§2421a — Title 22 Foreign Relations and Intercourse | U.S. Code

Summary

The head of the U.S. Agency for International Development must set up a capital projects office. That office must build a program that focuses only on capital projects that truly help a country’s development. It must also look for ways those projects can create export chances for U.S. companies and spot chances for U.S. high-technology firms, including small and medium firms, to take part. The office must back capital projects in developing and transition-to-market countries, check infrastructure needs from time to time, and look for U.S. firm opportunities while keeping firms and Congress informed. It must make sure projects actually help development using standards from the OECD’s Development Assistance Committee. The office must work with other AID offices and missions, coordinate tied-aid funds when needed, and study transition countries’ rebuilding needs and technology levels to find openings for U.S. high-tech exports.

Title 22, §2421a

Foreign Relations and Intercourse — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)The Administrator of AID shall establish a capital projects office to carry out the purposes described in subsection (b).

(b)The purposes referred to in subsection (a) are—

(1)to develop an AID program that would focus solely on developmentally sound capital projects, taking into consideration development needs of the host country and the export opportunities for the United States; and

(2)to consider specifically opportunities for United States high-technology firms, including small- and medium-sized firms, in supporting capital projects for developing countries and for countries making the transition from nonmarket to market economies.

(c)The Administrator of AID (acting through the capital projects office), in coordination with the appropriate members of the Trade Promotion Coordination Committee—

(1)shall support capital projects in developing countries and in countries making the transition from nonmarket to market economies;

(2)shall periodically review infrastructure needs in developing countries and countries making the transition from nonmarket to market economies and shall explore opportunities for United States firms in the development of new capital projects in these countries, keeping both United States firms and the Congress informed of these reviews;

(3)shall ensure that each capital project for which AID provides funding is developmentally sound, as determined under the criteria developed by the Development Assistance Committee of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development;

(4)shall coordinate its activities with other AID offices, and work with AID country missions, in developing capital projects that provide opportunities for United States firms consistent with AID’s primary mission to help developing countries with traditional development projects;

(5)shall coordinate, where appropriate, funds available to AID for tied-aid purposes; and

(6)shall play a special role in helping to meet the infrastructure needs of countries making the transition from nonmarket to market economies by meeting the challenge of infrastructure assistance provided by foreign governments to those countries, including by undertaking a comprehensive study of the infrastructure needs of the various countries making the transition from nonmarket to market economies—

(A)to identify those sectors in the economies of these countries that are most in need of rebuilding, and

(B)to identify the state of technology in these countries and the opportunity for United States high technology firms to help develop a technological infrastructure in these countries, including an assessment of export opportunities for United States high technology companies.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Codification Section was enacted as part of the Aid, Trade, and Competitiveness Act of 1992 and also as part of the Jobs Through Exports Act of 1992, and not as part of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 which comprises this chapter.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Short Title

of 1992 Amendment Pub. L. 102–549, title III, § 301, Oct. 28, 1992, 106 Stat. 3658, provided that: “This title [enacting this section and sections 2421b to 2421e of this title and provisions set out as notes below] may be cited as the ‘Aid, Trade, and Competitiveness Act of 1992’.” Reports to Congress on Capital Projects Pub. L. 102–549, title III, § 305, Oct. 28, 1992, 106 Stat. 3660, directed President, not later than

May 1, 1993, to submit to Congress a report describing the extent to which United States Government resources have been expended specifically to support specified projects in developing countries and countries making the transition from nonmarket to market economies, the extent to which the activities of the United States Government have been coordinated, and the extent to which United States Government capital projects and tied-aid credit programs have affected United States exports. Report on Feasibility of AID Credit Guarantees To Finance Capital Projects Pub. L. 102–549, title III, § 307, Oct. 28, 1992, 106 Stat. 3660, directed President, not later than

May 1, 1993, to submit to Committee on Foreign Affairs and Committee on Appropriations of House of Representatives and Committee on Foreign Relations and Committee on Appropriations of Senate a report on feasibility of allowing AID to offer credit guarantees for financing of capital projects.

§2421a Capital Projects Office Within Agency for International Development