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Code · BILL · 115th Congress · H.R. 6503 (Introduced in House) — To authorize the President to provide assistance to the Governments of Haiti and Armenia to reverse the effects of de... · Sec. 101

Sec. 101. Forestation assistance

1,515 words·~7 min read·/bill/115/hr/6503/ih/section-101

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In accordance with section 118 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 ( 22 U.S.C. 2151p–1 ) and consistent with paragraph (2), the President is authorized to provide financial assistance, technology transfers, or capacity-building assistance to the Government of Haiti and to the Government of Armenia for activities to develop and implement 1 or more forestation proposals described in paragraph (2)— to reduce the deforestation of Haiti or Armenia; and to increase the rates of afforestation and reforestation in Haiti or Armenia.
Assistance may be provided under this section to the Government of Haiti and to the Government of Armenia to implement 1 or more proposals submitted by either country that contain— a description of each policy and initiative to be carried out with such assistance; adequate documentation to ensure, as determined by the President, that— each policy and initiative— will be carried out and managed in accordance with widely accepted, environmentally sustainable forestry and agricultural practices; and will be designed and implemented in a manner that improves the governance of forests by building local capacity to be transparent, inclusive, accountable, and coordinated in decision-making processes and the implementation of the policy or initiative; and the proposals will further establish and enforce legal regimes, standards, and safeguards designed to ensure that members of local communities in affected areas, as partners and primary stakeholders, will be engaged in the design, planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of the policies and initiatives; and a description of how the proposal supports and aids forest restoration efforts in accordance with the purpose set forth in section 2(b).
In evaluating each proposal submitted under subparagraph (A), the President shall ensure that each policy and initiative described in such proposal is compatible with— broader development, poverty alleviation, sustainable energy usage, and natural resource conservation objectives and initiatives in Haiti or in Armenia; the development, poverty alleviation, disaster risk management, and climate resilience programs of the United States Agency for International Development, including program involving technical support from the United States Forest Service; and activities of international organizations and multilateral development banks.
Any assistance received by the Government of Haiti or by the Government of Armenia under subsection (a)(1) shall be conditional upon the development and implementation of a proposal submitted under subsection (a)(2), which may include— the provision of technologies and associated support for activities to reduce deforestation or increase afforestation and reforestation rates, including— fire reduction initiatives; sustainable land use management initiatives; initiatives to increase agricultural productivity; forest law enforcement initiatives; the development of timber tracking systems; the development of cooking fuel substitutes; tree-planting initiatives; and programs that are designed to focus on market-based solutions to reduce deforestation and increase reforestation and afforestation, including programs that leverage the international carbon-offset market; the enhancement and expansion of governmental and nongovernmental institutional capacity to effectively design and implement a proposal developed under subsection (a)(2) through initiatives, including— the establishment of transparent, accountable, and inclusive decision-making processes relating to all stakeholders (including affected local communities); the promotion of enhanced coordination among ministries and agencies responsible for agro-ecological zoning, mapping, land planning and permitting, sustainable agriculture, forestry, mining, and law enforcement; and the clarification of land tenure and resource rights of affected communities, including local communities; the development and support of institutional capacity to measure, verify, and report the activities carried out by the Government of Haiti and by the Government of Armenia to reduce deforestation and increase afforestation and reforestation rates through the use of appropriate methods, including— the use of best practices and technologies to monitor land use change in Haiti and in Armenia, and changes in the extent of natural forest cover, protected areas, mangroves, agroforestry, and agriculture; the monitoring of the impacts of policies and initiatives on— affected communities; the biodiversity of the environment of Haiti and Armenia; and the health of the forests of Haiti and Armenia; and independent and participatory forest monitoring; and the development of and coordination with watershed restoration programs in Haiti and Armenia, including— agreements between the Government of Haiti or the Government of Armenia and nongovernmental organizations or private sector partners to provide technical assistance, capacity building, or technology transfers which support the environmental recovery of Haiti’s and Armenia’s watersheds through forest restoration activities if such assistance will— strengthen economic drivers of sustainable resource inventory mapping and management; reduce environmental vulnerability; or improve governance, planning, and community action of watersheds in Haiti and Armenia; actions to support economic incentives for sustainable resource management, including enhanced incentives for the replacement of annual hillside cropping with perennial and non-erosive production systems; enhanced extension services supporting the sustainable intensification of agriculture to increase farmer incomes and reduce pressure on degraded land; and investments in watershed infrastructure to reduce environmental vulnerability, including the establishment of appropriate erosion control measures through reforestation activities in targeted watersheds or sub-watersheds.
If the President provides assistance to the Government of Haiti or the Government of Armenia under subsection (a)(1), the President, in cooperation with such government, shall develop appropriate performance metrics to measure, verify, and report— the implementation of each policy and initiative to be carried out by the Government of Haiti or the Government of Armenia, as the case may be; the progress of each policy and initiative with respect to the forests of Haiti and Armenia; and impacts of reforestation policies and initiatives on the local communities of Haiti and Armenia.
Performance metrics developed under paragraph
(1)shall include, to the maximum extent practicable, short-term and long-term metrics to evaluate the implementation of each policy and initiative contained in each proposal developed under subsection (a)(2). Not later than 18 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the President shall submit a report to the appropriate committees of Congress that describes the actions the President has taken, or plans to take— to engage with the Government of Haiti and the Government of Armenia, nongovernmental stakeholders, civil society, and public and private nonprofit organizations to implement this section; and to enter into agreements with the Government of Haiti and with the Government of Armenia under subsection (a)(1). Not later than 2 years after the date on which the President first provides assistance to the Government of Haiti or the Government of Armenia under subsection (a)(1), and biennially thereafter, the President shall submit a report to the appropriate committees of Congress that describes the progress made by the Government of Haiti and by the Government of Armenia in implementing each policy and initiative contained in the proposal submitted by each such government under subsection (a)(2). The President is authorized to provide financial and other assistance to the Government of Haiti, the Government of Armenia, local government bodies, or nongovernmental organizations— to provide information to local communities relating to each policy and initiative to be carried out by the Government of Haiti or by the Government of Armenia with assistance made available under subsection (a)(1); to promote effective participation by local communities in the design, implementation, and independent monitoring of each policy and initiative; to promote, in support of sustainable forestation activities, enhanced watershed governance, national planning, and community action programs that increase— the development of national watershed management policies for Haiti and for Armenia by the appropriate government ministries and agencies; the establishment of an effective forum for donor coordination related to management and reforestation in Haiti and Armenia; support for the Centre National de l’Information Géo-Spatiale (CNIGS), the Center for Ecological-Noosphere Studies (CENS), and the United States Forest Service to provide technology, data, and monitoring support for improved watershed and forest resource management at a national scale in Haiti and in Armenia; and development of effective governance structures in Haiti and in Armenia for stakeholder engagement, coordination of approaches, land use planning, and disaster mitigation at the watershed scale; and to meet the goals of this Act. If the President determines that the goals of this Act are not being appropriately and efficiently met with the assistance provided under this section, the President may terminate such assistance to either the Government of Haiti or the Government of Armenia, as appropriate. Not less than 85 percent of amounts provided for programs under this section shall be spent on actual reforestation activities in Haiti and Armenia, which may include the protection of reforested areas. The authority under this section shall terminate on the date that is 10 years after the date of the enactment of this Act, or the date that is 10 years after an extension under paragraph (2), unless the President certifies to the appropriate committees of Congress that— effective and sustainable programs are in place through the Government of Haiti, the Government of Armenia, or local governments in Haiti or in Armenia, in potential partnership with international donors, nongovernmental organizations, or civil society groups, to protect and manage areas reforested with assistance provided under this Act; and additional time is necessary to accomplish the goals of this Act. If a certification is made under paragraph (1), the authority under this section shall be extended for an additional 10-year term. Not more than 2 extensions are permitted under this paragraph.
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  • 22 USC 2151p–1
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Sec. 101
Forestation assistance
Cite22 USC 2151p–1
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