Sec. 202. Multilateral leadership and assistance to international organizations
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It shall be the policy of the United States— to elevate the role of multilateral institutions in leading a robust international response to COVID–19 by undertaking a range of actions at the United Nations, and by providing timely financial support to United Nations agencies responding to the pandemic; and to provide United States assistance to the United Nations COVID–19 Global Humanitarian Response Plan, launched March 25, 2020, and engage other donor governments to increase funding for the United Nation’s effort to combat COVID–19 in the world's poorest and most vulnerable countries.
In carrying out the policy under section (a), the President shall direct the United States Permanent Representative to the United Nations to use the voice, vote, and influence of the United States at the United Nations to— introduce a United Nations Security Council resolution to declare COVID–19 and all pandemics a threat to international peace and security and to require member states to address this threat by aligning their health preparedness frameworks with international best practices and those established by the GHSA to improve country capacity to prevent, detect, and respond to infectious disease threats; ensure that the World Health Organization plays an effective role in aligning member countries around a single strategic operating plan to detect, contain, treat, and deter the further spread of COVID–19; and mandate the Director-General of the World Health Organization to commission an interim assessment, to be conducted by a panel of outside independent experts and presented at the World Health Assembly in May 2021, on all aspects of the World Health Organization's response to the COVID–19 pandemic, starting from the onset of the outbreak of COVID–19, including— the functioning of the International Health Regulations
(2005)and recommendations for their improvement to ensure transparency and the development of core capacities to prevent, detect and respond to infectious disease outbreaks; resource mobilization in response to COVID–19 and funding of the World Health Organization Emergencies Program in general; and emergency response actions taken at all three levels of the World Health Organization in response to COVID–19. Congress makes the following findings: The World Health Organization is the leading international body spearheading the global public health response to the COVID–19 pandemic, conducts vital work that saves millions of lives every year, and serves an important convening, policy and coordinating role. On April 14, 2020, President Donald J. Trump announced a suspension of further funding to the World Health Organization while the Administration conducts a review of United States funding to the organization. The President’s decision to suspend funding to the World Health Organization in the midst of global pandemic risks— interruptions to life-saving activities such as measles and polio vaccinations, HIV testing, newborn and maternal support, and various other global health and research activities; and increasing direct financial and economic cost to United States taxpayers when and if we must confront such challenges as dealing with a global pandemic alone. The President's retreat from the World Health Organization and other multilateral institutions erodes the ability of the United States to shape developments that are positive for the United States within the international system and leaves a vacuum in which other countries with interests counter to United States interests gain influence. It is the sense of Congress that the United States Government should— immediately restore funding to the World Health Organization; and continue to use its influence to shape the policies and practices of the Organization. Not later than 30 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the President shall, through the Secretary of State— provide the World Health Organization with all necessary amounts to address its arrears from fiscal year 2019; release undisbursed fiscal year 2020 assessed dues to the World Health Organization; and release all voluntary funds currently being withheld from the World Health Organization. Not later than 60 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, shall provide the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives a report detailing the criteria and factors considered by the United States Government in reviewing its funding contributions to the World Health Organization and the effect of the review on pandemic response and global health activities. The report required under subparagraph
(A)shall include— a complete description of all criteria and benchmarks used to determine whether to restart, redirect, end, or alter United States contributions to the World Health Organization, and the weight given to each criteria or benchmark; an explanation of all steps taken to conduct this review, including the key officials who led the review and the agencies involved; a description of all information requested and obtained from the World Health Organization that the United States used to conduct this review; a summary of the findings and recommendations produced during the review; the total amount of funds suspended, withheld, or redirected, as compared to the amounts the United States had planned to send to the World Health Organization as of January 1, 2020; a complete list and description of all entities and initiatives that received any redirected funds; a complete list and description of each exception, change, or carve-out to the announced suspension of funds to the World Health Organization, including a justification for each such exception; and an analysis of the effects the suspension of United States contributions to the World Health Organization had on the global COVID–19 response, World Health Organization global health activities, and United States Government engagement with the World Health Organization. Congress makes the following findings: The Pan American Health Organization is the premier multilateral health agency for the Americas and implements programs to— facilitate technical cooperation with its member countries to strengthen health systems and public health standards; address communicable and noncommunicable diseases and their causes; and respond to public health related emergencies in the region. The United States currently is in arrears to the Pan American Health Organization for approximately $61,000,000 from fiscal year 2019 and has dues of an estimated $49,500,000 for fiscal year 2020. It is the sense of Congress that the United States should immediately settle its arrears with the Pan American Health Organization from fiscal year 2019 and provide its assessed contributions for fiscal year 2020 in an expeditious manner in order to strengthen the Pan American Health Organization’s response to the COVID–19 pandemic in Latin America and the Caribbean. Not later than 30 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall provide the Pan American Health Organization with all necessary amounts to address its arrears from fiscal year 2019 and fiscal year 2020. The Secretary of State and the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall— take all necessary steps to ensure that United States assessed contributions and voluntary contributions to the Pan American Health Organization are used for their intended purposes; take all necessary steps to ensure that the Pan American Health Organization, which serves as the regional office of the World Health Organization, maintains the World Health Organization’s Global Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Personnel, which was adopted by the World Health Assembly in May 2010, including adherence to the guiding principles listed in Article 3 of the Code, which urge Member States to promote and respect fair labour practices for all health personnel ; refer any matters that do not comply with the actions set forth in subparagraphs
(A)and
(B)to the Pan American Health Organization’s Integrity and Conflict Management System and the World Health Organization’s Office of Internal Oversight Services; and provide written notification and summary to the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives of any referral made pursuant to subparagraph
(C)within 15 days of any such notification. There is authorized to be appropriated to the President $2,186,980,000 for fiscal year 2021 for necessary expenses, not otherwise provided for, to carry out the provisions of section 301 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 ( 22 U.S.C. 2221 ), and to meet annual obligations of membership in international multilateral organizations, pursuant to treaties ratified pursuant to the advice and consent of the Senate, conventions, or specific Acts of Congress. Not later than 60 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, amounts authorized to be appropriated pursuant to subparagraph
(A)under the headings Contributions to International Organizations and International Organizations and Programs shall be made available to the Department of State. In addition to amounts otherwise available for the payment of assessed contributions to international organizations and contributions for international peacekeeping activities, there is authorized to be appropriated, notwithstanding any other provision of law, such sums as may be necessary to pay United States arrears to the United Nations and United Nations specialized agencies recognized by the United States. There is authorized to be appropriated to the President for the purposes of contributing directly to the United Nations COVID–19 Humanitarian Response Plan, $500,000,000 for fiscal year 2021 to carry out section 491 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 ( 22 U.S.C. 2292 ), in addition to funds otherwise appropriated or made available for such purpose.
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Sec. 202
Multilateral leadership and assistance to international organizations
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