31044 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 94 / Monday, May 15, 2000 / Notices

DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Public Notice 3314]

Bureau of Educational and Cultural

Affairs

PROGRAM TITLE: Great Lakes

Reconciliation Project: Justice and

Journalism.

NOTICE: Request for Proposals.

SUMMARY: The Near East/South Asia/

Africa Division of the Office of Citizen

Exchanges, Bureau of Educational and

Cultural Affairs (ECA), announces an

open competition to promote a justice

and journalism program for the Great

Lakes region of Africa. Public and

private non-profit organizations meeting

the provisions described in IRS

regulation 26 CFR 1.501(c) may submit

proposals to develop an exchange and

training program for media and legal

professionals from the Democratic

Republic of the Congo (DRC), Rwanda,

Burundi, Uganda and Zimbabwe. One

grant award is anticipated for a

maximum of $274,500.

PROGRAM INFORMATION: Overview: The

Office of Citizen Exchanges works with

U.S. non-profit organizations on

cooperative international group projects

that introduce American and foreign

participants to each others’ social,

economic, and political structures, and

international interests, as well as

provide for professional development.

In coordination with the Public Affairs

Section of the U.S. Embassy, Kinshasa,

the Office will support a coordinated set

of public diplomacy activities to meet

the goals of President Clinton’s Great

Lakes Justice Initiative and regional

reconciliation objectives.

Great Lakes Justice Initiative (GLJI):

GLJI supports efforts in the Democratic

Republic of the Congo, Rwanda and

Burundi to bring an end to the culture

of impunity. GLJI goals include

supporting effective, nondiscriminatory

justice systems, assisting reconciliation

processes, and promoting inter-group

cooperation. U.S. policy concerning the

conflict in the Democratic Republic of

the Congo (DRC) focuses strongly on

promoting a successful outcome of the

Lusaka cease-fire agreement. The parties

to the agreement have re-iterated their

commitment to the peace process;

however, regional reconciliation will be

contingent in large part on the role of

opinion leaders, particularly those in

the media and civil society, in

promoting peace. The role of the media

is particularly important in countries

whose governments and militaries are

involved in the DRC conflict, but where

domestic policy debate and public

discourse may marginalize the issue.

Media and legal professionals and NGOs

can work together to strengthen support

for the rule of law, as well as increase

public information on justice issues that

affect regional peace building efforts.

Justice and Journalism: The media, in

Africa and elsewhere, often appear to

operate from the premise that conflict is

more newsworthy than compromise.

Conflict typically gets more airtime and

column-inches than positive crossborder interactions and efforts at

problem solving. If solutions are to be

found to the problems that confront the

Great Lakes region, media and civil

society opinion leaders should call for

solutions which reduce polarization and

inflammatory rhetoric and which are

inclusive rather than exclusive.

Professionalism in the media—i.e.,

gaining an appreciation of and skill for

objective reporting; developing subject

specialization (e.g. justice/legal issues);

giving fair coverage to positive as well

as negative news; separating comment

from news coverage; avoiding

inflammatory presentations;

maintaining independence from special

interests; etc.—remains an area in which

serious efforts must be expended if the

fourth estate is to fulfill its potential as

a pillar of democratic society.

Concomitantly, attention must be given

to laws, which constrain freedom of

information, and to forces, which urge

journalists, editors, producers and

publishers to censor themselves, lest

governments punish the media for

having conveyed the message. Exchange

programs can be designed to improve

professionalism generally in the media

and to strengthen specific efforts of

individuals and organizations that

report on issues of importance to

regional development.

Guidelines: This Great Lakes

Reconciliation Project should bring

together, in a structured format, a

minimum of 16 media and legal

professionals from the DRC, Rwanda,

Burundi, Uganda, and Zimbabwe who

are concerned with conflict resolution

and regional reconciliation and

development. Project activities should

explore how participants from these

four countries with different

perspectives and interests on conflict in

the DRC can cooperate to decrease

misunderstandings and hostility,

increase meaningful communication

among individuals and groups, and

promote the rule of law and respect for

human rights through the media.

Programming emphasis should be on

the development of the media, but legal

practitioners may also be included to

the extent that they can assist in

improving the working environment for

the media and in clarifying the terms of

conflict for resolution and

reconciliation.

Competitive proposals should include

a multi-phase, integrated approach to

program activities, which build

sequentially from exploratory work to

cooperative action plans. Suggested

activities include:

1. A U.S.-based program that

includes: orientation to program

purposes and to U.S. society; study

tour/site visits/mini-internships;

interaction and dialogue; hands-on

training in conflict resolution methods;

professional development; and action

plan development.

2. Capacity-building workshops in the

DRC and one other country in the Great

Lakes region to help participants to

identify priorities, create work plans,

strengthen conflict resolution skills,

share their experience to committed

people within each country, and

become active in a practical and

valuable way.

3. Seed grants/sub-grants to

participants to support ‘‘Justice and

Journalism’’ projects (e.g. radio

programs, newspaper articles, televised

town meetings, etc.) that address issues

of local and regional reconciliation.

4. Site visits by U.S. facilitators/

experts to monitor projects in the Great

Lakes region and to provide additional

training and consultations as needed.

The Office of Citizen Exchanges

encourages applicants to be creative in

planning project activities. Activities

should include practical, hands-on,

community-based initiatives, designed

to achieve concrete objectives in the

field. The proposal should not focus on

theoretical/academic workshops,

seminars or studies.

Applicants should identify any

partner organizations and/or individuals

in the United States or the Great Lakes

region with whom they are proposing to

collaborate and describe in detail

previous cooperative programming and

contacts. Specific information about the

partners’ activities and

accomplishments is required and

should be included in the section on

‘‘Institutional Capacity.’’

Selection of Participants

Successful applications should

include a description of an open, meritbased selection process, including

advertising, recruitment and selection.

A sample application should be

submitted with the proposal. Applicants

should expect to work closely with the

U.S. Embassies abroad to carry out the

selection process, but ECA and U.S.

Embassies retain the right to nominate

participants and to approve or reject

participants recommended by the

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 94 / Monday, May 15, 2000 / Notices 31045

grantee institution. Priority should be

given to foreign participants who have

not traveled to the United States. ECA

encourages applicants to design

programs for non-English speakers, as

appropriate.

Note: The grant award covers only

assistance through non-governmental

organizations. No direct assistance to the

DRC or Burundi governments is permitted

with funds available through this agreement.

Potential applicants should therefore be

advised that support cannot be provided for

university professors, magistrates,

government officials, and others who are on

the government payrolls of the DRC or

Burundi. Cooperation with U.S. Embassies in

the selection of participants will be essential

to this project.

Public Affairs Section (PAS) Involment

The Public Affairs Sections of the U.S.

Embassies (formerly known as USIS

posts) play a key role throughout every

phase of project development. Posts

evaluate project proposals; coordinate

planning with the grantee organization

and in-country partners; facilitate incountry activities; nominate participants

and vet grantee nominations; observe incountry activities; debrief participants;

and evaluate project impact. Posts are

responsible for issuing IAP–66 forms in

order for overseas participants to obtain

necessary J–1 visas for entry to the

United States. They also serve as a link

to in-country partners and participants.

Project administration and

implementation are the responsibility of

grantee. The grantee must inform the

PAS in participating countries of its

operations and procedures and

coordinate with and involve PAS

officers in the development of project

activities. The PAS should be consulted

regarding country priorities, current

security issues, and related logistical

and programmatic issues.

Evalution

Short-and long-term evaluation is

critical to the success of any

professional development program. In

accordance with the Government

Performance and Results Act of 1993,

Federal Agencies must create strategic

plans, set performance goals, and

develop methods for measuring how

well the goals of this program are

realized. The grantee would be required

to work closely with the Bureau to

fulfill this responsibility.

Applicants are asked to submit an

evaluation plan that would address the

Result Act’s requirements and assess the

long-term impact and effectiveness of

this program. The evaluation plan

should include a summation of goals

and results desired, and an indication of

what types of information would be

used to determine if these goals were

met or results achieved, as well as a

description of how the applicant would

gather and evaluate this information.

Please include with the proposal any

evaluation tools (survey/focus group

questions) that would be used as part of

the overall plan.

Visa Regulations

Foreign participants on programs

sponsored by ECA are granted J–1

Exchange Visitor visas by the U.S.

Embassy in the sending country. All

programs must comply with J–1 visa

regulations. Please refer to the Proposal

Submission Instructions (PSI) for further

information.

Budget Guidelines

Applicants must submit a

comprehensive line item budget based

on specific guidance provided in the

Proposal Submission Instructions (PSI)

of the Solicitation Package. A maximum

grant award of $274,500 is available.

Grants awarded to eligible organizations

with less than four years of experience

in conducting international exchange

programs will be limited to $60,000.

While a comprehensive line item

budget based on the model of the

Solicitation Package must be submitted,

separate component budgets are

optional. The following program costs

are eligible for funding consideration:

1. International and domestic airfares;

visas (for entry to African countries);

transit costs; ground transportation

costs. (Note: There is no charge for J–1

visas for participants in ECA-sponsored

programs.)

2. Per Diem. For both U.S.-based and

Africa-based programming,

organizations should be guided in

budgeting by the published U.S. Federal

per diem rates for individual cities.

Applicants should budget realistic costs

that reflect the local economy, but per

diem costs must not exceed the

published U.S. Federal rates. Per Diem

rates may be accessed at http://

www.policyworks.gov/.

3. Interpreters. If needed, interpreters

for the U.S. program are available

through the U.S. Department of State

Language Services Division. Typically, a

pair of simultaneous interpreters is

provided for every four visitors who

require interpreting. ECA grants do not

pay for foreign interpreters to

accompany delegations from their home

country. When U.S. Department of State

interpreters are to be employed, grant

proposal budgets should contain a flat

$160/day per diem for each U.S.

Department of State interpreter, as well

as home-program-home air

transportation of $400 per interpreter

plus any U.S. travel expenses during the

program. Salary expenses are covered

centrally and should not be part of an

applicant’s proposed budget. Locallyarranged interpreters with adequate

skills and experience may be used by

the grantee in lieu of State Department

interpreters, with the same 1:4

interpreter: participant ratio. Costs

associated with using their services may

not exceed rates for U.S. Department of

State interpreters.

4. Book and cultural allowance.

Foreign participants are entitled to a

one-time cultural allowance of $150 per

person, plus a book allowance of $50.

Interpreters should be reimbursed up to

$150 for expenses when they escort

participants to cultural events. U.S.

program staff are not eligible to receive

these benefits.

5. Consultants. Consultants may be

used to provide specialized expertise or

to make presentations. Honoraria should

not exceed $250 per day. Subcontracting

organizations may also be used, in

which case the written agreement

between the prospective grantee and

subcontractor should be included in the

proposal. Subcontracts should be

itemized in the budget.

6. Room rental. Room rental may not

exceed $250 per day.

7. Materials development. Proposals

may contain costs to purchase, develop

and translate materials for participants.

8. Equipment. Proposals may contain

limited costs to purchase equipment

crucial to the success of the program,

such as computers, fax machines and

copy machines. However, equipment

costs must be kept to a minimum, and

costs for furniture are not allowed.

9. Working meal. The grant budget

may provide for only one working meal

during the program. Per capita costs

may not exceed $5–8 for a lunch and

$14–20 for a dinner, excluding room

rental. The number of invited guests

may not exceed participants by more

than a factor of two-to-one. Interpreters

must be included as participants.

10. Return travel allowance. A return

travel allowance of $70 for each foreign

participant may be included in the

budget. This may be used for incidental

expenses incurred during international

travel.

11. Health Insurance. Foreign

participants will be covered under the

terms of a U.S. Department of Statesponsored health insurance policy. The

premium is paid by the U.S. Department

of State directly to the insurance

company. Applicants are permitted to

include costs for travel insurance for

U.S. participants in the budget.

12. Seed Grants/Sub-Grants:

Applicants should allocate funding to

31046 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 94 / Monday, May 15, 2000 / Notices

eligible African NGOs/participants to

support media-based reconciliation

activities in their communities.

13. Administrative Costs. Costs

necessary for the effective

administration of the program may

include salaries for grant organization

employees, benefits, and other direct

and indirect costs per detailed

instructions in the Application Package.

While this announcement does not

prescribe a rigid ratio of administrative

to program costs, priority will be given

to proposals whose administrative costs

are less than twenty-five (25) per cent of

the total requested from ECA.

14. Cost Sharing: Proposals should

show cost-sharing contributions from

the applicant, U.S. and African partners

and other sources. While no rigid

percentage for cost sharing is stipulated

in this RFP, ECA sees cost sharing as an

important way to demonstrate program

commitment and to increase impact,

and it will be a criterion for evaluating

grant proposals.

Please note that all air travel must be

in compliance with the Fly America

Act.

Please refer to the Proposal

Submission Instructions (PSI) for

complete budget guidelines and

formatting instructions.

Announcement Title and Number

All correspondence with the Bureau

concerning this RFP should reference

the above title and number ECA/PE/C–

00–62.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: The

Office of Citizen Exchanges, ECA/PE/C,

Room 220, U.S. Department of State,

301 4th Street, S.W., Washington, D.C.

20547, attention: Orna Blum, telephone:

(202) 260–2754 and fax number: (202)

619–4350, Internet address:

oblum@pd.state.gov, to request a

Solicitation Package. The Solicitation

Package contains detailed award

criteria, required application forms,

specific budget instructions, and

standard guidelines for proposal

preparation. Please specify Bureau

Program Officer Orna Blum on all other

programmatic inquiries and

correspondence.

Please read the complete Federal

Register announcement before sending

inquiries or submitting proposals. Once

the RFP deadline has passed, Bureau

staff may not discuss this competition

with applicants until the proposal

review process has been completed.

To Download a Solicitation Package

VIA Internet

The entire Solicitation Package may

be downloaded from the Bureau’s

website at http: //e.usia.gov/education/

rfps or http: //exchanges.state.gov/

education/rfps. Please read all

information before downloading.

Deadline for Proposals: All proposal

copies must be received at the Bureau

of Educational and Cultural Affairs by 5

p.m. Washington, D.C. time on Friday,

June 16, 2000. Faxed documents will

not be accepted at any time. Documents

postmarked the due date but received

on a later date will not be accepted.

Each applicant must ensure that the

proposals are received by the above

deadline.

Applicants must follow all

instructions in the Solicitation Package.

The original and 10 copies of the

application should be sent to: U.S.

Department of State SA–44, Bureau of

Educational and Cultural Affairs, Ref.:

ECA/PE/C–00–62, Program

Management, ECA/EX/PM, Room 336,

301 4th Street, S.W., Washington, D.C.

20547.

Applicants must also submit the

‘‘Executive Summary’’ and ‘‘Proposal

Narrative’’ sections of the proposal on a

3.5’’ diskette, formatted for DOS. These

documents must be provided in ASCII

text (DOS) format with a maximum line

length of 65 characters. The Bureau will

transmit these files electronically to the

Public Affairs section at the US Embassy

for its review, with the goal of reducing

the time it takes to get embassy

comments for the Bureau’s grants

review process.

Diversity, Freedom and Democracy

Guidelines

Pursuant to the Bureau’s authorizing

legislation, programs must maintain a

non-political character and should be

balanced and representative of the

diversity of American political, social,

and cultural life. ‘‘Diversity’’ should be

interpreted in the broadest sense and

encompass differences including, but

not limited to ethnicity, race, gender,

religion, geographic location, socioeconomic status, and physical

challenges. Applicants are strongly

encouraged to adhere to the

advancement of this principle both in

program administration and in program

content. Please refer to the review

criteria under the ‘‘Support for

Diversity’’ section for specific

suggestions on incorporating diversity

into the total proposal. Public Law 104–

319 provides that ‘‘in carrying out

programs of educational and cultural

exchange in countries whose people do

not fully enjoy freedom and

democracy,’’ the Bureau ‘‘shall take

appropriate steps to provide

opportunities for participation in such

programs to human rights and

democracy leaders of such countries.’’

Proposals should reflect advancement of

this goal in their program contents, to

the full extent deemed feasible.

Year 2000 Compliance Requirement

(Y2K Requirement)

The Year 2000 (Y2K) issue is a broad

operational and accounting problem

that could potentially prohibit

organizations from processing

information in accordance with Federal

management and program specific

requirements including data exchange

with the Bureau. The inability to

process information in accordance with

Federal requirements could result in

grantees’ being required to return funds

that have not been accounted for

properly.

The Bureau therefore requires all

organizations use Y2K compliant

systems including hardware, software,

and firmware. Systems must accurately

process data and dates (calculating,

comparing and sequencing) both before

and after the beginning of the year 2000

and correctly adjust for leap years.

Additional information addressing the

Y2K issue may be found at the General

Services Administration’s Office of

Information Technology website at

http://www.itpolicy.gsa.gov.

Review Process

The Bureau will acknowledge receipt

of all proposals and will review them

for technical eligibility. Proposals will

be deemed ineligible if they do not fully

adhere to the guidelines stated herein

and in the Solicitation Package. All

eligible proposals will be reviewed by

the program office, as well as the Public

Diplomacy section overseas, where

appropriate. Eligible proposals will be

forwarded to panels of Bureau officers

for advisory review. Proposals may also

be reviewed by the Office of the Legal

Adviser or by other Department

elements. Final funding decisions are at

the discretion of the Department of

State’s Under Secretary for Public

Diplomacy and Public Affairs. Final

technical authority for assistance

awards (grants or cooperative

agreements) resides with the Bureau’s

Grants Officer.

Review Criteria

Technically eligible applications will

be competitively reviewed according to

the criteria stated below. These criteria

are not rank ordered, and all are

important in the proposal evaluation:

1. Program Planning and Ability to

Achieve Objectives: Program objectives

should be stated clearly and precisely

and should reflect the applicant’s

expertise in the subject area and the

region. Objectives should respond to the

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 94 / Monday, May 15, 2000 / Notices 31047

priority topics in this announcement

and should relate to the current

conditions in the Great Lakes region.

Objectives should be reasonable and

attainable. A detailed work plan should

explain step-by-step how objectives

would be achieved and should include

a timetable for completion of major

tasks. The substance of workshops,

presentations, consultations, site visits

and seed grant projects should be

included as attachments.

Responsibilities of U.S. participants and

in-country partners should be clearly

described.

2. Institutional Capacity: The

proposal should include: (1) The U.S.

institution’s mission and date of

establishment; (2) detailed information

about the capacity of any partner

institutions, and the history of the

partnership(s); (3) an outline of prior

awards—U.S. government and private

support received for the target theme/

region; and (4) descriptions of

experienced staff members and other

resource persons who would implement

the program. Proposed personnel and

institutional resources should be

adequate and appropriate to achieve the

program’s goals. The narrative should

demonstrate proven ability to handle

logistics. The proposal should reflect

the institution’s expertise in the subject

area and knowledge of the conditions in

the target country/region(s).

3. Cost Effectiveness and Cost

Sharing: Overhead and administrative

costs for the proposal, including

salaries, honoraria and subcontracts for

services, should be kept to a minimum.

Applicants are encouraged to cost share

a portion of overhead and

administrative expenses. Cost sharing,

including contributions from the

applicant, U.S. or African partners, and

other sources, should be included in the

budget.

4. Program Evaluation: The proposal

must include a plan and methodology to

evaluate the program’s successes, both

as activities unfold and at the program’s

conclusion. ECA recommends that the

proposal include a draft survey

questionnaire or other technique (such

as a series of questions for a focus

group) to link outcomes to original

program objectives.

5. Multiplier Effect/Impact: The

proposal should show how the program

would strengthen long-term mutual

understanding and institutionalization

of program objectives. Applicants

should describe how responsibility and

ownership of the program would be

transferred to the African participants to

ensure continued activity and impact.

ECA places a priority on programs that

include convincing plans for

sustainability.

6. Follow-on Activities: The proposal

should provide a plan for continued

follow-on activity (beyond the ECA

grant period), ensuring that ECAsupported programs are not isolated

events. Follow-on activities sponsored

by the applicant should be clearly

outlined.

7. Support of Diversity: The proposed

project should demonstrate substantive

support of the Bureau’s policy on

diversity. Program content (training

sessions, resource materials, follow-on

activities) and program administration

(participant selection process,

orientation, evaluation, resource/staff

persons) should address diversity in a

comprehensive and innovative manner.

Applicants should refer to ECA’s

Diversity, Freedom and Democracy

Guidelines on page four of the Proposal

Submission Instructions (PSI).

8. Value to U.S.-Partner Country

Relations: The proposed project should

receive positive assessments by the

Bureau’s geographic area desk and

overseas officers of program need,

potential impact, and significance in the

partner country. The project should

meet the priorities of the Great Lakes

Justice Initiative (GLJI), as outlined

above.

Authority

Overall grant making authority for

this program is contained in the Mutual

Educational and Cultural Exchange Act

of 1961, Public Law 87–256, as

amended, also known as the FulbrightHays Act. The purpose of the Act is ‘‘to

enable the Government of the United

States to increase mutual understanding

between the people of the United States

and the people of other countries * * *;

to strengthen the ties which unite us

with other nations by demonstrating the

educational and cultural interests,

developments, and achievements of the

people of the United States and other

nations * * * and thus to assist in the

development of friendly, sympathetic

and peaceful relations between the

United States and the other countries of

the world.’’ The funding authority for

the program above is provided through

Economic Support Funds under the

Great Lakes Justice Initiative. Use of

these funds in the conflict resolution,

reconciliation, and democratic

initiatives process will support USG

efforts to uphold and further the Lusaka

Accords.

Notice

The terms and conditions published

in this RFP are binding and may not be

modified by any Bureau representative.

Explanatory information provided by

the Bureau that contradicts published

language will not be binding.

Issuance of the RFP does not

constitute an award commitment on the

part of the Government. An award for

this project is subject to the availability

of funds anticipated through an interagency transfer. The Bureau reserves the

right to cancel the competition in the

event the transfer does not take place in

a timely manner. The Bureau reserves

the right to reduce, revise, or increase

proposal budgets in accordance with the

needs of the program and the

availability of funds. Awards made will

be subject to periodic reporting and

evaluation requirements.

Notification

Final awards cannot be made until

funds have been appropriated by

Congress, allocated and committed

through internal Bureau procedures.

Dated: May 8, 2000.

Evelyn S. Lieberman,

Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy And

Public Affairs, Department of State

[FR Doc. 00–12138 Filed 5–12–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4710–11–P

DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Public Notice Number 3308]

Overseas Schools Advisory Council;

Notice of Meeting

The Overseas Schools Advisory

Council, Department of State, will hold

its Annual Meeting on Tuesday, June

27, 2000, at 9:30 a.m. in Conference

Room 1107, Department of State

Building, 2201 C Street, NW.,

Washington, DC. The meeting is open to

the public.

The Overseas Schools Advisory

Council works closely with the U.S.

business community in improving those

American-sponsored schools overseas,

which are assisted by the Department of

State and which are attended by

dependents of U.S. Government families

and children of employees of U.S.

corporations and foundations abroad.

This meeting will deal with issues

related to the work and the support

provided by the Overseas Schools

Advisory Council to the Americansponsored overseas schools. The agenda

includes progress reports on the 1999

and 2000 Programs of Educational

Assistance and efforts to secure

financial support from U.S. firms for the

2000 program and presentations on the

impact of the U.S. Standards of Learning

Movement on overseas schools and the

outlook for international education.