Sec. 4. International cooperation
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It is the sense of Congress that global institutions, including the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), and the World Health Organization (WHO), together with leading nongovernmental organizations, veterinary colleges, and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), should promote the paradigm of One Health—the integration of human health, animal health, agriculture, ecosystems, and the environment as an effective and integrated way to address the complexity of emerging disease threats.
It is the policy of the United States to facilitate international cooperation by working with international partners and through intergovernmental, international, and nongovernmental organizations such as the United Nations to— lead a resolution at the United Nations Security Council or General Assembly and World Health Assembly outlining the danger to human and animal health from emerging zoonotic infectious diseases, with recommendations for implementing the worldwide closure of wildlife markets and the ending of the associated commercial trade of terrestrial wildlife that feed and supply those markets, except for in such countries or regions where the consumption of wildlife is necessary for local food security or where such actions would significantly disrupt a readily available and irreplaceable food supply; work with governments through existing treaties and the United Nations to develop a new protocol or agreement, and amend existing protocols or agreements, regarding stopping deforestation and other ecosystem destruction, closing commercial wildlife markets for human consumption, and end the associated commercial trade of terrestrial wildlife that feed and supply those markets while ensuring full consideration to the needs and rights of indigenous peoples and local communities that are dependent on wildlife for their food security, national sovereignty, and local laws and customs; disrupt and ultimately end the commercial international trade in terrestrial wildlife associated with wildlife markets and eliminate commercial wildlife markets; disrupt and ultimately eliminate wildlife trafficking associated with the operation of wildlife markets; raise awareness on the dangerous potential of wildlife markets as a source of zoonotic diseases such as the novel coronavirus that causes the disease COVID–19 and reduce demand for the consumption of wildlife through evidence-based behavior change programs while ensuring that existing wildlife habitat is not encroached upon or destroyed as part of this process; encourage and support alternate forms of food production, farming, and shifts to domestic animal- or plant-source foods instead of terrestrial wildlife where able and appropriate, and reduce consumer demand for terrestrial wildlife through enhanced local and national food systems, especially in areas where wildlife markets play a significant role in meeting subsistence needs while ensuring that existing wildlife habitat is not encroached upon or destroyed as part of this process; and strive to increase hygienic standards implemented in markets around the globe, especially those specializing in the sale of products intended for human consumption.
The United States Government, working through the United Nations and its components, as well as international organization such as Interpol and the World Organisation for Animal Health, and in furtherance of the policies described in subsection (b), shall— collaboratively with other member states, issue declarations, statements, and communiques urging a global ban on commercial wildlife markets and trade for human consumption; and urge increased enforcement of existing laws to end wildlife trafficking.
The Secretary of State shall seek to build international coalitions focused on ending commercial wildlife markets for human consumption and associated wildlife trade which feeds and supplies said markets, with a focus on the following efforts: Providing assistance and advice to other governments in the adoption of legislation and regulations to close wildlife markets and trade for human consumption. Creating economic pressure on wildlife markets and their supply chains to prevent their operation.
Providing assistance and guidance to other governments to prohibit the import, export, and domestic trade of live terrestrial wildlife for the purpose of human consumption. Engaging and receiving guidance from key stakeholders at the ministerial, local government, and civil society level in countries that will be impacted by this Act and where wildlife markets and associated wildlife trafficking is the predominant source of meat or protein, in order to mitigate the impact of any international efforts on local customs, conservation methods, or cultural norms.
The Secretary of State shall submit a report to the President if the Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Secretary of the Interior, and the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, finds that— a foreign country— continues to license or enable commercial wildlife markets; or does not enact regulations consistent with subsection
(b)to ultimately eliminate those markets; or nationals of a foreign country, based on credible evidence, are trafficking or otherwise moving commercial quantities of wildlife intended for human consumption. In administering this subparagraph, the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Secretary of the Interior, and the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, shall— periodically monitor the activities of foreign entities described in clause (i); promptly investigate any activity by foreign entities that, in the opinion of the Secretary, may be cause for reporting under clause (i); and promptly conclude, and reach a decision with respect to, any investigation commenced under subclause (II). Not later than 15 days after submitting a report to the President under clause (i), the Secretary of State shall transmit the report to Congress. After receiving a report under subparagraph (A)(i) with respect to a country, the President may impose such economic, diplomatic, or other penalties as the President considers appropriate with respect to that country or nationals of that country, including the following: The President may direct the Secretary of the Treasury to prohibit the importation into the United States of any articles from the country for such period of time as the President determines appropriate and to the extent that such prohibition is permitted by the World Trade Organization (as defined in section 2(8) of the Uruguay Round Agreements Act ( 19 U.S.C. 3501(8) )) or pursuant to the multilateral trade agreements (as defined in section 2(4) of the Uruguay Round Agreements Act ( 19 U.S.C. 3501(4) )). The President may direct the Secretary of State to deny a visa to, and the Secretary of Homeland Security to exclude from the United States, any national of the country described in subparagraph (A)(II). Subclause
(I)shall not apply with respect to an individual if admitting or paroling the individual into the United States is necessary— to permit the United States to comply with the Agreement regarding the Headquarters of the United Nations, signed at Lake Success June 26, 1947, and entered into force November 21, 1947, between the United Nations and the United States, or other applicable international obligations; or to carry out or assist law enforcement activity in the United States. The President may exercise all of the powers granted to the President under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act ( 50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) to the extent necessary to block and prohibit all transactions in property and interests in property of any national of the country described in subparagraph (A)(II), if such property and interests in property are in the United States, come within the United States, or are or come within the possession or control of a United States person. The President may work with international partners to prevent access to the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunications (commonly known as SWIFT ) network and other payment channels by any national of the country described in subparagraph (A)(II). Not later than 60 days after receiving a report under subparagraph (A)(i) with respect to a country— the President shall notify Congress of any action taken by the President pursuant to the report; and if the President decides not to direct the Secretary of the Treasury to prohibit the importation of terrestrial wildlife from the country, or directs the Secretary to prohibit the importation of less than all fish, wildlife, or related articles of the country, the President shall include in the notification required by clause
(i)a statement of the reasons for that decision. After submitting a report to the President under subparagraph (A)(i) with respect to a country, the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Secretary of the Interior, and the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, shall periodically, but not less frequently than every 2 years, review the actions of the country and nationals of the country to determine if the reasons for the finding of the Secretary under that subparagraph still exist. Upon making a determination under clause
(i)that the reasons for a finding under subparagraph (A)(i) with respect to a country no longer exist, the Secretary of State shall publish in the Federal Register notice of the determination and a statement of the facts on which the determination is based. In addition to any other amounts provided for such purposes, there is authorized to be appropriated $300,000,000 for each fiscal year from 2021 through 2030 to the United States Agency for International Development to reduce demand for consumption of wildlife from wildlife markets and support shifts to diversified alternative sources of food and protein in communities that rely upon the consumption of wildlife for food security while ensuring that existing wildlife habitat is not encroached upon or destroyed as part of this process. The Bureau for Economic Growth, Education, and Environment, the Bureau for Resilience and Food Security, and the Bureau for Global Health of the United States Agency for International Development shall, in partnership with United States institutions of higher education and nongovernmental organizations, co-develop approaches focused on safe, sustainable food systems that support and incentivize the replacement of terrestrial wildlife in diets while ensuring that existing wildlife habitat is not encroached upon or destroyed as part of this process. The Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development shall increase activities in USAID programs related to biodiversity, wildlife trafficking, sustainable landscape, global health, food security, and resilience in order to address the threats and causes of zoonotic disease outbreaks, including through— education; capacity building; strengthening human health surveillance systems for emergence of zoonotic disease, and strengthening cross-sectoral collaboration to align risk reduction approaches; improved domestic and wild animal disease surveillance and control at production and market levels; development of alternative livelihood opportunities where possible; conservation of intact ecosystems and reduction of fragmentation and conversion of natural habitats to prevent the creation of new pathways for zoonotic disease transmission; minimizing interactions between domestic livestock and wild animals in markets and captive production; and supporting shifts from wildlife markets to diversified, safe, affordable, and accessible protein such as domestic animal- and plant-source foods through enhanced local and national food systems while ensuring that existing wildlife habitat is not encroached upon or destroyed as part of this process. The Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development shall administer immediate relief funding to stabilize protected areas and conservancies. The Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence is encouraged to hire additional investigators to bolster capacity for investigations and sanctions focused on individuals engaged in the activities described in subsection (c)(3)(A). The Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, in collaboration with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, the United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, and other Federal entities as appropriate, is authorized to hire additional personnel— to undertake programs aimed at reducing the risks of endemic and emerging infectious diseases and exposure to antimicrobial resistant pathogens; to provide administrative support and resources to ensure effective and efficient coordination of funding opportunities and sharing of expertise from relevant USAID bureaus and programs, including emerging pandemic threats; to award funding to on-the-ground projects; to provide project oversight to ensure accountability and transparency in all phases of the award process; and to undertake additional activities under this Act. Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter until 2030, the Secretary of State shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report describing— the actions taken pursuant to this Act; the impact and effectiveness of international cooperation on ending the use and operation of wildlife markets; the impact and effectiveness of international cooperation on ending wildlife trafficking associated with wildlife markets; and the impact and effectiveness of international cooperation on ending the international trade in live terrestrial wildlife for human consumption as food or medicine. Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report— describing the actions taken pursuant to this Act; describing the impact and effectiveness of reducing demand for consumption of wildlife and associated wildlife markets; summarizing additional personnel hired with funding authorized under this Act, including the number hired in each bureau; and describing partnerships developed with other institutions of higher learning and nongovernmental organizations.
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