H. R. 434—22
be eligible under section 104 air traffic control equipment that
is no longer in use, including appropriate related reimbursable
technical assistance.
SEC. 127. ADDITIONAL AUTHORITIES AND INCREASED FLEXIBILITY
TO PROVIDE ASSISTANCE UNDER THE DEVELOPMENT
FUND FOR AFRICA.
(a) USE OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE TO SUP-
PORT FURTHER ECONOMIC GROWTH.—It is the sense of the Congress
that sustained economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa depends
in large measure upon the development of a receptive environment
for trade and investment, and that to achieve this objective the
United States Agency for International Development should con-
tinue to support programs which help to create this environment.
Investments in human resources, development, and implementation
of free market policies, including policies to liberalize agricultural
markets and improve food security, and the support for the rule
of law and democratic governance should continue to be encouraged
and enhanced on a bilateral and regional basis.
(b) DECLARATIONS OF POLICY.—The Congress makes the fol-
lowing declarations:
(1) The Development Fund for Africa established under
chapter 10 of part I of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961
(22 U.S.C. 2293 et seq.) has been an effective tool in providing
development assistance to sub-Saharan Africa since 1988.
(2) The Development Fund for Africa will complement the
other provisions of this title and lay a foundation for increased
trade and investment opportunities between the United States
and sub-Saharan Africa.
(3) Assistance provided through the Development Fund
for Africa will continue to support programs and activities
that promote the long term economic development of sub-Saha-
ran Africa, such as programs and activities relating to the
following:
(A) Strengthening primary and vocational education
systems, especially the acquisition of middle-level technical
skills for operating modern private businesses and the
introduction of college level business education, including
the study of international business, finance, and stock
exchanges.
(B) Strengthening health care systems.
(C) Supporting democratization, good governance and
civil society and conflict resolution efforts.
(D) Increasing food security by promoting the expan-
sion of agricultural and agriculture-based industrial
production and productivity and increasing real incomes
for poor individuals.
(E) Promoting an enabling environment for private
sector-led growth through sustained economic reform,
privatization programs, and market-led economic activities.
(F) Promoting decentralization and local participation
in the development process, especially linking the rural
production sectors and the industrial and market centers
throughout Africa.
(G) Increasing the technical and managerial capacity
of sub-Saharan African individuals to manage the economy
of sub-Saharan Africa.
H. R. 434—23
(H) Ensuring sustainable economic growth through
environmental protection.
(4) The African Development Foundation has a unique
congressional mandate to empower the poor to participate fully
in development and to increase opportunities for gainful
employment, poverty alleviation, and more equitable income
distribution in sub-Saharan Africa. The African Development
Foundation has worked successfully to enhance the role of
women as agents of change, strengthen the informal sector
with an emphasis on supporting micro and small sized enter-
prises, indigenous technologies, and mobilizing local financing.
The African Development Foundation should develop and imple-
ment strategies for promoting participation in the socioeconomic
development process of grassroots and informal sector groups
such as nongovernmental organizations, cooperatives, artisans,
and traders into the programs and initiatives established under
this title.
(c) ADDITIONAL AUTHORITIES.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—Section 496(h) of the Foreign Assistance
Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2293(h)) is amended—
(A) by redesignating paragraph (3) as paragraph (4);
and
(B) by inserting after paragraph (2) the following:
‘‘(3) DEMOCRATIZATION AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION CAPABILI-
TIES.—Assistance under this section may also include program
assistance—
‘‘(A) to promote democratization, good governance, and
strong civil societies in sub-Saharan Africa; and
‘‘(B) to strengthen conflict resolution capabilities of
governmental, intergovernmental, and nongovernmental
entities in sub-Saharan Africa.’’.
(2) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 496(h)(4) of such
Act, as amended by paragraph (1), is further amended by
striking ‘‘paragraphs (1) and (2)’’ in the first sentence and
inserting ‘‘paragraphs (1), (2), and (3)’’.
SEC. 128. ASSISTANCE FROM UNITED STATES PRIVATE SECTOR TO
PREVENT AND REDUCE HIV/AIDS IN SUB-SAHARAN
AFRICA.
It is the sense of the Congress that United States businesses
should be encouraged to provide assistance to sub-Saharan African
countries to prevent and reduce the incidence of HIV/AIDS in
sub-Saharan Africa. In providing such assistance, United States
businesses should be encouraged to consider the establishment of
an HIV/AIDS Response Fund in order to provide for coordination
among such businesses in the collection and distribution of the
assistance to sub-Saharan African countries.
SEC. 129. SENSE OF THE CONGRESS RELATING TO HIV/AIDS CRISIS
IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA.
(a) FINDINGS.—The Congress finds the following:
(1) Sustained economic development in sub-Saharan Africa
depends in large measure upon successful trade with and for-
eign assistance to the countries of sub-Saharan Africa.
(2) The HIV/AIDS crisis has reached epidemic proportions
in sub-Saharan Africa, where more than 21,000,000 men,
women, and children are infected with HIV.
H. R. 434—24
(3) Eighty-three percent of the estimated 11,700,000 deaths
from HIV/AIDS worldwide have been in sub-Saharan Africa.
(4) The HIV/AIDS crisis in sub-Saharan Africa is weak-
ening the structure of families and societies.
(5)(A) The HIV/AIDS crisis threatens the future of the
workforce in sub-Saharan Africa.
(B) Studies show that HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa
most severely affects individuals between the ages of 15 and
49—the age group that provides the most support for the econo-
mies of sub-Saharan African countries.
(6) Clear evidence demonstrates that HIV/AIDS is destruc-
tive to the economies of sub-Saharan African countries.
(7) Sustained economic development is critical to creating
the public and private sector resources in sub-Saharan Africa
necessary to fight the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
(b) SENSE OF THE CONGRESS.—It is the sense of the Congress
that—
(1) addressing the HIV/AIDS crisis in sub-Saharan Africa
should be a central component of United States foreign policy
with respect to sub-Saharan Africa;
(2) significant progress needs to be made in preventing
and treating HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa in order to sus-
tain a mutually beneficial trade relationship between the
United States and sub-Saharan African countries; and
(3) the HIV/AIDS crisis in sub-Saharan Africa is a global
threat that merits further attention through greatly expanded
public, private, and joint public-private efforts, and through
appropriate United States legislation.
SEC. 130. STUDY ON IMPROVING AFRICAN AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES.
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Agriculture, in consultation
with American Land Grant Colleges and Universities and not-
for-profit international organizations, is authorized to conduct a
2-year study on ways to improve the flow of American farming
techniques and practices to African farmers. The study shall include
an examination of ways of improving or utilizing—
(1) knowledge of insect and sanitation procedures;
(2) modern farming and soil conservation techniques;
(3) modern farming equipment (including maintaining the
equipment);
(4) marketing crop yields to prospective purchasers; and
(5) crop maximization practices.
The Secretary of Agriculture shall submit the study to the Com-
mittee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate and
the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives
not later than September 30, 2001.
(b) LAND
GRANT
COLLEGES
AND
NOT-FOR-PROFIT
INSTITU-
TIONS.—In conducting the study under subsection (a), the Secretary
of Agriculture is encouraged to consult with American Land Grant
Colleges and not-for-profit international organizations that have
firsthand knowledge of current African farming practices.
SEC. 131. SENSE OF THE CONGRESS REGARDING EFFORTS TO COMBAT
DESERTIFICATION IN AFRICA AND OTHER COUNTRIES.
(a) FINDINGS.—The Congress finds that—
(1) desertification affects approximately one-sixth of the
world’s population and one-quarter of the total land area;
H. R. 434—25
(2) over 1,000,000 hectares of Africa are affected by
desertification;
(3) dryland degradation is an underlying cause of recurrent
famine in Africa;
(4) the United Nations Environment Programme estimates
that desertification costs the world $42,000,000,000 a year,
not including incalculable costs in human suffering; and
(5) the United States can strengthen its partnerships
throughout 
Africa 
and 
other 
countries 
affected 
by
desertification, help alleviate social and economic crises caused
by misuse of natural resources, and reduce dependence on
foreign aid, by taking a leading role to combat desertification.
(b) SENSE OF THE CONGRESS.—It is the sense of the Congress
that the United States should expeditiously work with the inter-
national community, particularly Africa and other countries affected
by desertification, to—
(1) 
strengthen 
international 
cooperation 
to 
combat
desertification;
(2) promote the development of national and regional
strategies to address desertification and increase public aware-
ness of this serious problem and its effects;
(3) develop and implement national action programs that
identify the causes of desertification and measures to address
it; and
(4) recognize the essential role of local governments and
nongovernmental organizations in developing and imple-
menting measures to address desertification.
TITLE II—TRADE BENEFITS FOR
CARIBBEAN BASIN
Subtitle A—Trade Policy for Caribbean
Basin Countries
SEC. 201. SHORT TITLE.
This title may be cited as the ‘‘United States-Caribbean Basin
Trade Partnership Act’’.
SEC. 202. FINDINGS AND POLICY.
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following findings:
(1) The Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act (in this
title referred to as ‘‘CBERA’’) represents a permanent commit-
ment by the United States to encourage the development of
strong democratic governments and revitalized economies in
neighboring countries in the Caribbean Basin.
(2) In 1998, Hurricane Mitch and Hurricane Georges dev-
astated areas in the Caribbean Basin region, killing more than
10,000 people and leaving 3,000,000 homeless.
(3) The total direct impact of Hurricanes Mitch and Georges
on Honduras, Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador,
and Guatemala amounts to $4,200,000,000, representing a
severe loss to income levels in this underdeveloped region.
(4) In addition to short term disaster assistance, United
States policy toward the region should focus on expanding