Organization of American States Revitalization and Reform Act of 2010

Organization of American States Revitalization and Reform Act of 2010 (Introduced in Senate)

S 3087 IS

111th CONGRESS

2d Session

S. 3087

To support revitalization and reform of the Organization of American States, and for other purposes.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

March 8, 2010

Mr. MENENDEZ (for himself and Mr. KERRY) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

A BILL

To support revitalization and reform of the Organization of American States, and for other purposes.

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 `Organization of American States Revitalization and Reform Act of 2010'.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

Congress makes the following findings:

(1) The Charter of the Organization of American States recognizes that--

(A) representative democracy is indispensable for the stability, peace, and development of the Western Hemisphere; and

(B) a purpose of the Organization of American States is to promote and consolidate representative democracy, with due respect for the principle of nonintervention;

(2) The United States supports the purposes and principles enshrined in--

(A) the Charter of the Organization of American States;

(B) the Inter-American Democratic Charter; and

(C) the American Declaration on the Rights and Duties of Man.

(3) The United States supports the Organization of American States in its efforts with member states to meet their commitments under the documents set forth in paragraph (2).

(4) Congress supports the Organization of American States as it operates in a manner consistent with its Charter and Articles 1, 3, and 7 of the Inter-American Democratic Charter, which state--

(A) `[t]he peoples of the Americas have a right to democracy and their governments have an obligation to promote and defend it', and that `[d]emocracy is essential for the social, political, and economic development of the peoples of the Americas';

(B) `[e]ssential elements of representative democracy include, inter alia, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, access to and the exercise of power in accordance with the rule of law, the holding of periodic, free, and fair elections based on secret balloting and universal suffrage as an expression of the sovereignty of the people, the pluralistic system of political parties and organizations, and the separation of powers and independence of the branches of government'; and

(C) `[d]emocracy is indispensable for the effective exercise of fundamental freedoms and human rights in their universality, indivisibility and interdependence, embodied in the respective constitutions of states and in inter-American and international human rights instruments'.

SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY.

It is the policy of the United States--

(1) to promote democracy and the rule of law throughout the Western Hemisphere;

(2) to promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms in the Western Hemisphere; and

(3) to support the practices, purposes, and principles expressed in the Charter of the Organization of American States, the American Declaration on the Rights and Duties of Man, the Inter-American Democratic Charter, and other fundamental instruments of democracy.

SEC. 4. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

It is the sense of Congress that--

(1) the Organization of American States (hereafter referred to as the `OAS') should be the primary multi-lateral diplomatic entity for regional dispute resolution and promotion of democratic governance and institutions;

(2) the Summit of the Americas institution and process embodies a valuable complement to regional dialogue and cooperation;

(3) the Summit of the Americas process should be formally and more effectively integrated into the work of the OAS, and the OAS should play a central role in overseeing and managing the Summit process;

(4) the OAS General Assembly and the Summit of the Americas events should be combined geographically and chronologically in the years in which they coincide;

(5) all contributing member states to the OAS would benefit from and should adopt a transparent, results-based, and deliberative budget process that is guided by International Public Sector Accounting Standards;

(6) to ensure an appropriate balance of priorities, the OAS should review its core functions at least annually and seek opportunities to reduce the number of other mandates;

(7) any changes to OAS mandates should only be accepted by the member states after the financial costs have been calculated and formally presented, and any new mandates should include a calculation of the financial costs and an identification of the source of funding, including if such funding is internal or external to the OAS;

(8) key OAS strengths lie in strengthening peace and security, promoting and consolidating representative democracy, regional dispute resolution, election assistance and monitoring, development promotion, and stewardship of the Inter-American Human Rights System;

(9) the core competencies referred to in paragraph (8) should remain central to the strategic planning process of the OAS and the consideration of future mandates;

(10) OAS member states would benefit from the OAS Permanent Council's implementation of a framework to establish--

(A) standard reporting requirements for each project and grant agreement, such as measurable goals and clear roles and responsibilities; and

(B) a process to ensure that agreements adhere to such requirements;

(11) all contributing OAS member states would benefit from the implementation of--

(A) transparent and merit-based human resource standards and processes; and

(B) transparent hiring standards and processes, including with respect to factors such as gender, national origin, and citizenship;

(12) the OAS is a valuable platform from which to launch initiatives aimed to benefit the countries of the Western Hemisphere;

(13) multi-lateral diplomacy is a critical component of United States foreign policy; and

(14) in order to foster a corps of diplomats skilled in this environment, service in multilateral assignments should be encouraged for and sought after by the best talent possible at the Department of State.

SEC. 5. ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES REVITALIZATION AND REFORM STRATEGY.

(a) Strategy-

(1) IN GENERAL- Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of the Organization of the American States Revitalization and Reform Strategy, the Secretary of State shall submit a multiyear strategy to the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives that--

(A) outlines a recommended approach to the OAS to encourage the adoption of--

(i) International Public Sector Accounting Standards;

(ii) a results-based budgeting process in order to strategically prioritize current and future mandates; and

(iii) transparent hiring practices; and

(B) reflects the inputs and coordination from other Executive Branch agencies, as appropriate.

(2) NOTIFICATION AND COORDINATION- The Secretary of State shall--

(A) proactively inform Executive Branch agencies about the role and importance of the OAS and encourage increased use of the OAS as a forum through which to publicize hemispheric initiatives and encourage increased use of the OAS as a forum through which to publicize hemispheric initiatives;

(B) promote donor coordination among OAS member states; and

(C) help set priorities for the OAS.

(b) Report- Not later than 1 year after the date on which the strategy is submitted under subsection (a), the Secretary of State shall submit a report to the committees referred to in subsection (a)(1) that analyzes the progress made by the Organization of American States--

(1) to adopt and implement International Public Sector Accounting Standards, a results-based budgeting process in order to strategically prioritize future mandates;

(2) to adopt and implement transparent and merit-based human resource standards and practices and transparent hiring standards and processes, including with respect to factors such as gender, national origin, and citizenship; and

(3) to adopt the practice of soliciting member quotas to be paid on a quarterly basis, without discounts, to improve the consistency of its operating budget.