22 U.S.C. § 2151u — Private and voluntary organizations and cooperatives in overseas development

(a) Congressional finding about the importance of participation by private and voluntary organizations Congress finds that activities planned and carried out by private and voluntary organizations and cooperatives can effectively help more rural and urban poor people participate in the development of their countries. These organizations and cooperatives reflect the American spirit of helping themselves and helping others improve their lives and incomes. They are an important way to mobilize private American money and people to benefit poor people in developing countries. Congress declares that it is in the United States’ interest for these organizations and cooperatives to expand their overseas development work without losing their private and independent character. Congress also declares that public funds should supplement the financial resources of these organizations and cooperatives. The public funds should be used for development activities consistent with section 2151–1, and, when necessary and decided case by case, to share the cost of developing programs related to those activities. Congress urges the Administrator of the agency mainly responsible for administering subchapter I of this chapter, when carrying out programs authorized under that subchapter, to use the resources of private and voluntary organizations and cooperatives to plan and carry out development activities. Congress also urges the Administrator to create simpler procedures for developing and approving programs carried out by organizations and cooperatives that have shown they can carry out effective development activities. This section does not define “private and voluntary organizations” or “cooperatives.” (b) Payment of transportation charges on shipments by the American National Red Cross and United States voluntary agencies To use United States voluntary contributions efficiently for developing, helping, and rehabilitating friendly peoples, the President may use funds made available for this part and part X of this subchapter to pay transportation charges on shipments made by the American National Red Cross and by United States voluntary agencies registered with the Agency for International Development. (c) Reimbursement for transportation charges Reimbursement under this section may cover transportation charges on shipments from United States ports to ports of entry or other points of entry abroad. If the United States supplies excess or surplus property from foreign ports, reimbursement may cover transportation charges to those ports or points of entry. This may be done when— (1) the country is landlocked; (2) ports cannot be used effectively because of natural or other disturbances; (3) carriers to a specified country are unavailable; or (4) using a point of entry other than a port would substantially save costs or time. (d) Arrangements with receiving country for free entry of shipments and local currency for transportation costs When practicable, the President must arrange with the receiving country for these shipments to enter free of charge. The President must also arrange for the country to make local currency available to pay the cost of transporting the shipments from that country’s port or point of entry to the consignee’s designated shipping point. (e) Continued support for programs in countries covered by later prohibitions; national-interest considerations; report to Congress A prohibition on assistance to a country in this chapter or another Act must not be read to prohibit assistance by the agency mainly responsible for administering subchapter I of this chapter for programs of private and voluntary organizations and cooperatives that were already being supported before the prohibition became applicable. In a case where a statutory prohibition would apply without this subsection, the President must consider whether continuing support for those programs is in the national interest of the United States. If the President continues that support after the prohibition’s effective date, the President must prepare and send, no later than one year after that date, a report to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the chair of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. The report must explain the reasons for continuing the support. (f) Funds for private and voluntary organizations For each fiscal year from 1986 through 1989, at least 13.5 percent of the total amount appropriated for that year to carry out sections 2151a(a), 2151b(b), 2151b(c), 2151c, 2151d, 2151s, and 2292 of this title must be made available for activities of private and voluntary organizations. The President must seek to direct at least 16 percent of that total amount to activities of private and voluntary organizations. Funds made available under part IV of subchapter II of this chapter for those activities may be counted when deciding whether these requirements are met. (g) This subsection has been repealed by Pub. L. 105–277, div. A, § 101(d) [title II], October 21, 1998, 112 Stat. 2681–150, 2681–156. (h) Promotion of democratic cooperatives Congress recognizes that, besides their role in social and economic development, cooperatives give people a chance to participate directly in democratic decision-making. Therefore, assistance under this part must be provided to rural and urban cooperatives that give large numbers of low- and middle-income people in developing countries a chance to participate directly in democratic decision-making. The assistance must be designed to encourage self-help, private-sector cooperative methods and practices that have succeeded in the United States.