Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 228 / Wednesday, November 29, 2023 / Notices 83379 

1The World Organization for Animal Health 

internationally follows a British English spelling of 

‘‘organisation’’ in its name; also, it was formerly the 

Office International des Epizooties, or OIE, but on 

May 28, 2022, the Organization announced that the 

acronym was changed from OIE to WOAH. 

1The World Organization for Animal Health 

internationally follows a British English spelling of 

‘‘organization’’ in its name; also, it was formerly the 

Office International des Epizooties, or OIE, but on 

May 28, 2022, the Organization announced that the 

acronym was changed from OIE to WOAH. 

highly contagious disease of wild and 

domestic swine that can spread rapidly 

with extremely high rates of morbidity 

and mortality. A list of regions where 

ASF exists or is reasonably believed to 

exist is maintained on the Animal and 

Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) 

website at https://www.aphis.usda.gov/ 

aphis/ourfocus/animalhealth/animaland-animal-product-importinformation/animal-health-status-ofregions/. This list is referenced in 

§ 94.8(a)(2) of the regulations. 

Section 94.8(a)(3) of the regulations 

states that APHIS will add a region to 

the list referenced in § 94.8(a)(2) upon 

determining ASF exists in the region or 

having reason to believe the disease 

exists in the region, based on reports 

APHIS receives of outbreaks of the 

disease from veterinary officials of the 

exporting country, from the World 

Organization for Animal Health 

(WOAH),1 or from other sources the 

Administrator determines to be reliable, 

or upon determining that there is reason 

to believe the disease exists in the 

region. Section 94.8(a)(1) of the 

regulations specifies the criteria on 

which the Administrator bases the 

reason to believe ASF exists in a region. 

Section 94.8(b) prohibits the 

importation of pork and pork products 

from regions listed in accordance with 

§ 94.8 except if processed and treated in 

accordance with the provisions 

specified in that section or consigned to 

an APHIS-approved establishment for 

further processing. Section 96.2 restricts 

the importation of swine casings that 

originated in or were processed in a 

region where ASF exists, as listed under 

§ 94.8(a). 

On February 9, 2023, the veterinary 

authorities of Singapore reported to 

WOAH the occurrence of ASF in that 

country. In response to that report, on 

February 16, 2023, APHIS added 

Singapore to the list of regions where 

ASF exists or the Administrator has 

reason to believe that ASF exists, in 

compliance with § 94.8(a)(3). This 

notice serves as an official record and 

public notification of that action. 

As a result, pork and pork products 

from Singapore, including casings, are 

subject to APHIS import restrictions 

designed to mitigate the risk of ASF 

introduction into the United States. 

Congressional Review Act 

Pursuant to the Congressional Review 

Act (5 U.S.C. 801 et seq.), the Office of 

Information and Regulatory Affairs 

designated this action as not a major 

rule, as defined by 5 U.S.C. 804(2). 

Authority: 7 U.S.C. 1633, 7701–7772, 

7781–7786, and 8301–8317; 21 U.S.C. 

136 and 136a; 31 U.S.C. 9701; 7 CFR 

2.22, 2.80, and 371.4. 

Done in Washington, DC, this 24th day of 

November 2023. 

Michael Watson, 

Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant 

Health Inspection Service. 

[FR Doc. 2023–26234 Filed 11–28–23; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–34–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Animal and Plant Health Inspection 

Service 

[Docket No. APHIS–2023–0047] 

Addition of Bolivia to the List of 

Regions Affected With Highly 

Pathogenic Avian Influenza 

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health 

Inspection Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: We are advising the public 

that we added Bolivia to the list of 

regions that the Animal and Plant 

Health Inspection Service considers to 

be affected with highly pathogenic avian 

influenza (HPAI). This action follows 

our imposition of HPAI-related 

restrictions on the importation of avian 

commodities originating from or 

transiting Bolivia as a result of the 

confirmation of HPAI in that country. 

DATES: Bolivia was added to the list of 

regions APHIS considers to be affected 

with HPAI, effective on February 2, 

2023. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. 

La’Toya Lane, Regionalization 

Evaluation Services, Strategy and 

Policy, VS, 4700 River Road, Riverdale, 

MD 20737; phone: (301) 550–1671; 

email: AskRegionalization@usda.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

regulations in 9 CFR part 94 (referred to 

below as the regulations) govern the 

importation of certain animals and 

animal products into the United States 

to prevent the introduction of various 

animal diseases, including Newcastle 

disease and highly pathogenic avian 

influenza (HPAI). The regulations 

prohibit or restrict the importation of 

live poultry, poultry meat, and other 

poultry products from regions where 

these diseases are considered to exist. 

Section 94.6 of the regulations 

contains requirements governing the 

importation into the United States of 

carcasses, meat, parts or products of 

carcasses, and eggs (other than hatching 

eggs) of poultry, game birds, or other 

birds from regions of the world where 

HPAI exists or is reasonably believed to 

exist. HPAI is an extremely infectious 

and potentially fatal form of avian 

influenza in birds and poultry that, once 

established, can spread rapidly from 

flock to flock. The Animal and Plant 

Health Inspection Service (APHIS) 

maintains a list of restricted regions it 

considers to be affected with HPAI of 

any subtype on the APHIS website at 

https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ 

ourfocus/animalhealth/animal-andanimal-product-import-information/ 

animal-health-status-of-regions. 

APHIS receives notice of HPAI 

outbreaks from veterinary officials of the 

exporting country, from the World 

Organization for Animal Health 

(WOAH) 1 or from other sources the 

Administrator determines to be reliable. 

On January 31, 2023, the veterinary 

authorities of Bolivia reported to WOAH 

an HPAI occurrence in that country. On 

February 2, 2023, after confirming that 

HPAI occurred in commercial birds or 

poultry, APHIS added Bolivia to the list 

of regions where HPAI exists. On that 

same day, APHIS issued an import alert 

notifying stakeholders that APHIS 

imposed restrictions on the importation 

of poultry, commercial birds, ratites, 

avian hatching eggs, unprocessed avian 

products and byproducts, and certain 

fresh poultry commodities from Bolivia 

to mitigate risk of HPAI introduction 

into the United States. 

With the publication of this notice, 

we are informing the public that we 

added Bolivia to the list of regions 

APHIS considers to be affected with 

HPAI of any subtype, effective February 

2, 2023. This notice serves as an official 

record and public notification of this 

action. 

Congressional Review Act 

Pursuant to the Congressional Review 

Act (5 U.S.C. 801 et seq.), the Office of 

Information and Regulatory Affairs 

designated this action as not a major 

rule, as defined by 5 U.S.C. 804(2). 

Authority: 7 U.S.C. 1633, 7701–7772, 

7781–7786, and 8301–8317; 21 U.S.C. 

136 and 136a; 31 U.S.C. 9701; 7 CFR 

2.22, 2.80, and 371.4. 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1
83380 Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 228 / Wednesday, November 29, 2023 / Notices 

1McKinsey & Company, ‘‘Diversity Wins: How 

Inclusion Matters,’’ (May 19, 2020), https:// 

www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/diversityand-inclusion/diversity-wins-how-inclusionmatters. 

Done in Washington, DC, this 24th day of 

November 2023. 

Michael Watson, 

Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant 

Health Inspection Service. 

[FR Doc. 2023–26228 Filed 11–28–23; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–34–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

[Docket Number: 231121–0276] 

Business Diversity Principles 

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, U.S. 

Department of Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice; request for information. 

SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce 

is seeking public input on the draft 

Business Diversity Principles (BDP), 

which describe best practices related to 

diversity, equity, inclusion, and 

accessibility (DEIA) in the private 

sector, and on the impact of DEIA 

initiatives. 

DATES: Comments must be received by 

January 5, 2024. 

ADDRESSES: To respond to this Request 

for Information (RFI), please submit 

electronic public comments via the 

Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. 

1. Go to www.regulations.gov and 

enter DOC–2023–0003 in the search 

field, 

2. Click the ‘‘Comment Now!’’ icon, 

complete the required fields, and 

3. Enter or attach your comments. 

Comments sent by any other method, 

to any other address or individual, or 

received after the end of the comment 

period, may not be considered. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Brandee Anderson, Senior Advisor to 

the Deputy Secretary, at 202–880–4006 

or banderson@doc.gov. Please direct 

media inquiries to Valerie Keys in the 

Office of Public Affairs at 202–802–8166 

or vkeys@doc.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

On January 21, 2021, President Biden 

signed Executive Order 13985, 

Advancing Racial Equity and Support 

for Underserved Communities through 

the Federal Government. On February 

16, 2023, President Biden signed 

Executive Order 14091, Further 

Advancing Racial Equity and Support 

for Underserved Communities through 

the Federal Government. Under these 

Executive Orders, the Biden-Harris 

Administration outlined an ‘‘ambitious, 

whole-of-government approach to racial 

equity and support for underserved 

communities’’ that ‘‘continuously 

embed[s] equity into all aspects of 

Federal decision-making.’’ Additionally, 

E.O. 14091 declared that ‘‘the Federal 

Government shall continue to pursue 

ambitious goals to build a strong, fair, 

and inclusive workforce and economy’’ 

and ‘‘invest in communities where 

Federal policies have historically 

impeded equal opportunity—both rural 

and urban—in ways that mitigate 

economic displacement, expand access 

to capital . . . and build community 

wealth.’’ Equitable participation in our 

Nation’s economy provides a path to 

economic prosperity and 

intergenerational wealth for Americans 

in underserved communities and 

ensures that the economy benefits from 

the talent and potential across the 

country. The Department of Commerce 

is committed to implementing Executive 

Orders 13985 and 14091 and is 

developing the Business Diversity 

Principles (BDP) Initiative as part of its 

2022–2026 Strategic Plan goal of 

promoting inclusive capitalism and 

equitable economic growth for all 

Americans. The BDP Initiative aims to 

foster a more equitable economic 

landscape by encouraging businesses to 

learn from each other’s successes and 

adopt best practices and strategies that 

help promote economic growth in 

underserved communities through 

diversity, equity, inclusion, and 

accessibility (DEIA) initiatives. This 

Initiative seeks to recognize the range of 

private sector efforts that focus on DEIA, 

including but not limited to human 

resources, workforce development and 

supplier diversity efforts. In recognition 

of the wide array of terms used to 

describe these efforts, the Department 

will collectively refer to these private 

sector initiatives that seek to advance 

equitable economic development under 

the umbrella term ‘‘Business Diversity.’’ 

Research shows that these initiatives 

are essential to the competitiveness of 

the Nation’s businesses and overall 

American economy.1 The Business 

Diversity Principles Initiative is an 

opportunity for the Department to: (i) 

advance equity and support for 

underserved communities, and (ii) 

invest in the Nation’s infrastructure, 

emerging and critical technology fields, 

and workforce development. The 

Department of Commerce’s mission is to 

create the conditions for economic 

growth and opportunity for all 

communities. The Business Diversity 

Principles advance this mission by 

enabling the private sector to gain crossindustry insights, expand existing 

efforts, and embed Business Diversity 

across their business operations. 

The Initiative seeks to help private 

sector institutions build on their 

commitments to equity and economic 

development by providing a set of best 

practices (the ‘‘Business Diversity 

Principles’’) and other tools for 

operationalizing Business Diversity. The 

Department of Commerce intends for 

the Business Diversity Principles to 

serve as the first step in a longer term 

effort to convene private sector Business 

Diversity leaders, amplify existing 

efforts, and inspire additional, voluntary 

Business Diversity efforts. In addition to 

developing the Business Diversity 

Principles, this RFI will help the 

Department shape the next phase of the 

Initiative, which may include other 

public engagement opportunities. 

Goals of This Request for Information 

This RFI invites the public to inform 

the content of the Business Diversity 

Principles, share success stories and 

best practices related to Business 

Diversity, and comment on the impact 

of DEIA initiatives. Comments are 

invited from all interested parties, 

including private sector employers, 

workers, Business Diversity subject 

matter experts, educational leaders, civil 

rights advocates, and any other relevant 

stakeholders. The goal of this RFI is to 

gather input that will be used to refine 

the Business Diversity Principles and 

refine the next phases of the Initiative, 

and develop resources to help the 

private sector bolster, enhance and 

expand its Business Diversity efforts. 

The Department of Commerce seeks 

input on the below draft Business 

Diversity Principles as well as the 

impact of Business Diversity initiatives. 

D Feedback on Draft Business 

Diversity Principles—The Department 

developed the draft Principles based on 

input from the private sector and subject 

matter experts, in addition to secondary 

research on private sector best practices 

related to Business Diversity. The draft 

Principles center on the following six 

pillars: (1) executive leadership, (2) 

organizational strategy, (3) workforce 

development, (4) human resources, (5) 

community investment, and (6) business 

opportunities. The Department is 

interested in hearing from members of 

the public on the draft Principles. 

D Existing Business Diversity Efforts— 

The Nation’s economic competitiveness 

depends on a highly skilled, diverse 

workforce capable of meeting 

companies’ current and future needs. 

Private sector Business Diversity efforts 

seek to ensure that all workers, 

suppliers, and communities are 


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