III 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 387 

Recognizing the 60th anniversary of the Peace Corps and commending the 

volunteers who have dedicated their lives to making a difference in 

the world. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 27, 2021 

Mr. MENENDEZ submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on Foreign Relations 

RESOLUTION 

Recognizing the 60th anniversary of the Peace Corps and 

commending the volunteers who have dedicated their lives 

to making a difference in the world. 

Whereas the Peace Corps Act of 1961 was signed into law 

by President John F. Kennedy on September 22, 1961; 

Whereas the Peace Corps’ mission is to promote world peace 

and friendship by— 

(1) helping the people in interested countries to meet 

their need for trained workers; 

(2) helping to promote a better understanding of 

Americans by people in countries where volunteers have 

served; and 

(3) helping to promote a better understanding of 

such people by Americans; 


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Whereas Peace Corps volunteers work to advance both international development and public diplomacy, with more 

than 240,000 Americans who have answered the call to 

service by cumulatively serving in 142 countries and providing more than 3,000,000,000 of service to our Nation 

and the world; 

Whereas Peace Corps volunteers exemplify American values 

and grow trust and faith in the United States in developing countries by— 

(1) building connections with the people with whom 

they live and work; and 

(2) helping communities realize the full potential of 

their present assets and discover new opportunities; 

Whereas returned Peace Corps volunteers enter the job market with— 

(1) the experience of working with limited resources 

and navigating bureaucratic institutions; 

(2) proficiency in many languages and communication styles; 

(3) passion about mission-driven work; and 

(4) the ability to invest in their communities in a 

lasting way; 

Whereas due to the COVID–19 pandemic, the Peace Corps 

made the difficult decision, in early 2020, to temporarily 

suspend all volunteer missions and recall approximately 

7,300 volunteers and trainees from their countries of 

service; 

Whereas the Peace Corps and the broader Peace Corps community have utilized this temporary recall to deeply explore how the many ways in which the Peace Corps could 

be improved in its support of volunteers and its collaboration with the communities in which such volunteers are 


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serving, including facilitating COVID–19 testing and the 

distribution of COVID–19 vaccines; 

Whereas beginning in December 2021, the Peace Corps will 

gradually resume its volunteer missions abroad, beginning with missions located in parts of Latin America and 

the Caribbean; 

Whereas Peace Corps volunteers play a significant role in implementing presidential initiatives at the local level, including training and deploying more than 800 specialized 

malaria prevention volunteers to serve in communities 

across Africa since 2011; 

Whereas the Peace Corps, in partnership with the United 

States Agency for International Development, has generated an additional $34,000,000 in local community and 

third party contributions through the Small Project Assistance Program in support of important development 

outcomes, including— 

(1) efforts to combat human trafficking; 

(2) enhanced civic engagement and public accountability; 

(3) improved maternal and children’s health outcomes; 

(4) preventing the spread of malaria; and 

(5) bolstered community resilience and preparedness 

to environmental disasters; 

Whereas 42 percent of Peace Corps volunteers work in the 

education sector by— 

(1) increasing the English language competency of 

local students and teachers; 

(2) developing teaching materials and improving the 

teaching techniques of local teachers; or 


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(3) assisting after-school programs, youth clubs, and 

the development of libraries; 

Whereas the Peace Corps advances the principles of gender 

equality worldwide and maintains a volunteer force that 

is 65 percent female; and 

Whereas the Peace Corps is integral to realizing United 

States foreign policy, addressing critical global challenges 

that require United States leadership, and advances our 

United States national security interests: Now, therefore, 

be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) recognizes the 60th anniversary of the 

3 Peace Corps; 

4 (2) honors all of the volunteers who have dedi5 cated their lives to address the serious global chal6 lenges of our time, including illiteracy, environ7 mental degradation, food insecurity, and commu8 nicable diseases; 

9 (3) commends the tireless service of the civil 

10 servants, recruiters, medical and security personnel, 

11 and in-country support staff that run the Peace 

12 Corps on a daily basis; and 

13 (4) renews the United States commitment— 

14 (A) to promoting world peace and friend15 ship; and 


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1 (B) to helping developing countries reach 

2 their development goals. 

Æ 


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