IV 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 715 
Calling on the United States and international donors to prioritize investments 
in children and youth in development and humanitarian assistance poli-
cies, programs, and activities. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 21, 2023 
Ms. MACE submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
Committee on Foreign Affairs 
RESOLUTION 
Calling on the United States and international donors to 
prioritize investments in children and youth in develop-
ment and humanitarian assistance policies, programs, 
and activities. 
Whereas globally, 90 percent of the world’s young people live 
in the developing world; 
Whereas children and youth bear the disproportionate bur-
dens of poverty, which have been exacerbated by the 
COVID–19 pandemic and the resulting economic crisis; 
Whereas half of the world’s population is under the age of 
30 today, and thus engaging youth and emerging leaders 
is essential to achieving the United States most impor-
tant foreign policy objectives; 
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•HRES 715 IH 
Whereas the perspectives of children and youth are frequently 
not prioritized in foreign assistance responses; 
Whereas the world’s countries with the greatest population of 
young people are vulnerable to the influence of donors 
whose funding does not align with American values; 
Whereas research has demonstrated when countries invest in 
their young people, substantial benefits can result, includ-
ing reduced reliance on foreign assistance from govern-
ments like the United States, and boost national eco-
nomic growth and global economic stability; 
Whereas, according to the National Security Strategy, the 
United States should not ‘‘leave our future vulnerable to 
the whims of those who do not share our vision for a 
world that is free, open, prosperous, and secure.’’; 
Whereas harnessing the potential of children and youth can 
create prosperous, safe, educated, stable, and resilient 
families, communities, and countries as well as reduce de-
pendency on donor assistance; 
Whereas in contrast, inaction has the potential to cost the 
global economy $21,000,000,000,000 in lost lifetime 
earnings of today’s student generation as a result of pan-
demic school closures, compounding inequality and short-
falls leading to skills mismatches, and persistently high 
levels of young people not in employment, education, or 
training (the youth NEET rate) that threaten gross do-
mestic product and economic growth; 
Whereas United States foreign assistance approaches have al-
ready yielded strong returns for young people, as well as 
the American taxpayers; 
Whereas, since the year 2000 alone, United States foreign as-
sistance has, for example, contributed to cutting global 
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maternal, infant, and child mortality rates in half and to 
cutting the number of children in child labor by one- 
third; 
Whereas, in fiscal year 2020 alone, United States develop-
ment programs reached over 25,400,000 learners in 57 
countries, according to the United States Agency for 
International Development; 
Whereas because interventions for children and youth are 
spread across programs, agencies, and bureaus, tracking 
the return on United States investments is difficult; 
Whereas greater coordination within and across agencies is 
necessary to ensure that young people are supported, and 
United States taxpayer dollars are maximized; 
Whereas for example, the McGovern-Dole school feeding pro-
gram coordinates across global food security, inter-
national education, and the water and sanitation sectors; 
and 
Whereas the program, which American farmers are at the 
heart of, has provided 5,500,000,000 school meals, sup-
ported more than 31,000,000 children and families in 48 
countries, and donated more than 1,300,000 tons of 
United States agricultural commodities: Now, therefore, 
be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) urges the Secretary of State to coordinate 
with all government agencies managing foreign as-
sistance to develop a strategy that directly addresses 
youth needs and youth engagement as was required 
in the bipartisan fiscal year 2022 State, Foreign Op-
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erations, and Related Programs (SFOPs) appropria-
tions bill; 
(2) calls upon the Department of State, the 
United States Agency for International Develop-
ment, the Millennium Challenge Corporation, the 
United States Development Finance Corporation, 
and all other relevant agencies who support children 
and 
youth 
abroad 
to 
improve 
tracking 
and 
disaggregation of funding benefiting children and 
youth by— 
(A) compiling data that should be collected 
against dedicated indicators on an annual basis, 
and reported to the Office of United States 
Foreign Assistance Resources; and 
(B) ensuring that these indicators should 
include a common understanding of what con-
stitutes a ‘‘child’’ and a ‘‘youth’’ and develop 
more 
consistent 
approaches 
to 
track 
disaggregated data ongoing and disaggregating 
by age, sex, disability, etc.; 
(3) urges all agencies working abroad to im-
prove outcomes for children and youth to engage di-
rectly with young people as key stakeholders, and 
United States foreign assistance that targets, en-
gages, or otherwise reaches and impacts young peo-
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ple, especially those most marginalized, should 
strengthen mechanisms and platforms, such as 
youth advisory councils, to facilitate the direct par-
ticipation of young people on issues affecting them 
most intimately; 
(4) urges relevant agencies to increase inter- 
and intra-agency coordination mechanisms and fund-
ing responses to reimagine development and humani-
tarian assistance diplomacy, policies, programs, and 
activities, in order to ensure that the United States 
foreign assistance integrates multiple issues facing 
young people and is flexible for local needs, such ac-
tions would allow for more youth-led organizations 
to receive funding, and for greater multisectoral 
interventions that effectively account for the entirety 
of a young person’s life stages to support them and 
address their safety, education, health, nutrition and 
food security, economic participation, and civic en-
gagement; and 
(5) calls upon the leadership of relevant agen-
cies to review existing positions and structures in 
order to elevate children and youth in foreign assist-
ance across all agencies implementing work that im-
pacts them, including ways to better operationalize 
solutions led in both development and humanitarian 
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work that allows for meeting the needs of children 
and youth, including those living in crisis, conflict, 
and disaster-affected settings, which would require 
increased opportunities for collaboration across bu-
reaus, divisions, offices, and missions to address the 
needs of children and youth, including identifying 
any authorities or funding needed from Congress to 
increase the effectiveness of such efforts. 
Æ 
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