§ 2274 — Economic Assistance Coordination

(a) The Congress finds that participation by Central American countries in an effective forum for dialog on, and the continuous review and advancement of, Central America’s political, economic, and social development would foster cooperation between the United States and Central American countries. (b) It is the sense of the Congress that— (1) the President should enter into negotiations with the countries of Central America to establish a Central American Development Organization (hereafter in this section referred to as the “Organization”) to help provide a continuous and coherent approach to the development of the Central American region; and (2) the establishment of the Organization should be based upon the following principles: (A) Participation in the Organization should be open to the United States, other donors, and those Central American countries that commit themselves to, among other things, respecting internationally recognized human rights, building democracy, and encouraging equitable economic growth through policy reforms. (B) The Organization should be structured to include representatives from both the public and private sectors, including representatives from the labor, agriculture, and business communities. (C) The Organization should meet periodically to carry out the functions described in subparagraphs (D) and (E) of this paragraph and should be supported by a limited professional secretariat. (D) The Organization should make recommendations affecting Central American countries on such matters as— (i) political, economic, and social development objectives, including the strengthening of democratic pluralism and the safeguarding of internationally recognized human rights; (ii) mobilization of resources and external assistance needs; and (iii) reform of economic policies and structures. (E) The Organization should have the capacity for monitoring country performance on recommendations issued in accordance with subparagraph (D) of this paragraph and for evaluating progress toward meeting such country objectives. (F) To the maximum extent practicable, the United States should follow the recommendations of the Organization in disbursing bilateral economic assistance for any Central American country. No more than 75 percent of such United States assistance in any fiscal year should be disbursed until the recommendations of the Organization for that fiscal year have been made final and communicated to the donor countries. The limitation on disbursements contained in the preceding sentence should apply only to recommendations made final and communicated to donor countries prior to the fourth quarter of such fiscal year. The United States representative to the Organization should urge other donor countries to similarly implement the recommendations of the Organization. (G) The administrator of the agency primarily responsible for administering subchapter I of this chapter, or his designee, should represent the United States Government in the Organization and should carry out his functions in that capacity under the continuous supervision and general direction of the Secretary of State. (c) Subject to subsection (d)(2), the President is authorized to participate in the Organization. (1) The administrator of the agency primarily responsible for administering subchapter I of this chapter, under the supervision and direction of the Secretary of State, shall prepare a detailed proposal to carry out this section and shall keep the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate fully and currently informed concerning the development of this proposal. (2) The President shall transmit to the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate a copy of the text of any agreement, which he proposes to sign, that would provide for the establishment of and United States participation in the Organization no less than sixty days prior to his signature. During that sixty-day period there shall be full and formal consultations with and review by those committees in accordance with procedures applicable to reprogramming notifications pursuant to section 2394–1 of this title.