of how such 
payment facilitated the assistance activities, and remedial steps, if 
any, taken to address the issue.
     Reporting itemized details regarding diversions of funds, 
supplies, or services under the award by sanctioned individuals or 
entities. For each diversion, the awardee will make best efforts to 
include details about the circumstances of the diversion, the name of 
the individual or entity causing the diversion, estimated value 
diverted, the approximate date and location of the diversion, 
description and intended destination, and remedial steps, if any, taken 
to address the issue.
    For USAID's assistance awards, updates could take the form of 
revisions to the mandatory standard provisions M12, M14, and M5 
(``Preventing Transactions with, or the Provision of Resources or 
Support to, Sanctioned Groups and Individuals'') found in ADS 303maa, 
ADS 303mab, ADS 303mat, respectively. For USAID's acquisition awards, a 
new Agency-specific clause may be required, such as to supplement FAR 
52.225-13 (``Restrictions on Certain Foreign Purchases''). Additional 
updates may be required to 22 CFR 228 and/or ADS 310.

B. Request for Information

    This RFI is intended to solicit feedback on the following:
    (1) Considerations USAID should take into account when updating the 
sanctions-related provisions and contract clauses for its assistance 
and acquisition awards.
    (2) Types of information and details that recipients and 
contractors can report under their award for activities that are 
subject to OFAC's sanctions, regarding (a) payments of funds to, or for 
the benefit of, sanctioned individuals or entities; and (b) diversions 
of funds, supplies, or services by sanctioned individuals or entities.
    (3) Constraints that recipients and contractors may face in 
reporting information regarding (a) payments of funds to, or for the 
benefit of, sanctioned individuals or entities; and (b) diversions of 
funds, supplies, or services by sanctioned individuals or entities. 
Where possible, include specific examples.
    (4) Estimates of the burden on individual recipients and 
contractors in complying with any reporting requirement.
    (5) Considerations USAID should consider regarding the flowdown of 
requirements to subrecipients and subcontractors.
    (6) Recommendations on ways USAID can obtain data from recipients 
and contractors in order to assess the impact of GLs on the delivery of 
legitimate humanitarian assistance and other development activities to 
the most vulnerable people, while achieving U.S. national security 
objectives, including how USAID can collect such information on an 
aggregated basis from recipients and contractors.
    (7) Recommendations on the frequency and method of reporting.
    Responses to this RFI are not limited to the items in the above 
list. Commenters may provide feedback on other factors they deem 
relevant to USAID's updating of sanctions-related award provisions and 
contract clauses.

Jami J. Rodgers,
Chief Acquisition Officer.
[FR Doc. 2024-19357 Filed 8-27-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6116-01-P