Sec. 303. Strengthening public diplomacy efforts with geographically remote and underserved communities overseas

243 words·~1 min read·/bill/118/s/5581/is/section-303

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Not later than 60 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs shall develop a strategy for updating the annual Public Diplomacy Implementation Plan that— increases overseas outreach and engagement with geographically remote and underserved populations, with the goal of increasing participants from remote regions and underserved populations in United States programs; increases direct funding to enable public diplomacy officers and locally employed staff to expand travel to geographically remote and underserved regions in foreign countries to support expanded outreach; provides additional support for program candidates and applicants from remote areas to attend interviews and participate in application processes; provides additional funding for translation, subtitling, and interpretation services to expand audience participation in embassy program and outreach events, such as lectures, films, and cultural events; improves physical accessibility and incorporates other accessibility tools at established and future American Spaces for individuals with disabilities; increases access to English language training for potential and current program applicants to increase opportunities for participation in United States-based educational or professional training programs; develops and standardizes grant proposal development skills training programs for new implementing partners in hard-to-reach and underserved communities; and increases diverse representation in mid-career and senior public diplomacy officers and locally employed staff.

The Under Secretary shall— submit the strategy developed pursuant to subsection

(a)to the appropriate congressional committees; and make such strategy available to the public, to the extent practicable.