IV 

113TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. RES. 699 

Welcoming African leaders to the first United States–Africa Leaders’ Summit 

and African trade ministers to the 13th Forum of the African Growth 

and Opportunity Act (AGOA). 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 31, 2014 

Mr. MEEKS (for himself, Mr. CAMP, Mr. LEVIN, Mr. RANGEL, Mr. NUNES, 

Mr. ROYCE, Mr. ENGEL, Ms. BASS, Mrs. BEATTY, Mr. BISHOP of Georgia, Ms. BROWN of Florida, Mr. BUTTERFIELD, Mr. CARSON of Indiana, 

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN, Ms. CLARKE of New York, Mr. CLAY, Mr. CLEAVER, 

Mr. CLYBURN, Mr. CONYERS, Mr. CUMMINGS, Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of 

Illinois, Ms. EDWARDS, Mr. ELLISON, Mr. FATTAH, Ms. FUDGE, Mr. AL

GREEN of Texas, Mr. HASTINGS of Florida, Mr. HORSFORD, Ms. JACKSON LEE, Mr. JEFFRIES, Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas, Mr. 

JOHNSON of Georgia, Ms. KELLY of Illinois, Ms. LEE of California, Mr. 

LEWIS, Ms. MOORE, Ms. NORTON, Mr. PAYNE, Mr. RICHMOND, Mr. 

RUSH, Mr. DAVID SCOTT of Georgia, Mr. SCOTT of Virginia, Ms. SEWELL of Alabama, Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi, Mr. VEASEY, Ms. 

WATERS, Ms. WILSON of Florida, Mr. YOUNG of Indiana, Mr. BOUSTANY, Mr. LARSON of Connecticut, Mr. BLUMENAUER, and Mr. 

MCDERMOTT) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 

the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on 

Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the 

Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within 

the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

RESOLUTION 

Welcoming African leaders to the first United States–Africa 

Leaders’ Summit and African trade ministers to the 

13th Forum of the African Growth and Opportunity 

Act (AGOA). 


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•HRES 699 IH 

Whereas the United States Congress enacted the African 

Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) in 2000, with 

broad bipartisan support and with a view to expanding 

growth and opportunity in Africa; 

Whereas in the original AGOA legislation, Congress encouraged the establishment of more regular high-level dialogues, including regular meetings by the President with 

his African counterparts; 

Whereas the people of Africa share the hopes and aspirations 

of the people of the United States for peace and prosperity, and are both committed to strengthening economic relations; 

Whereas it is in the national interest of the United States to 

support the reduction of poverty in the continent of Africa; 

Whereas greater opportunities for mutually beneficial trade 

and investments promote economic growth, development, 

poverty reduction, democracy, the rule of law, and stability; 

Whereas good governance, including respecting constitutional 

term limits, human rights, and ensuring that civil society 

organizations are able to function freely contribute to enduring economic and social development in Africa; 

Whereas the countries in Africa are important economic partners of the United States; 

Whereas Africa has today 6 of the 10 fastest growing economies in the world, over 1,000,000,000 people, 60 percent 

of the world’s uncultivated agricultural land, and expanding democracies; 

Whereas Africa is rich through the youth of its population, 

enjoying a demographic advantage over all other regions 


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•HRES 699 IH 

of the world, and is likely to replace China as the biggest 

contributor to the global workforce by 2050; 

Whereas it is in the economic interest of the United States 

to engage and compete in emerging African markets, 

boost United States-Africa trade and investment, support 

greater capacity building for Africa, and invest in Africa’s youth and leadership development; 

Whereas exports from sub-Saharan Africa to the United 

States under AGOA have increased over three-fold from 

$7,600,000,000 in 2001 to $24,800,000,000 in 2013; 

Whereas United States exports to sub-Saharan Africa have 

increased from $6,900,000,000 to $23,900,000,000 and 

United States investment in sub-Saharan Africa has increased six-fold; 

Whereas per capita income in sub-Saharan Africa has more 

than tripled to $1,624 annually since Congress first 

passed AGOA, yet nearly half the population in sub-Saharan Africa lives in poverty; 

Whereas timely renewal of AGOA, which expires September 

30, 2015, is critical to the maintenance and promotion of 

investment opportunities in the region; 

Whereas regional integration should be strengthened to improve the full utilization of AGOA preferences, and elimination of barriers to trade and investment in Africa, such 

as high tariffs, forced localization requirements, restrictions on investment, and customs barriers, among others, 

will strengthen and improve regional and global integration; 

Whereas it remains the goal of United States policy to support the diversification of sub-Saharan exports in terms 

of products and countries that utilize AGOA; 


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•HRES 699 IH 

Whereas the members of the World Trade Organization 

(WTO) adopted several important Decisions and Declarations in Bali, Indonesia, in December 2013, including the 

Agreement on Trade Facilitation and specific results on 

agriculture and development, with the protocol of amendment for the Agreement on Trade Facilitation to be 

adopted on July 31, 2014; 

Whereas full implementation of the Agreement on Trade Facilitation will help to address supply-side constraints in 

Africa, promote regional integration on the continent, 

and facilitate integration into global supply chains; 

Whereas the House of Representatives introduced on June 

27, 2013, and passed on May 8, 2014, the Electrify Africa Act, to make it a national policy of the United States 

to promote the electrification of Sub-Saharan Africa to 

more than double the number of people with access to 

power in order to improve health and education outcomes 

and stimulate economic opportunity; and 

Whereas, on June 30, 2013, in Cape Town, South Africa, 

President Barack Obama announced the Power Africa 

Initiative, to significantly increase the number of people 

with access to power in Sub-Saharan Africa: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) welcomes African leaders to the first United 

3 States–Africa Leaders’ Summit in Washington, DC; 

4 (2) welcomes African trade ministers to the 

5 13th African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) 

6 Forum; 


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•HRES 699 IH 

1 (3) recognizes the significant progress and hope 

2 that modern Africa represents today in global affairs 

3 and economic advancement with its booming demo4 graphics, increasing modernization, dynamic youth, 

5 and vast resources; 

6 (4) acknowledges the vast opportunities to boost 

7 cultural, trade, and economic relations and partner8 ships between the United States and Africa; 

9 (5) recognizes the importance of renewing the 

10 AGOA program well before its expiration in Sep11 tember 2015; 

12 (6) supports studying potential changes to the 

13 program to improve its effectiveness and utilization 

14 and exploring how Africa can address barriers to be15 come more attractive to trade and investment within 

16 Africa as well as globally; 

17 (7) encourages the prompt and full implementa18 tion of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Trade 

19 Facilitation Agreement as one important way to ad20 dress supply-side barriers and encourage greater 

21 trade and investment in Africa; and 

22 (8) welcomes that the African Leaders at the 

23 African Union Summit on June 27, 2014, re24 affirmed their commitments to all the decisions the 

25 Ministers took in Bali, including emphasizing that 


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•HRES 699 IH 

1 assistance and support for capacity building should 

2 be provided as envisaged in the Agreement on Trade 

3 Facilitation, and that the Agreement should be im4 plemented in line with the decision Trade Ministers 

5 took in Bali, which provides that a protocol be 

6 adopted by July 31, 2014, and definitive entry into 

7 force by July 31, 2015. 

Æ 


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