[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1590 Introduced in House (IH)]
108th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 1590
To enhance United States leadership and the functioning of
international organizations and multilateral institutions.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
April 3, 2003
Mr. Lantos (for himself and Mr. Dreier) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on International Relations
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To enhance United States leadership and the functioning of
international organizations and multilateral institutions.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``United States International
Leadership Act of 2003''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
The Congress makes the following findings:
(1) International organizations and other multilateral
institutions play a key role in United States foreign policy
and serve key United States foreign policy objectives, such as
obligating all countries to freeze assets of terrorist groups,
preventing the proliferation of chemical, biological and
nuclear weapons, and spearheading the fight to combat the
ravages of HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases.
(2) Decisions at many international organizations,
including membership and key positions, remain subject to
determinations made by regional groups where democratic states
are often in the minority and where there is intensive
cooperation among repressive regimes. As a result, the United
States has often been blocked in its attempts to take action in
these institutions to advance its goals and objectives,
including at the United Nations Human Rights Commission (where
a representative of Libya was elected as chairman and the
United States temporarily lost a seat).
(3) In order to address these shortcomings, the United
States must actively work to improve the workings of
international organizations and multilateral institutions,
particularly by creating a caucus of democratic countries that
will advance United States interests. In the Second Ministerial
Conference of the Community of Democracies in Seoul, Korea, on
November 10-20, 2002, numerous countries recommended working
together as a democracy caucus in international organizations
such as the United Nations and ensuring that international and
regional institutions develop and apply democratic standards
for member states.
(4) In addition, the United States has shortchanged its
ability to influence these organizations by failing to obtain
enough support for positions that are congruent to or
consistent with United States objectives and has not done
enough to build expertise in the United States Government in
the area of multilateral diplomacy.
SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF A DEMOCRACY CAUCUS.
(a) In General.--The President of the United States, acting through
the Secretary of State and the relevant United States chiefs of
mission, shall seek to establish a democracy caucus at the United
Nations, the United Nations Human Rights Commission, the United Nations
Conference on Disarmament, and at other broad-based international
organizations.
(b) Purposes of the Caucus.--A democracy caucus at an international
organization should--
(1) forge common positions, including, as appropriate, at
the ministerial level, on matters of concern before the
organization and work within and across regional lines to
promote agreed positions;
(2) work to revise an increasingly outmoded system of
regional voting and decision making; and
(3) set up a rotational leadership scheme to provide member
states an opportunity, for a set period of time, to serve as
the designated president of the caucus, responsible for serving
as its voice in each organization.
SEC. 4. ANNUAL DIPLOMATIC MISSIONS ON MULTILATERAL ISSUES.
The Secretary of State, acting through the principal officers
responsible for advising the Secretary on international organizations,
shall ensure that a high-level delegation from the United States
Government, on an annual basis, is sent to consult with key foreign
governments in every region in order to promote the United States
agenda at key international fora, such as the United Nations General
Assembly, United Nations Human Rights Commission, the United Nations
Education, Science, and Cultural Organization, and the International
Whaling Commission.
SEC. 5. LEADERSHIP AND MEMBERSHIP OF INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS.
The President, acting through the Secretary of State and the
relevant United States chiefs of mission, shall use the voice, vote,
and influence of the United States to--
(1) where appropriate, reform the criteria for leadership
and, in appropriate cases for membership, at all United Nations
bodies and at other international organizations and
multilateral institutions to which the United States is a
member so as to exclude nations that violate the principles of
the specific organization;
(2) make it a policy of the United Nations and other
international organizations and multilateral institutions, in
which the United States is a member, that a member state may
not stand in nomination or be in rotation for a leadership
position in such bodies if such member state is subject to
sanctions imposed by the United Nations Security Council; and
(3) work to ensure that no member state stand in nomination
or be in rotation for a leadership position in such
organizations if such member state is subject to a
determination under section 620A of the Foreign Assistance Act
of 1961, section 40 of the Arms Export Control Act, or section
6(j) of the Export Administration Act.
SEC. 6. INCREASED TRAINING IN MULTILATERAL DIPLOMACY.
(a) Training Programs.--Section 708 of the Foreign Service Act (22
U.S.C. 4028) is amended by adding after subsection (b) the following
new subsection:
``(c) Training in Multilateral Diplomacy.--
``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall establish a series
of training courses for officers of the Service, including
appropriate chiefs of mission, on the conduct of diplomacy at
international organizations and other multilateral institutions
and at broad-based multilateral negotiations of international
instruments.
``(2) Particular programs.--The Secretary shall ensure that
the training described in paragraph (1) is provided at various
stages of the career of members of the Service. In particular,
the Secretary shall ensure that after January 1, 2004--
``(A) officers of the Service receive training on
the conduct of diplomacy at international organizations
and other multilateral institutions and at broad-based
multilateral negotiations of international instruments
as part of their training upon entry of the service;
and
``(B) officers of the Service, including chiefs of
mission, who are assigned to United States missions
representing the United States to international
organizations and other multilateral institutions or
who are assigned in Washington, D.C. to positions that
have as their primary responsibility formulation of
policy towards such organizations and institutions or
towards participation in broad-based multilateral
negotiations of international instruments receive
specialized training in the areas described in
paragraph (1) prior to beginning of service for such
assignment or, if receiving such training at that time
is not practical, within the first year of beginning
such assignment.''.
(b) Training for Civil Service Employees.--The Secretary shall
ensure that employees of the Department of State that are members of
the civil service and that are assigned to positions described in
section 708(c) of the Foreign Service Act (as amended by this Act) have
training described in such section.
(c) Conforming Amendments.--Section 708 of such Act is further
amended--
(1) in subsection (a) by striking ``(a) The'' and inserting
``(a) Training on Human Rights.--The''; and
(2) in subsection (b) by striking ``(b) The'' and inserting
``(b) Training on Refugee Law and Religious Persecution.--
The''.
SEC. 7. PROMOTING ASSIGNMENTS TO INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS.
(a) Promotions.--
(1) In general.--Section 603(b) of the Foreign Service Act
of 1980 (22 U.S.C. 4003) is amended by striking the period at
the end and inserting the following: ``, and shall consider
whether the member of the Service has served in a position
whose primary responsibility is to formulate policy towards or
represent the United States at an international organization, a
multilateral institution, or a broad-based multilateral
negotiation of an international instrument.''.
(2) Effective date.--The amendment made by paragraph (1)
shall take effect January 1, 2010.
(b) Establishment of a Multilateral Diplomacy Cone in The Foreign
Service.--
(1) Findings.--
(A) The Department of State maintains a number of
United States missions both within the United States
and abroad that are dedicated to representing the
United States to international organizations and
multilateral institutions, including missions in New
York, Brussels, Geneva, Rome, Montreal, Nairobi,
Vienna, and Paris, which will soon be responsible for
United States representation to UNESCO and OECD.
(B) In offices at the Harry S. Truman Building, the
Department maintains a significant number of positions
in bureaus that are either dedicated, or whose primary
responsibility is, to represent the United States to
such organizations and institutions or at multilateral
negotiations.
(C) Given the large number of positions in the
United States and abroad that are dedicated to
multilateral diplomacy, the Department of State may be
well served in developing persons with specialized
skills necessary to become experts in this unique form
of diplomacy.
(2) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the
appropriate congressional committees a report--
(A) evaluating whether a new cone should be
established for the Foreign Service that concentrates
on members of the Service that serve at international
organizations and multilateral institutions or are
primarily responsible for participation in broad-based
multilateral negotiations of international instruments;
and
(B) provides alternative mechanisms for achieving
the objective of developing a core group of United
States diplomats and other government employees who
have expertise and broad experience in conducting
multilateral diplomacy.
SEC. 8. IMPLEMENTATION AND ESTABLISHMENT OF OFFICE ON MULTILATERAL
NEGOTIATIONS.
(a) Establishment of Office.--The Secretary of State is authorized
to establish, within the Bureau of International Organizational
Affairs, an Office on Multilateral Negotiations to be headed by a
Special Representative for Multilateral Negotiations (in this section
referred to as the ``special representative'').
(b) Appointment.--The special representative shall be appointed by
the President with the advice and consent of the Senate and shall have
the rank of Ambassador-at-Large. At the discretion of the President
another official at the Department may serve as the special
representative. The President may direct that the special
representative report to the Assistant Secretary for International
Organizations.
(c) Staffing.--The special representative shall have a staff of
foreign service and civil service officers skilled in multilateral
diplomacy.
(d) Duties.--The special representative shall have the following
responsibilities:
(1) In general.--The primary responsibility of the special
representative shall be to assist in the organization of, and
preparation for, United States participation in multilateral
negotiations, including the advocacy efforts undertaken by the
Department of State and other United States agencies.
(2) Advisory Role.--The special representative shall advise
the President and the Secretary of State, as appropriate,
regarding advocacy at international organizations and
multilateral institutions and negotiations and, in coordination
with the Assistant Secretary of State for International
Organizational Affairs, shall make recommendations regarding--
(A) effective strategies (and tactics) to achieve
United States policy objectives at multilateral
negotiations;
(B) the need for and timing of high level
intervention by the President, the Secretary of State,
the Deputy Secretary of State, and other United States
officials to secure support from key foreign government
officials for the United States position at such
organizations, institutions, and negotiations;
(C) the composition of United States delegations to
multilateral negotiations; and
(D) liaison with Congress, international
organizations, nongovernmental organizations, and the
private sector on matters affecting multilateral
negotiations.
(3) Democracy caucus.--The special representative, in
coordination with the Assistant Secretary for International
Organizational Affairs, shall ensure the establishment of a
democracy caucus (described in section 3).
(4) Annual diplomatic missions of multilateral issues.--The
special representative, in coordination with the Assistant
Secretary for International Organizational Affairs, shall
organize annual consultations between the principal officers
responsible for advising the Secretary of State on
international organizations and foreign governments to promote
the United States agenda at the United Nations General Assembly
and other key international fora (such as the United Nations
Human Rights Commission) as described in section 4.
(5) Leadership and membership of international
organizations.--The special representative, in coordination
with the Assistant Secretary of International Organizational
Affairs, shall direct the efforts of the United States
Government to reform the criteria for leadership and membership
of international organizations as described in section 5.
(6) Participation in multilateral negotiations.--The
special representative, or members of the special
representative's staff, may, as required by the President or
the Secretary of State, serve on a United States delegation to
any multilateral negotiation.
(e) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall submit a plan to
establish a democracy caucus (described in section 3) to the Committee
on International Relations of the House of Representatives and the
Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate. The report required by
section 7(c) may be submitted together with the report under this
subsection.
SEC. 9. SYNCHRONIZATION OF UNITED STATES CONTRIBUTIONS TO INTERNATIONAL
ORGANIZATIONS.
Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this
Act, the President shall submit a plan to the appropriate congressional
committees on the implementation of section 404 of the Foreign
Relations Authorization Act of 2003 (Public Law 107-228), (relating to
a resumption by the United States of the payment of its full
contribution to certain international organizations at the beginning of
each calendar year).
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