[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 39, Number 39 (Monday, September 29, 2003)]
[Pages 1266-1268]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Executive Order 13317--Volunteers for Prosperity

September 25, 2003

    By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and 
the laws of the

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United States of America, and in order to encourage volunteer service by 
highly skilled Americans to support major initiatives by the United 
States for promoting health and prosperity around the world, it is 
hereby ordered as follows:
    Section 1. (a) Policy. A part of USA Freedom Corps, ``Volunteers for 
Prosperity'' is a call to service to support major U.S. initiatives that 
promote health and prosperity around the world. Deploying highly skilled 
volunteers abroad is an efficient way to use our resources consistent 
with the objectives of the United States Government's global prosperity 
agenda. United States volunteers will help to achieve the objectives of 
the global prosperity agenda, including providing clean water to the 
poor, promoting democratic governance, developing economic freedom, 
promoting free and open markets, and stemming the spread of HIV/AIDS.
    The investment of Federal resources to enable U.S. volunteers to 
work with nongovernmental and voluntary service organizations overseas 
is a preferred use of our resources and also will help leverage private 
sector resources. United States citizens who are skilled professionals 
and who volunteer, when matched with organizations working on specific 
U.S. prosperity initiatives overseas, can provide invaluable support for 
these initiatives and will supplement and complement the traditions and 
accomplishments of the Peace Corps.
    United States prosperity initiatives that can benefit from volunteer 
service include, but are not limited to, the Emergency Plan for AIDS 
Relief, the Digital Freedom Initiative, the Water for the Poor 
Initiative, the Trade for African Development and Enterprise Initiative, 
and the Middle East Partnership Initiative.
    Volunteer service in support of other initiatives, consistent with 
U.S. foreign policy, shall be considered as well.
    (b) Applicability. The following agencies are subject to the 
requirements of this order: the United States Agency for International 
Development (USAID), the Department of State, the Department of 
Commerce, the Department of Health and Human Services, and such other 
Federal agencies as the President may designate in the future.
    Sec. 2. Establishment. (a) Agencies subject to this order shall each 
establish within their respective organizations an Office for Volunteers 
for Prosperity (Office) or, as appropriate, an operating unit within an 
office.
    (b) Each agency subject to this order shall provide its Office or 
unit with appropriate staff, administrative support, and resources to 
meet its responsibilities under this order.
    (c) Each of these Offices or units shall begin operations no later 
than 30 days from the date of this order.
    (d) Agencies subject to this order shall consider, in evaluating 
grant applications for assistance activities to be implemented abroad, 
the applicant's use of highly skilled U.S. volunteers to support U.S. 
prosperity objectives and initiatives.
    Sec. 3. Purpose. To the extent permitted by law, the purpose of the 
Offices will be to promote, expand, and enhance well-defined volunteer 
service opportunities for highly skilled U.S. professionals who wish to 
work with nongovernmental and voluntary service organizations around the 
world in support of major U.S. prosperity initiatives as identified in 
section 1 of this order. Such promotion, expansion, and enhancement 
would include actively participating in the design and selection 
processes for grants within their agencies, tracking the use of U.S. 
private volunteer organizations by their agencies, and coordinating with 
White House Offices including the USA Freedom Corps, the Office of 
National AIDS Policy, and the Office of Faith-Based and Community 
Initiatives, as appropriate.
    Sec. 4. Funding. Agencies subject to this order are hereby directed 
to use their best efforts to use funds available for the U.S. prosperity 
initiatives listed in section 1 of this order to provide appropriate 
support to organizations that use highly skilled U.S. volunteers to 
accomplish the objectives identified in those initiatives.
    Sec. 5. Coordination. The USAID shall serve as the inter-agency 
coordinator for the Volunteers for Prosperity initiative. In that 
capacity, the USAID shall coordinate the activities that fall within the 
scope of the initiative and report on the progress of the initiative to 
the USA Freedom Corps Office, within the White House Office. The reports 
shall

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be submitted within 180 days after the date of this order and annually 
thereafter. The USA Freedom Corps Council shall encourage consistency in 
policies and practices within the agencies subject to this order, as 
appropriate, for purposes related to the Volunteers for Prosperity 
initiative.
    Sec. 6. Administration. The actions directed by this order shall be 
carried out subject to the availability of appropriations, to the extent 
permitted by law, and consistent with the agencies' missions.
    Sec. 7. Judicial Review. This order is intended only to improve the 
internal management of the executive branch of the Federal Government, 
and it is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, 
substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity, against the 
United States, its departments, agencies, or other entities, its 
officers or employees, or any other person.
                                                George W. Bush
The White House,
September 25, 2003.

[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 8:45 a.m., September 29, 
2003]

Note: This Executive order will be published in the Federal Register on 
September 30.