Title: Expressing the support of the United States for the grassroots development programs the Inter-American Foundation has undertaken for the past 50 years.
Policy area: International Affairs

Summary:
This resolution commends the Inter-American Foundation for its contributions to promoting economic and social development, democracy, and peace in Latin America and the Caribbean. The resolution also recognizes the foundation's bottom-up approach to empower individuals in marginalized and underserved communities and expresses continued support for the vital work of the foundation as an independent agency.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 649 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 649

    Expressing the support of the United States for the grassroots 
 development programs the Inter-American Foundation has undertaken for 
                           the past 50 years.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 21, 2019

   Mr. Smith of New Jersey (for himself and Mr. Sires) submitted the 
 following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign 
                                Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
    Expressing the support of the United States for the grassroots 
 development programs the Inter-American Foundation has undertaken for 
                           the past 50 years.

Whereas the Inter-American Foundation (IAF) was created under section 401 of the 
        Foreign Assistance Act of 1969 (22 U.S.C. 290f) ``to achieve conditions 
        in the Western Hemisphere under which the dignity and the worth of each 
        human person will be respected and under which all men will be afforded 
        the opportunity to develop their potential, to seek through gainful and 
        productive work the fulfillment of their aspirations for a better life, 
        and to live in justice and peace'';
Whereas the IAF invests in effective grassroots solutions that promote 
        prosperity and peace and advance the growth of democratic institutions;
Whereas the development model of the IAF, applied through more than 5,000 
        community-led grants, has empowered millions of marginalized and 
        underserved people in the Americas to achieve dignified livelihoods, 
        effective civil engagement, and safer, more peaceful, and more just 
        communities;
Whereas the IAF's model--

    (1) has demonstrated that making direct grants to grassroots groups and 
civil society organizations in underserved and vulnerable communities is 
cost effective;

    (2) fosters self-reliance by requiring grantees to mobilize local 
resources for their own projects and by connecting them to networks of new 
partners;

    (3) leverages additional resources from private and community partners; 
and

    (4) incentivizes broad civic engagement and local ownership of 
community development;

Whereas the IAF, by investing in grassroots initiatives that create businesses, 
        jobs, and leadership opportunities in communities, reinforces the 
        commitment of individuals to strengthening their own communities;
Whereas rather than going through contractors or foreign governments, the IAF 
        provides direct funding to civil society organizations that support 
        alternatives to migration, the drug trade, crime, unemployment, poverty, 
        and exclusion;
Whereas the IAF addresses the root causes of migration from the Northern 
        Triangle by supporting unique community-led projects, such as the 
        Organization for Youth Empowerment program in El Progreso, Honduras, a 
        program that supports 2,300 at-risk youth with technical training, team 
        building, and microscholarships to complete secondary school;
Whereas the IAF has invested more than $5,000,000 since 2017 in 45 projects 
        focused on creating economic alternatives to coca production, building a 
        resilient civil society to contribute to a stable Colombia in the wake 
        of the country's peace agreement;
Whereas listening and responding to the priorities of communities has allowed 
        the IAF to foster trust and goodwill with the people of Latin America 
        and the Caribbean; and
Whereas the IAF's ability to harness private sector and local resources, 
        yielding a commitment of $1.31 in counterpart funds for every $1 
        invested by the IAF in the last 5 years, effectively leverages foreign 
        assistance resources and improves the sustainability of its investments: 
        Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) commends the Inter-American Foundation for its 
        exemplary contributions in promoting economic and social 
        development, democracy, and peace in Latin America and the 
        Caribbean;
            (2) recognizes that the IAF's unique, bottom-up approach 
        empowers individuals in marginalized and underserved 
        communities to be leaders, entrepreneurs, innovators, and 
        change makers in their countries and communities;
            (3) affirms the importance of the IAF, more than 50 years 
        after its founding, as the United States seeks to continue 
        engagement in a complex region of the world; and
            (4) commits to continue to support the vital work of the 
        IAF as an independent agency.
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