I 
108TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1590
To enhance United States leadership and the functioning of international 
organizations and multilateral institutions. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 3, 2003
Mr. LANTOS (for himself and Mr. DREIER) introduced the following bill; which 
was referred to the Committee on International Relations 
A BILL 
To enhance United States leadership and the functioning 
of international organizations and multilateral institutions.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘United States Inter-
national Leadership Act of 2003’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
The Congress makes the following findings: 
(1) International organizations and other multi-
lateral institutions play a key role in United States 
foreign policy and serve key United States foreign
policy objectives, such as obligating all countries to 
freeze assets of terrorist groups, preventing the pro-
liferation of chemical, biological and nuclear weap-
ons, and spearheading the fight to combat the rav-
ages of HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases. 
(2) Decisions at many international organiza-
tions, including membership and key positions, re-
main subject to determinations made by regional 
groups where democratic states are often in the mi-
nority and where there is intensive cooperation 
among repressive regimes. As a result, the United 
States has often been blocked in its attempts to take 
action in these institutions to advance its goals and 
objectives, including at the United Nations Human 
Rights Commission (where a representative of Libya 
was elected as chairman and the United States tem-
porarily lost a seat). 
(3) In order to address these shortcomings, the 
United States must actively work to improve the 
workings of international organizations and multilat-
eral institutions, particularly by creating a caucus of 
democratic countries that will advance United States 
interests. In the Second Ministerial Conference of 
the Community of Democracies in Seoul, Korea, on 
November 10–20, 2002, numerous countries rec-
ommended working together as a democracy caucus 
in international organizations such as the United 
Nations and ensuring that international and regional 
institutions develop and apply democratic standards 
for member states. 
(4) In addition, the United States has short-
changed its ability to influence these organizations 
by failing to obtain enough support for positions 
that are congruent to or consistent with United 
States objectives and has not done enough to build 
expertise in the United States Government in the 
area of multilateral diplomacy. 
SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF A DEMOCRACY CAUCUS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The President of the United 
States, acting through the Secretary of State and the rel-
evant United States chiefs of mission, shall seek to estab-
lish a democracy caucus at the United Nations, the United 
Nations Human Rights Commission, the United Nations 
Conference on Disarmament, and at other broad-based 
international organizations. 
(b) PURPOSES OF THE CAUCUS.—A democracy cau-
cus at an international organization should—
(1) forge common positions, including, as ap-
propriate, at the ministerial level, on matters of con-
cern before the organization and work within and 
across regional lines to promote agreed positions; 
(2) work to revise an increasingly outmoded 
system of regional voting and decision making; and 
(3) set up a rotational leadership scheme to 
provide member states an opportunity, for a set pe-
riod of time, to serve as the designated president of 
the caucus, responsible for serving as its voice in 
each organization. 
SEC. 4. ANNUAL DIPLOMATIC MISSIONS ON MULTILATERAL 
ISSUES. 
The Secretary of State, acting through the principal 
officers responsible for advising the Secretary on inter-
national organizations, shall ensure that a high-level dele-
gation from the United States Government, on an annual 
basis, is sent to consult with key foreign governments in 
every region in order to promote the United States agenda 
at key international fora, such as the United Nations Gen-
eral Assembly, United Nations Human Rights Commis-
sion, the United Nations Education, Science, and Cultural 
Organization, and the International Whaling Commission.
SEC. 
5. 
LEADERSHIP 
AND 
MEMBERSHIP 
OF 
INTER-
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS. 
The President, acting through the Secretary of State 
and the relevant United States chiefs of mission, shall use 
the voice, vote, and influence of the United States to—
(1) where appropriate, reform the criteria for 
leadership and, in appropriate cases for membership, 
at all United Nations bodies and at other inter-
national organizations and multilateral institutions 
to which the United States is a member so as to ex-
clude nations that violate the principles of the spe-
cific organization; 
(2) make it a policy of the United Nations and 
other international organizations and multilateral in-
stitutions, in which the United States is a member, 
that a member state may not stand in nomination 
or be in rotation for a leadership position in such 
bodies if such member state is subject to sanctions 
imposed by the United Nations Security Council; 
and 
(3) work to ensure that no member state stand 
in nomination or be in rotation for a leadership posi-
tion in such organizations if such member state is 
subject to a determination under section 620A of the 
Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, section 40 of the
Arms Export Control Act, or section 6(j) of the Ex-
port Administration Act. 
SEC. 6. INCREASED TRAINING IN MULTILATERAL DIPLO-
MACY. 
(a) TRAINING PROGRAMS.—Section 708 of the For-
eign Service Act (22 U.S.C. 4028) is amended by adding 
after subsection (b) the following new subsection: 
‘‘(c) TRAINING IN MULTILATERAL DIPLOMACY.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall estab-
lish a series of training courses for officers of the 
Service, including appropriate chiefs of mission, on 
the conduct of diplomacy at international organiza-
tions and other multilateral institutions and at 
broad-based 
multilateral 
negotiations 
of 
inter-
national instruments. 
‘‘(2) PARTICULAR PROGRAMS.—The Secretary 
shall ensure that the training described in paragraph 
(1) is provided at various stages of the career of 
members of the Service. In particular, the Secretary 
shall ensure that after January 1, 2004—
‘‘(A) officers of the Service receive training 
on the conduct of diplomacy at international or-
ganizations and other multilateral institutions 
and at broad-based multilateral negotiations of
international instruments as part of their train-
ing upon entry of the service; and 
‘‘(B) officers of the Service, including 
chiefs of mission, who are assigned to United 
States missions representing the United States 
to international organizations and other multi-
lateral institutions or who are assigned in 
Washington, D.C. to positions that have as 
their primary responsibility formulation of pol-
icy towards such organizations and institutions 
or towards participation in broad-based multi-
lateral negotiations of international instruments 
receive specialized training in the areas de-
scribed in paragraph (1) prior to beginning of 
service for such assignment or, if receiving such 
training at that time is not practical, within the 
first year of beginning such assignment.’’. 
(b) TRAINING FOR CIVIL SERVICE EMPLOYEES.—
The Secretary shall ensure that employees of the Depart-
ment of State that are members of the civil service and 
that are assigned to positions described in section 708(c) 
of the Foreign Service Act (as amended by this Act) have 
training described in such section. 
(c) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—Section 708 of 
such Act is further amended—
(1) in subsection (a) by striking ‘‘(a) The’’ and 
inserting ‘‘(a) TRAINING
ON HUMAN RIGHTS.—
The’’; and 
(2) in subsection (b) by striking ‘‘(b) The’’ and 
inserting ‘‘(b) TRAINING
ON REFUGEE LAW
AND 
RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION.—The’’. 
SEC. 7. PROMOTING ASSIGNMENTS TO INTERNATIONAL OR-
GANIZATIONS. 
(a) PROMOTIONS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Section 603(b) of the For-
eign Service Act of 1980 (22 U.S.C. 4003) is 
amended by striking the period at the end and in-
serting the following: ‘‘, and shall consider whether 
the member of the Service has served in a position 
whose primary responsibility is to formulate policy 
towards or represent the United States at an inter-
national organization, a multilateral institution, or a 
broad-based multilateral negotiation of an inter-
national instrument.’’. 
(2) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made 
by paragraph (1) shall take effect January 1, 2010. 
(b) ESTABLISHMENT OF A MULTILATERAL DIPLO-
MACY CONE IN THE FOREIGN SERVICE.— 
(1) FINDINGS.—
(A) The Department of State maintains a 
number of United States missions both within 
the United States and abroad that are dedi-
cated to representing the United States to 
international organizations and multilateral in-
stitutions, including missions in New York, 
Brussels, Geneva, Rome, Montreal, Nairobi, Vi-
enna, and Paris, which will soon be responsible 
for United States representation to UNESCO 
and OECD. 
(B) In offices at the Harry S. Truman 
Building, the Department maintains a signifi-
cant number of positions in bureaus that are ei-
ther dedicated, or whose primary responsibility 
is, to represent the United States to such orga-
nizations and institutions or at multilateral ne-
gotiations. 
(C) Given the large number of positions in 
the United States and abroad that are dedi-
cated to multilateral diplomacy, the Department 
of State may be well served in developing per-
sons with specialized skills necessary to become 
experts in this unique form of diplomacy. 
(2) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary
shall submit to the appropriate congressional com-
mittees a report—
(A) evaluating whether a new cone should 
be established for the Foreign Service that con-
centrates on members of the Service that serve 
at international organizations and multilateral 
institutions or are primarily responsible for par-
ticipation in broad-based multilateral negotia-
tions of international instruments; and 
(B) provides alternative mechanisms for 
achieving the objective of developing a core 
group of United States diplomats and other 
government employees who have expertise and 
broad experience in conducting multilateral di-
plomacy. 
SEC. 8. IMPLEMENTATION AND ESTABLISHMENT OF OF-
FICE ON MULTILATERAL NEGOTIATIONS. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT OF OFFICE.—The Secretary of 
State is authorized to establish, within the Bureau of 
International Organizational Affairs, an Office on Multi-
lateral Negotiations to be headed by a Special Representa-
tive for Multilateral Negotiations (in this section referred 
to as the ‘‘special representative’’). 
(b) APPOINTMENT.—The special representative shall 
be appointed by the President with the advice and consent
of the Senate and shall have the rank of Ambassador-at-
Large. At the discretion of the President another official 
at the Department may serve as the special representative. 
The President may direct that the special representative 
report to the Assistant Secretary for International Organi-
zations. 
(c) STAFFING.—The special representative shall have 
a staff of foreign service and civil service officers skilled 
in multilateral diplomacy. 
(d) DUTIES.—The special representative shall have 
the following responsibilities: 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The primary responsibility 
of the special representative shall be to assist in the 
organization of, and preparation for, United States 
participation in multilateral negotiations, including 
the advocacy efforts undertaken by the Department 
of State and other United States agencies. 
(2) ADVISORY ROLE.—The special representa-
tive shall advise the President and the Secretary of 
State, as appropriate, regarding advocacy at inter-
national organizations and multilateral institutions 
and negotiations and, in coordination with the As-
sistant Secretary of State for International Organi-
zational Affairs, shall make recommendations re-
garding—
(A) effective strategies (and tactics) to 
achieve United States policy objectives at multi-
lateral negotiations; 
(B) the need for and timing of high level 
intervention by the President, the Secretary of 
State, the Deputy Secretary of State, and other 
United States officials to secure support from 
key foreign government officials for the United 
States position at such organizations, institu-
tions, and negotiations; 
(C) the composition of United States dele-
gations to multilateral negotiations; and 
(D) liaison with Congress, international or-
ganizations, 
nongovernmental 
organizations, 
and the private sector on matters affecting mul-
tilateral negotiations. 
(3) DEMOCRACY
CAUCUS.—The special rep-
resentative, in coordination with the Assistant Sec-
retary for International Organizational Affairs, shall 
ensure the establishment of a democracy caucus (de-
scribed in section 3). 
(4) ANNUAL DIPLOMATIC MISSIONS OF MULTI-
LATERAL ISSUES.—The special representative, in co-
ordination with the Assistant Secretary for Inter-
national Organizational Affairs, shall organize an-
nual consultations between the principal officers re-
sponsible for advising the Secretary of State on 
international organizations and foreign governments 
to promote the United States agenda at the United 
Nations General Assembly and other key inter-
national fora (such as the United Nations Human 
Rights Commission) as described in section 4. 
(5) LEADERSHIP AND MEMBERSHIP OF INTER-
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS.—The special representa-
tive, in coordination with the Assistant Secretary of 
International Organizational Affairs, shall direct the 
efforts of the United States Government to reform 
the criteria for leadership and membership of inter-
national organizations as described in section 5. 
(6) PARTICIPATION
IN
MULTILATERAL
NEGO-
TIATIONS.—The special representative, or members 
of the special representative’s staff, may, as required 
by the President or the Secretary of State, serve on 
a United States delegation to any multilateral nego-
tiation. 
(e) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall 
submit a plan to establish a democracy caucus (described 
in section 3) to the Committee on International Relations 
of the House of Representatives and the Committee on
Foreign Relations of the Senate. The report required by 
section 7(c) may be submitted together with the report 
under this subsection. 
SEC. 9. SYNCHRONIZATION OF UNITED STATES CONTRIBU-
TIONS TO INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS. 
Not later than 180 days after the date of the enact-
ment of this Act, the President shall submit a plan to the 
appropriate congressional committees on the implementa-
tion of section 404 of the Foreign Relations Authorization 
Act of 2003 (Public Law 107–228), (relating to a resump-
tion by the United States of the payment of its full con-
tribution to certain international organizations at the be-
ginning of each calendar year).
Æ