II 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 4517 

To authorize the establishment of a Negotiations Support Unit in the 

Department of State, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JUNE 12, 2024 

Mr. MERKLEY introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred 

to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

A BILL 

To authorize the establishment of a Negotiations Support 

Unit in the Department of State, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. AUTHORITY TO ESTABLISH NEGOTIATIONS 

4 SUPPORT UNIT WITHIN DEPARTMENT OF 

5 STATE. 

6 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con7 gress that— 

8 (1) there is a need for the United States Gov9 ernment to maintain a permanent institutional hub 

10 for technical expertise, strategic advice, and knowlVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:12 Aug 01, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4517.IS S4517

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1 edge management in negotiations, mediation, and 

2 peace processes in order to prioritize and invest in 

3 diplomacy; 

4 (2) the United States plays a unique role in en5 abling and supporting peace processes and complex 

6 political negotiations, the success of which are essen7 tial to stability and democracy around the world; 

8 (3) the meaningful engagement of conflict-af9 fected communities, particularly women, youth, and 

10 other impacted populations, is vital to durable, 

11 implementable, and sustainable peace; 

12 (4) negotiation requires a specific technical and 

13 functional skillset, and thus institutional expertise in 

14 this practice area should include trained practi15 tioners and subject matter experts; 

16 (5) such skills should continue to be employed 

17 as the United States advises and contributes to 

18 peace processes, including those where the United 

19 States plays a supporting role or is led by multilat20 eral and international partners; and 

21 (6) training programs for United States dip22 lomats should draw upon this expertise and United 

23 States lessons learned to help equip diplomats with 

24 skills to respond to peace processes and complex po25 litical negotiations, and how to request support. 


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1 (b) NEGOTIATIONS SUPPORT UNIT.—Section 1 of the 

2 State Department Basic Authorities Act (22 U.S.C. 

3 2651a) is amended by adding at the end the following new 

4 subsection: 

5 ‘‘(p) NEGOTIATIONS SUPPORT UNIT.— 

6 ‘‘(1) AUTHORITY TO ESTABLISH.—The Sec7 retary of State may establish within the Department 

8 of State a unit to be known as the ‘Negotiations 

9 Support Unit’ responsible for carrying out the func10 tions described in paragraph (2), as appropriate. 

11 ‘‘(2) FUNCTIONS.—The functions described in 

12 this paragraph are the following: 

13 ‘‘(A) Serving as a permanent institutional 

14 hub and resource for negotiations and peace 

15 process expertise and knowledge management. 

16 ‘‘(B) Advising the Secretary of State, other 

17 relevant senior officials, members of the For18 eign Service, and employees of the Department 

19 of State on the substance, process, and strategy 

20 of negotiations, mediation, peace processes, and 

21 other complex political negotiations from strat22 egy and planning to implementation. 

23 ‘‘(C) Supporting the development and im24 plementation of United States policy related to 

25 complex political negotiations and peace procVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:12 Aug 01, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4517.IS S4517

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1 esses, including those led by multilateral and 

2 international partners. 

3 ‘‘(D) Advising on mediation and negotia4 tions programs to implement United States pol5 icy. 

6 ‘‘(E) Supporting training for Foreign Serv7 ices Officers and civil servants on tailored nego8 tiation and mediation skills. 

9 ‘‘(F) Working with other governments, 

10 international organizations, and nongovern11 mental organizations, as appropriate, to support 

12 the development and implementation of United 

13 States policy on peace processes and complex 

14 political negotiations. 

15 ‘‘(G) Any additional duties the Secretary 

16 of State may prescribe. 

17 ‘‘(3) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

18 There is authorized to be appropriated $5,000,000 

19 for the establishment of the Negotiations Support 

20 Unit under paragraph (1).’’. 

Æ 


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