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Title 22, Foreign Relations and IntercourseRelease 119-110

§2286 Pilot Program for Sub-saharan Africa

Title 22 › CHAPTER 32 — FOREIGN ASSISTANCE › SUBCHAPTER I — INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT › Part VII — Debt-for-Nature Exchanges › § 2286

Last updated Sep 23, 2026|Official source

Summary

USAID, working with conservation groups, must ask each sub‑Saharan African government to give a list of places where national resources are badly damaged or areas that are important for wildlife and ecosystems. USAID will review each list and try to agree with the country on ways to restore those places and use them sustainably in the future. USAID may give grants to NGOs to buy discounted commercial debt of an eligible sub‑Saharan country on the open market in exchange for the country’s promise to restore or plan sustainable use of the listed areas. The grant recipient (or its subgrantees) may keep interest earned on the proceeds without putting it into the U.S. Treasury and without another appropriation by Congress while the money is being spent for approved program purposes, including creating an endowment whose income supports those purposes.

Full Legal Text

Title 22, §2286

Foreign Relations and Intercourse, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)List of areas of severely degraded national resources or of biological or ecological importance
The Administrator of the Agency for International Development, in cooperation with nongovernmental conservation organizations, shall invite the government of each country in sub-Saharan Africa to submit a list of those areas of severely degraded national resources which threaten human survival and well-being and the opportunity for future economic growth or those areas of biological or ecological importance within the territory of that country.
(b)Assessment of list; agreement for future use of areas
The Administrator of the Agency for International Development shall assess the list submitted by each country under subsection (a) and shall seek to reach agreement with the host country for the restoration and future sustainable use of those areas.
(c)Grants for purchase of discounted commercial debt on open market; retention of interest by grantee
(1)The Administrator of the Agency for International Development is authorized to make grants, on such terms and conditions as may be necessary, to nongovernmental organizations for the purchase on the open market of discounted commercial debt of a foreign government of an eligible sub-Saharan country in exchange for commitments by that government to restore natural resources identified by the host country under subsection (a) or for commitments to develop plans for sustainable use of such resources.
(2)Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a grantee (or any subgrantee) of the grants referred to in section (a) may retain, without deposit in the Treasury of the United States and without further appropriation by Congress, interest earned on the proceeds of any resulting debt-for-nature exchange pending the disbursements of such proceeds and interest for approved program purposes, which may include the establishment of an endowment, the income of which is used for such purposes.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Codification Another section 466 of Pub. L. 87–195 is classified to section 2276 of this title.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

22 U.S.C. § 2286

Title 22, Foreign Relations and Intercourse

Last Updated

Sep 23, 2026

Release point: 119-110