Sec. 6. Foreign assistance to protect human rights of LGBTI people
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/bill/116/hr/3874/ih/section-6A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
The Secretary of State shall establish a fund, to be known as the Global Equality Fund , to be managed by the Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, consisting of such sums as may be appropriated to provide grants, emergency assistance, and technical assistance to eligible civil society organizations and human rights defenders working to advance and protect human rights for all including LGBTI persons, by seeking to achieve the following: Ensuring the freedoms of assembly, association, and expression.
Protecting persons or groups against the threat of violence, including medically unnecessary interventions performed on intersex infants. Advocating against laws that criminalize LGBTI status, expression, or conduct or discriminate against individuals on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, or sex characteristics. Ending explicit and implicit forms of discrimination in the workplace, housing, education, and other public institutions or services. Building community awareness and support for the human rights of LGBTI persons.
The Secretary may accept financial and technical contributions from corporations, bilateral donors, foundations, nongovernmental organizations, and other entities supporting the outcomes described in paragraph
(1), through the Global Equality Fund. In providing assistance through the Global Equality Fund, the Secretary shall ensure due consideration and appropriate prioritization of assistance to groups that have historically been excluded from programs undertaken for the outcomes described in paragraph
(1). The Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, in consultation with the Secretary of State, shall establish a partnership, to be known as the LGBTI Global Development Partnership , to leverage the financial and technical contributions of corporations, bilateral donors, foundations, nongovernmental organizations, and universities to support the human rights and development of LGBTI persons around the world by supporting programs, projects, and activities for the following purposes: To strengthen the capacity of LGBTI leaders and civil society organizations. To train LGBTI leaders to effectively participate in democratic processes and lead civil institutions. To conduct research to inform national, regional, or global policies and programs. To promote economic empowerment through enhanced LGBTI entrepreneurship and business development. In coordinating programs, projects, and activities through the Global Equality Fund or the Global Development Partnership, the Secretary of State shall consult, as appropriate, with the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development and the heads of other relevant Federal departments and agencies. The Secretary of State shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees an annual report on the work of, successes obtained, and challenges faced by the Global Equality Fund and the LGBTI Global Development Partnership established in accordance with this section. None of the amounts authorized to be appropriated or otherwise made available to provide United States assistance for any humanitarian, development, or global health programs may be made available to any contractor, grantee, or implementing partner, unless such recipient— ensures that the program, project, or activity funded by such amounts are made available to all elements of the population, except to the extent that such program, project, or activity targets a population because of the higher assessed risk of negative outcomes among such populations; undertakes to make every reasonable effort to ensure that each subcontractor or subgrantee of such recipient will also adhere to the requirement described in subparagraph (A); and agrees to return all amounts awarded or otherwise provided by the United States, including such additional penalties as the Secretary of State may determine to be appropriate, if the recipient is not able to adhere to the requirement described in subparagraph (A). The Secretary of State shall provide to the appropriate congressional committees a quarterly report on the methods by which the Department monitors compliance with the requirement in paragraph (1)(A).