Title 22 — Foreign Relations and IntercourseRelease 119-73not60

§10605 Safeguards and Accountability

Title 22 › Chapter 113— UNITED STATES FOUNDATION FOR INTERNATIONAL CONSERVATION › § 10605

Last updated Apr 5, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Foundation must create and include clear environmental and social safeguards, policies, and guidelines in any support it gives. These must follow U.S. law and accepted best practices. The Secretary, or a person the Secretary appoints, must set up an independent, public accountability system with three jobs: check that Foundation-supported projects follow the safeguards, resolve and fix complaints between people harmed and project teams, and advise the Board about projects and policies. That system must report each year to the Board and the right congressional committees about compliance and complaints, have permanent staff led by an independent accountability official and a roster of experts as needed, and hold at least a 60-day public comment period on its initial design. The Foundation must also have a senior ombudsman who provides confidential, neutral help to anyone affected by its activities. The Secretary must review the Foundation’s assistance at least once a year to ensure it matches section 2378d and implements section 10602(b).

Full Legal Text

Title 22, §10605

Foreign Relations and Intercourse — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)The Foundation shall develop, and incorporate into any agreement for support provided by the Foundation, appropriate safeguards, policies, and guidelines, consistent with United States law and best practices and standards for environmental and social safeguards.

(b)(1)The Secretary, or the Secretary’s designee, shall establish a transparent and independent accountability mechanism, consistent with best practices, which shall provide—

(A)a compliance review function that assesses whether Foundation-supported projects adhere to the requirements developed pursuant to subsection (a);

(B)a dispute resolution function for resolving and remedying concerns between complainants and project implementers regarding the impacts of specific Foundation-supported projects with respect to such standards; and

(C)an advisory function that reports to the Board on projects, policies, and practices.

(2)The accountability mechanism shall—

(A)report annually to the Board and the appropriate congressional committees regarding the Foundation’s compliance with best practices and standards in accordance with paragraph (1)(A) and the nature and resolution of any complaint;

(B)(i)have permanent staff, led by an independent accountability official, to conduct compliance reviews and dispute resolutions and perform advisory functions; and

(ii)maintain a roster of experts to serve such roles, to the extent needed; and

(C)hold a public comment period lasting not fewer than 60 days regarding the initial design of the accountability mechanism.

(c)The Foundation shall establish an ombudsman position at a senior level of executive staff as a confidential, neutral source of information and assistance to anyone affected by the activities of the Foundation.

(d)The Secretary shall, periodically, but not less frequent than annually, review assistance provided by the Foundation for the purpose of implementing section 10602(b) of this title to ensure consistency with the provisions under section 2378d of this title.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

22 U.S.C. § 10605

Title 22 — Foreign Relations and Intercourse

Last Updated

Apr 5, 2026

Release point: 119-73not60