Sec. 309. Commemorating the International Decade for People of African Descent
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The Secretary shall— support the establishment of a second United Nations International Decade for People of African Descent, which would cover the period from 2025 to 2034; proactively support and advance the United Nations declaration on the promotion and full respect of the human rights of people of African descent; support the United Nations Expert Mechanism to Advance Racial Justice and Equality in Law Enforcement and funding to combat racial discrimination worldwide; support the expansion of current efforts by the United Nations, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the Organization of American States, and other international organizations to address the human rights situation of people of African descent by supporting efforts to uphold their human dignity and equality and promoting societal reconciliation and healing; and in cooperation with civil society, including African-descent communities, academics, activists, businesses, and philanthropic organizations, develop and implement domestic and global strategies to execute the goals and ideals of the second International Decade for People of African Descent and combat racism, including by expanding the transformative work of the Department of State’s Race, Ethnicity, and Social Inclusion Unit.
There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary, for each of the fiscal years 2025 through 2034, $1,500,000 for the development of activities, including grants, to commemorate the second International Decade for People of African Descent for the 10-year period beginning on January 1, 2025. Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall establish— the People of African Descent Fund, to which private donations may be accepted from sources approved by the Secretary for the purposes of providing United States civil society grants for innovative empowerment initiatives for African descent populations focused on economic growth, entrepreneurship, education, science and technology, health, human rights, and preservation and management of natural resources; and an international scholars program to research, archive, and exhibit the contributions of African Americans in international affairs, including the contributions of Members of Congress, utilizing the Ralph J.
Bunche Library and other reputable archives and resources, including the Smithsonian Institution, the Library of Congress, the Moorland-Spingarn Research Center at Howard University, the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture at the New York Public Library, and libraries and archives at Historically Black Colleges and Universities. In selecting grant recipients pursuant to subsection (b)(2), the Secretary shall give special emphasis, to the extent possible, to initiatives led by members of African descent populations in the United States, including providing technical assistance and capacity-building measures to Historically Black Colleges and Universities to secure and implement grants under this section.
Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter for the following 11 years, the Secretary shall submit a report to the appropriate congressional committees that describes the activities undertaken to implement subsection (a).