operatives, market research, and market develop-
ment. 
(3) Provide capacity building to women, includ-
ing poor women, to promote diversification of prod-
ucts and value-added processing. 
(4) Provide training to official government ne-
gotiators representing developing countries in order 
to enhance the ability of such negotiators to formu-
late trade policy and negotiate agreements that take 
into account the respective needs and priorities of a 
country’s poor women and men. 
(5) Provide training to local, indigenous wom-
en’s groups in developing countries in order to en-
hance their ability to collect information and data, 
formulate proposals, and inform and impact official 
government negotiators representing their country in 
international trade negotiations of the respective 
needs and priorities of a country’s poor women and 
men. 
SEC. 8. EXCHANGES BETWEEN UNITED STATES ENTRE-
PRENEURS AND WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS IN 
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES. 
(a) DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE.—The Secretary of 
Commerce shall, where appropriate, encourage United 
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States business participants on trade missions to devel-
oping countries to— 
(1) meet with representatives of women-owned 
small- and medium-sized enterprises in such coun-
tries; and 
(2) promote internship opportunities for women 
owners of small- and medium-sized businesses in 
such countries with United States businesses. 
(b) DEPARTMENT
OF STATE.—The Secretary of 
State shall promote exchange programs that offer rep-
resentatives of women-owned small- and medium-sized en-
terprises in developing countries an opportunity to learn 
skills appropriate to promoting entrepreneurship by work-
ing with business counterparts in the United States. 
SEC. 9. ASSISTANCE UNDER THE MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE 
ACCOUNT. 
The Chief Executive Officer of the Millennium Chal-
lenge Corporation (MCC) shall seek to ensure that con-
tracts and employment opportunities resulting from assist-
ance provided by the MCC to the governments of devel-
oping countries be fairly and equitably distributed to 
qualified women-owned small and medium-sized enter-
prises and other civil society organizations led by women, 
including nongovernmental and community-based organi-
zations, including for infrastructure projects, and that 
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such projects facilitate employment of women in jobs not 
traditionally undertaken by women. 
SEC. 10. GROWTH FUND. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of State, act-
ing through the Director of United States Foreign 
Assistance, shall establish the Global Resources and 
Opportunities for Women to Thrive (GROWTH) 
Fund (hereinafter in this section referred to as the 
‘‘Fund’’) for the purpose of enhancing economic op-
portunities for very poor, poor, and low-income 
women in developing countries with a focus on— 
(A) increasing women-owned enterprise de-
velopment; 
(B) increasing property rights for women; 
(C) increasing women’s access to financial 
services; 
(D) increasing women in leadership in im-
plementing organizations, such as indigenous 
nongovernmental 
organizations, 
community- 
based organizations, and regulated financial 
intermediaries; 
(E) improving women’s employment bene-
fits and conditions; and 
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(F) increasing women’s ability to benefit 
from global trade. 
(2) ROLE OF USAID MISSIONS.—The Fund shall 
be available to USAID missions to apply for addi-
tional funding to support specific additional activi-
ties that enhance women’s economic opportunities or 
to integrate gender into existing economic oppor-
tunity programs. 
(b) ACTIVITIES SUPPORTED.—The Fund shall be 
available to USAID missions to support— 
(1) activities described in title VI of part I of 
the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2211 
et seq.), as amended by section 3 of this Act; 
(2) activities described in sections 4 through 7 
of this Act; and 
(3) technical assistance and capacity-building to 
local, indigenous civil society, particularly to carry 
out activities that are covered under paragraphs (1) 
and (2), for— 
(A) local indigenous women’s organizations 
to the maximum extent practicable; and 
(B) nongovernmental organizations and 
regulated financial intermediaries that dem-
onstrate a commitment to gender equity in their 
leadership either through current practice or 
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through specific programs to increase the rep-
resentation of women in their governance and 
management. 
(c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—There are authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $40,000,000 
for fiscal year 2007 and such sums as may be nec-
essary for each of the fiscal years 2008 and 2009. 
(2) AVAILABILITY.—Amounts appropriated pur-
suant to the authorization of appropriations under 
paragraph (1)— 
(A) are authorized to remain available 
until expended; and 
(B) are in addition to amounts otherwise 
available for such purposes. 
SEC. 11. DATA COLLECTION. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of State, acting 
through the Director of United States Foreign Assistance, 
shall— 
(1) provide support for tracking indicators on 
women’s employment, property rights for women, 
women’s access to financial services, and women’s 
enterprise development, including microenterprises, 
in developing countries; and 
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