United States Assistance for Civilians Affected by Conflict Act of 2004

Bill: 108-hr-4058
Sponsor: Rep. Hyde, Henry J. [R-IL-6]
Introduced: 2004-03-30 in the House
Policy area: International Affairs
Subjects: Agricultural assistance
Agriculture and Food
Armed Forces and National Security
Authorization
Boundaries
Child labor
Child sexual abuse
Child welfare
Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues
Civil War
Civil-military relations
Congress
Congressional reporting requirements
Counseling
Crime and Law Enforcement
Crime prevention
Crimes against women
Data banks
Democracy
Directories
Disabled
Disaster relief
Disciplining of employees
Displaced persons
Economic assistance
Economic development
Economics and Public Finance
Education
Elementary and secondary education
Elementary education
Embassies
Emergency Management
Emergency medicine
Employee selection
Employee training
Ethics
Ethnic relations
Executive Office of the President
Executive reorganization
Families
Family services
Famines
Federal officials
Food relief
Forced labor
Genocide
Government Operations and Politics
Government contractors
Government paperwork
Government publicity
Health
Health education
Higher education
Human immunodeficiency viruses
Human rights
Immigration
Infrastructure
Infrastructure (Economics)
Insurgency
International agencies
International relief
Kidnapping
Labor and Employment
Maternal health services
Medical education
Mental health services
Military education
Military training
Minorities
Nongovernmental organizations
Obstetrics
Peace negotiations
Peacekeeping forces
Personnel management
Planning
Political persecution
Political violence
Prosthesis
Prostitution
Psychotherapy
Rape
Refugees
Science, Technology, Communications
Secondary education
Slavery
Social Welfare
Strategic planning
Subcontractors
Torture
United Nations
United Nations officials
Victims of crimes
Violence
Vocational and technical education
War
War relief
Whistle blowing
Women
Women's employment
Women's health

Summary:
action_date: 2004-03-30
text: 
United States Assistance for Civilians Affected by Conflict Act of 2004 - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to authorize the President to: (1) appoint a Special Coordinator to ensure that Federal departments and agencies responsible for the conduct of foreign affairs and national security undertake advance planning, coordinated action, and harmonized execution to respond to complex humanitarian emergencies in foreign countries and to ensure that such planning and action is consistent with the national interests of the United States; and (2) take specified actions to respond to such emergencies.
 
Authorizes fiscal year appropriations to the President for international disaster assistance. 
 
Authorizes the President to develop and undertake protection initiatives, including protection initiatives for women and children who are refugees or displaced persons, or living in areas affected by a complex humanitarian emergency.
 
Expresses the sense of Congress that the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees should review its personnel practices to: (1) ensure that senior protection officers are assigned to the posts where women and children are in the most danger of gender-based violence or exploitation, and to ensure that more female staff are present in refugee or displaced persons camps; and (2) facilitate the permanent hiring of successful junior professional officers following their initial tours of duty. 
 
Declares that it shall be U.S. policy to ensure that U.S.-funded organizations that respond to complex humanitarian emergencies in foreign countries have the resources to address the specific health needs of women affected by such emergencies.
 
Amends the Act to authorize the President to provide assistance: (1) to prevent, prepare for, and respond to foreign crises, including acts of ethnic cleansing, mass killings and genocide, peace and humanitarian intervention operations, and armed ethnic or civil conflicts; (2) to support the transition to democracy and long-term development in countries emerging from political instability or conflict; (3) to victims of foreign civil strife and warfare; and (4) for famine relief.
 
Directs the Secretary of State to develop a strategy for the protection of women and children who are internally displaced, made refugees, or otherwise affected by a complex humanitarian emergency.
 
Directs the Special Coordinator to maintain an information database and develop an early warning list related to occurrences of gender-based violence or exploitation of children during a complex humanitarian emergency.
 
Directs the The Secretary to urge the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to work with nongovernmental organizations to implement a model `whistleblower' system under which humanitarian workers, refugees, and internally displaced persons can report gender-based violence or exploitation of children. 
 
Prohibits assistance to a nongovernmental organization that assists refugees or displaced persons if such organization does not adopt a code of conduct that incorporates specified provisions respecting sexual exploitation of children and others by humanitarian workers.
 
Expresses the sense of Congress that all U.S. agencies, nongovernmental organizations, and multilateral organizations that are implementing U.S. humanitarian assistance programs should review their administrative, management, and employment practices at refugee and displaced persons camps for the purposes of: (1) increasing the number of women involved in the distribution of food and humanitarian supplies; and (2) educating providers and beneficiaries of humanitarian assistance about the seriousness of gender-based violence and exploitation of children.
 
Amends the Act to include in foreign military training and education the protection of displaced civilians, especially women and children.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2004-03-30
text: Referred to the House Committee on International Relations.
action_date: 2004-03-30
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2004-03-30
text: Introduced in House