§2430g Americas Framework Agreements

Summary

The Secretary of State can make a written agreement with an eligible country to set up and run an Americas Fund for that country. The Secretary must work with the Enterprise for the Americas Board when making the deal. The agreement must make the country create the fund, put interest payments into it, spend the money quickly through a local administering body, try to keep the fund’s local currency value steady in U.S. dollars when needed, list what the money can be used for, and include fair rules to enforce the agreement. A country’s administering body must be a legal group in that country. It will include U.S. appointees, country appointees, and mostly members from local NGOs and academic groups. The body must review grant proposals, run the program, and oversee grants. It must have yearly independent audits, let the U.S. Government Accountability Office inspect records, present an annual program to the Enterprise board, and send a yearly activity report. Grants are for linking conservation with community development and for child survival/development. Recipients are mainly local NGOs and groups, sometimes governments in special cases. Any grant over $100,000 can be vetoed by either government. If a country loses its eligibility under section 2430b, grants can only go to NGOs until the President says otherwise.