[114th Congress Public Law 195]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[[Page 130 STAT. 675]]
Public Law 114-195
114th Congress
An Act
To authorize a comprehensive strategic approach for United States
foreign assistance to developing countries to reduce global poverty and
hunger, achieve food and nutrition security, promote inclusive,
sustainable, agricultural-led economic growth, improve nutritional
outcomes, especially for women and children, build resilience among
vulnerable populations, and for other purposes. <<NOTE: July 20,
2016 - [S. 1252]>>
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled, <<NOTE: Global Food
Security Act of 2016. 22 USC 9301 note.>>
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Global Food Security Act of 2016''.
SEC. 2. <<NOTE: 22 USC 9301.>> FINDINGS.
Congress makes the following findings:
(1) According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of
the United Nations (referred to in this section as the ``FAO''),
805,000,000 people worldwide suffer from chronic hunger. Hunger
and malnutrition rob people of health and productive lives and
stunt the mental and physical development of future generations.
(2) According to the January 2014 ``Worldwide Threat
Assessment of the US Intelligence Community''--
(A) the ``[l]ack of adequate food will be a
destabilizing factor in countries important to US
national security that do not have the financial or
technical abilities to solve their internal food
security problems''; and
(B) ``[f]ood and nutrition insecurity in weakly
governed countries might also provide opportunities for
insurgent groups to capitalize on poor conditions,
exploit international food aid, and discredit
governments for their inability to address basic
needs''.
(3) A comprehensive approach to sustainable food and
nutrition security should not only respond to emergency food
shortages, but should also address malnutrition, resilience to
food and nutrition insecurity, building the capacity of poor,
rural populations to improve their agricultural productivity and
incomes, removing institutional impediments to agricultural
development, value chain access and efficiency, including
processing and storage, enhancing agribusiness development,
access to markets and activities that address the specific needs
and barriers facing women and small-scale producers, education,
and collaborative research.
[[Page 130 STAT. 676]]
SEC. 3. <<NOTE: 22 USC 9302.>> STATEMENT OF POLICY OBJECTIVES;
SENSE OF CONGRESS.
(a) Statement of Policy Objectives.--It is in the national interest
of the United States to promote global food security, resilience, and
nutrition, consistent with national food security investment plans,
which is reinforced through programs, activities, and initiatives that--
(1) place food insecure countries on a path toward self-
sufficiency and economic freedom through the coordination of
United States foreign assistance programs;
(2) accelerate inclusive, agricultural-led economic growth
that reduces global poverty, hunger, and malnutrition,
particularly among women and children;
(3) increase the productivity, incomes, and livelihoods of
small-scale producers, especially women, by working across
agricultural value chains, enhancing local capacity to manage
agricultural resources effectively and expanding producer access
to local and international markets;
(4) build resilience to food shocks among vulnerable
populations and households while reducing reliance upon
emergency food assistance;
(5) create an enabling environment for agricultural growth
and investment, including through the promotion of secure and
transparent property rights;
(6) improve the nutritional status of women and children,
with a focus on reducing child stunting, including through the
promotion of highly nutritious foods, diet diversification, and
nutritional behaviors that improve maternal and child health;
(7) demonstrably meet, align with and leverage broader
United States strategies and investments in trade, economic
growth, national security, science and technology, agriculture
research and extension, maternal and child health, nutrition,
and water, sanitation, and hygiene;
(8) continue to strengthen partnerships between United
States-based universities, including land-grant colleges, and
universities and institutions in target countries and
communities that build agricultural capacity; and
(9) ensure the effective use of United States taxpayer
dollars to further these objectives.
(b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of the Congress that the
President, in providing assistance to implement the Global Food Security
Strategy, should--
(1) coordinate, through a whole-of-government approach, the
efforts of relevant Federal departments and agencies to
implement the Global Food Security Strategy;
(2) seek to fully utilize the unique capabilities of each
relevant Federal department and agency while collaborating with
and leveraging the contributions of other key stakeholders; and
(3) utilize open and streamlined solicitations to allow for
the participation of a wide range of implementing partners
through the most appropriate procurement mechanisms, which may
include grants, contracts, cooperative agreements, and other
instruments as necessary and appropriate.
SEC. 4. <<NOTE: 22 USC 9303.>> DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
[[Page 130 STAT. 677]]
(1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term
``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
(A) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the
Senate;
(B) the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and
Forestry of the Senate;
(C) the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate;
(D) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of
Representatives;
(E) the Committee on Agriculture of the House of
Representatives; and
(F) the Committee on Appropriations of the House of
Representatives.
(2) Feed the future innovation labs.--The term ``Feed the
Future Innovation Labs'' means research partnerships led by
United States universities that advance solutions to reduce
global hunger, poverty, and malnutrition.
(3) Food and nutrition security.--The term ``food and
nutrition security'' means access to, and availability,
utilization, and stability of, sufficient food to meet caloric
and nutritional needs for an active and healthy life.
(4) Global food security strategy.--The term ``Global Food
Security Strategy'' means the strategy developed and implemented
pursuant to section 5(a).
(5) Key stakeholders.--The term ``key stakeholders'' means
actors engaged in efforts to advance global food security
programs and objectives, including--
(A) relevant Federal departments and agencies;
(B) national and local governments in target
countries;
(C) other bilateral donors;
(D) international and regional organizations;
(E) international, regional, and local financial
institutions;
(F) international, regional, and local private
voluntary, nongovernmental, faith-based, and civil
society organizations;
(G) the private sector, including agribusinesses and
relevant commodities groups;
(H) agricultural producers, including farmer
organizations, cooperatives, small-scale producers, and
women; and
(I) agricultural research and academic institutions,
including land-grant universities and extension
services.
(6) Malnutrition.--The term ``malnutrition'' means poor
nutritional status caused by nutritional deficiency or excess.
(7) Relevant federal departments and agencies.--The term
``relevant Federal departments and agencies'' means the United
States Agency for International Development, the Department of
Agriculture, the Department of Commerce, the Department of
State, the Department of the Treasury, the Millennium Challenge
Corporation, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, the
Peace Corps, the Office of the United States Trade
Representative, the United States African Development
Foundation, the United States Geological Survey, and any other
department or agency specified by the President for purposes of
this section.
(8) Resilience.--The term ``resilience'' means the ability
of people, households, communities, countries, and systems to
mitigate, adapt to, and recover from shocks and stresses to
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food security in a manner that reduces chronic vulnerability and
facilitates inclusive growth.
(9) Small-scale producer.--The term ``small-scale producer''
means farmers, pastoralists, foresters, and fishers that have a
low asset base and limited resources, including land, capital,
skills and labor, and, in the case of farmers, typically farm on
fewer than 5 hectares of land.
(10) Stunting.--The term ``stunting'' refers to a condition
that--
(A) is measured by a height-to-age ratio that is
more than 2 standard deviations below the median for the
population;
(B) manifests in children who are younger than 2
years of age;
(C) is a process that can continue in children after
they reach 2 years of age, resulting in an individual
being ``stunted'';
(D) is a sign of chronic malnutrition; and
(E) can lead to long-term poor health, delayed motor
development, impaired cognitive function, and decreased
immunity.
(11) Sustainable.--The term ``sustainable'' means the
ability of a target country, community, implementing partner, or
intended beneficiary to maintain, over time, the programs
authorized and outcomes achieved pursuant to this Act.
(12) Target country.--The term ``target country'' means a
developing country that is selected to participate in
agriculture and nutrition security programs under the Global
Food Security Strategy pursuant to the selection criteria
described in section 5(a)(2), including criteria such as the
potential for agriculture-led economic growth, government
commitment to agricultural investment and policy reform,
opportunities for partnerships and regional synergies, the level
of need, and resource availability.
SEC. 5. <<NOTE: President. Coordination. 22 USC 9304.>>
COMPREHENSIVE GLOBAL FOOD SECURITY STRATEGY.
(a) Strategy.--The President shall coordinate the development and
implementation of a United States whole-of-government strategy to
accomplish the policy objectives set forth in section 3(a), which
shall--
(1) set specific and measurable goals, benchmarks,
timetables, performance metrics, and monitoring and evaluation
plans that reflect international best practices relating to
transparency, accountability, food and nutrition security, and
agriculture-led economic growth, consistent with the policy
objectives described in section 3(a);
(2) <<NOTE: Criteria.>> establish clear and transparent
selection criteria for target countries, communities, regions,
and intended beneficiaries of assistance;
(3) describe the methodology and criteria for the selection
of target countries;
(4) support and be aligned with country-owned agriculture,
nutrition, and food security policy and investment plans
developed with input from key stakeholders, as appropriate;
(5) support inclusive agricultural value chain development,
with small-scale producers, especially women, gaining greater
access to the inputs, skills, resource management capacity,
[[Page 130 STAT. 679]]
networking, bargaining power, financing, and market linkages
needed to sustain their long-term economic prosperity;
(6) support improvement of the nutritional status of women
and children, particularly during the critical first 1,000-day
window until a child reaches 2 years of age and with a focus on
reducing child stunting, through nutrition-specific and
nutrition-sensitive programs, including related water,
sanitation, and hygiene programs;
(7) facilitate communication and collaboration, as
appropriate, among local stakeholders in support of a multi-
sectoral approach to food and nutrition security, to include
analysis of the multiple underlying causes of malnutrition,
including lack of access to safe drinking water, sanitation, and
hygiene;
(8) support the long-term success of programs by building
the capacity of local organizations and institutions in target
countries and communities;
(9) integrate resilience and nutrition strategies into food
security programs, such that chronically vulnerable populations
are better able to build safety nets, secure livelihoods, access
markets, and access opportunities for longer-term economic
growth;
(10) develop community and producer resilience to natural
disasters, emergencies, and natural occurrences that adversely
impact agricultural yield;
(11) harness science, technology, and innovation, including
the research and extension activities supported by relevant
Federal Departments and agencies and Feed the Future Innovation
Labs, or any successor entities;
(12) integrate agricultural development activities among
food insecure populations living in proximity to designated
national parks or wildlife areas into wildlife conservation
efforts, as necessary and appropriate;
(13) leverage resources and expertise through partnerships
with the private sector, farm organizations, cooperatives, civil
society, faith-based organizations, and agricultural research
and academic institutions;
(14) strengthen and expand collaboration between United
States universities, including public, private, and land-grant
universities, with higher education institutions in target
countries to increase their effectiveness and relevance to
promote agricultural development and innovation through the
creation of human capital, innovation, and cutting edge science
in the agricultural sector;
(15) seek to ensure that target countries and communities
respect and promote land tenure rights of local communities,
particularly those of women and small-scale producers;
(16) include criteria and methodologies for graduating
target countries and communities from assistance provided to
implement the Global Food Security Strategy as such countries
and communities meet the progress benchmarks identified pursuant
to section 8(b)(4); and
(17) demonstrably support the United States national
security and economic interest in the countries where assistance
is being provided.
(b) Coordination.--The President shall coordinate, through a whole-
of-government approach, the efforts of relevant Federal
[[Page 130 STAT. 680]]
departments and agencies in the implementation of the Global Food
Security Strategy by--
(1) establishing monitoring and evaluation systems,
coherence, and coordination across relevant Federal departments
and agencies;
(2) establishing linkages with other initiatives and
strategies of relevant Federal departments and agencies; and
(3) establishing platforms for regular consultation and
collaboration with key stakeholders and the appropriate
congressional committees.
(c) Strategy Submission.--
(1) <<NOTE: Deadline. Consultation.>> In general.--Not
later than October 1, 2016, the President, in consultation with
the head of each relevant Federal department and agency, shall
submit to the appropriate congressional committees the Global
Food Security Strategy required under this section, including a
detailed description of how the United States intends to advance
the objectives set forth in section 3(a) and the agency-specific
plans described in paragraph (2).
(2) Agency-specific plans.--The Global Food Security
Strategy shall include specific implementation plans from each
relevant Federal department and agency that describes--
(A) the anticipated contributions of the department
or agency, including technical, financial, and in-kind
contributions, to implement the Global Food Security
Strategy; and
(B) the efforts of the department or agency to
ensure that the activities and programs carried out
pursuant to the strategy are designed to achieve maximum
impact and long-term sustainability.
SEC. 6. <<NOTE: President. 22 USC 9305.>> ASSISTANCE TO IMPLEMENT
THE GLOBAL FOOD SECURITY STRATEGY.
(a) Food Shortages.--The President is authorized to carry out
activities pursuant to section 103, section 103A, title XII of chapter 2
of part I, and chapter 4 of part II of the Foreign Assistance Act of
1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151a, 2151a-1, 2220a et seq., and 2346 et seq.) to
prevent or address food shortages notwithstanding any other provision of
law.
(b) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be
appropriated to the Secretary of State and the Administrator of the
United States Agency for International Development $1,000,600,000 for
each of fiscal years 2017 and 2018 to carry out those portions of the
Global Food Security Strategy that relate to the Department of State and
the United States Agency for International Development, respectively.
(c) Monitoring and Evaluation.--The President shall seek to ensure
that assistance to implement the Global Food Security Strategy is
provided under established parameters for a rigorous accountability
system to monitor and evaluate progress and impact of the strategy,
including by reporting to the appropriate congressional committees and
the public on an annual basis.
SEC. 7. <<NOTE: 22 USC 9306.>> EMERGENCY FOOD SECURITY PROGRAM.
(a) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that--
(1) the crisis in Syria, which is characterized by acts of
terrorism and atrocities directed against civilians, including
mass murder, forced displacement, aerial bombardment, ethnic
[[Page 130 STAT. 681]]
and religious persecution, torture, kidnapping, rape and sexual
enslavement, has triggered one of the most profound humanitarian
crises of this century and poses a direct threat to regional
security and the national security interests of the United
States;
(2) it is in the national security interests of the United
States to respond to the needs of displaced Syrian persons and
the communities hosting such persons, including with food
assistance; and
(3) after four years of conflict in Syria and the onset of
other major humanitarian emergencies where, like Syria, the
provision of certain United States humanitarian assistance has
been particularly challenging, including the 2013 super-typhoon
in the Philippines, the 2014 outbreak of Ebola in west Africa,
the 2015 earthquake in Nepal, ongoing humanitarian disasters in
Yemen and South Sudan, and the threat of a major El Nino event
in 2016, United States international disaster assistance has
become severely stressed.
(b) Statement of Policy.--It shall be the policy of the United
States, in coordination with other donors, regional governments,
international organizations, and international financial institutions,
to fully leverage, enhance, and expand the impact and reach of available
United States humanitarian resources, including for food assistance, to
mitigate the effects of manmade and natural disasters by utilizing
innovative new approaches to delivering aid that support affected
persons and the communities hosting them, build resilience and early
recovery, and reduce opportunities for waste, fraud, and abuse.
(c) Amendments to the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961.--
(1) Section 491 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22
U.S.C. 2292) is amended--
(A) by redesignating subsection (c) as subsection
(d); and
(B) by inserting after subsection (b) the following
new subsection:
``(c) Emergency Food Security Program.--
``(1) <<NOTE: President.>> In general.--Subject to the
limitations in section 492, and notwithstanding any other
provision of this or any other Act, the President is authorized
to make available emergency food assistance, including in the
form of funds, transfers, vouchers, and agricultural commodities
(including products derived from agricultural commodities)
acquired through local or regional procurement, to meet
emergency food needs arising from manmade and natural disasters.
``(2) Designation.--Funds made available under this
subsection shall be known as the `International Disaster
Assistance - Emergency Food Security Program'.''.
(2) Section 492 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22
U.S.C. 2292a) is amended--
(A) in subsection (a), by striking ``$25,000,000 for
the fiscal year 1986 and $25,000,000 for the fiscal year
1987.'' and inserting ``$2,794,184,000 for each of
fiscal years 2017 and 2018, of which up to
$1,257,382,000 should be made available to carry out
section 491(c).''; and
(B) by inserting after subsection (b) the following
new subsections:
``(c) Amounts in Addition to Other Amounts.--Amounts authorized to
be appropriated pursuant to the authorizations of
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appropriations under section 491(c) are in addition to funds otherwise
available for such purposes.
``(d) Flexibility.--
``(1) United states policy.--It is the policy of the United
States that the funds made available to carry out section 491
are intended to provide the President with the greatest possible
flexibility to address disaster-related needs as they arise and
to prepare for and reduce the impact of natural and man-made
disasters.
``(2) Sense of congress.--It is the sense of Congress that
any amendments to applicable legal provisions contained in this
Act are not intended to limit such authorities.
``(e) <<NOTE: President.>> Report.--Not later than March 1 of each
fiscal year, the President shall submit to the Committee on Foreign
Relations and the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate and the
Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on Appropriations of the
House of Representatives a report that describes the activities
undertaken by the President over the course of the prior fiscal year
pursuant to section 491(c), including the amounts of assistance
provided, intended beneficiaries, monitoring and evaluation strategies,
anticipated outcomes, and, as practicable, actual outcomes.''.
SEC. 8. <<NOTE: 22 USC 9307.>> REPORTS.
(a) Global Food Security Strategy Implementation Reports.--Not later
than 1 year <<NOTE: President.>> and 2 years after the date of the
submission of the strategy required under section 5(c), the President
shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees reports that
describe the status of the implementation of the Global Food Security
Strategy for 2017 and 2018, which shall--
(1) <<NOTE: Summary.>> contain a summary of the Global Food
Security Strategy as an appendix;
(2) identify any substantial changes made in the Global Food
Security Strategy during the preceding calendar year;
(3) describe the progress made in implementing the Global
Food Security Strategy;
(4) identify the indicators used to establish benchmarks and
measure results over time, as well as the mechanisms for
reporting such results in an open and transparent manner;
(5) describe related strategies and benchmarks for
graduating target countries and communities from assistance
provided under the Global Food Security Strategy over time,
including by building resilience, reducing risk, and enhancing
the sustainability of outcomes from United States investments in
agriculture and nutrition security;
(6) indicate how findings from monitoring and evaluation
were incorporated into program design and budget decisions;
(7) contain a transparent, open, and detailed accounting of
spending by relevant Federal departments and agencies to
implement the Global Food Security Strategy, including, for each
Federal department and agency, the statutory source of spending,
amounts spent, implementing partners and targeted beneficiaries,
and activities supported to the extent practicable and
appropriate;
(8) describe how the Global Food Security Strategy leverages
other United States food security and development assistance
programs on the continuum from emergency food
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aid through sustainable, agriculture-led economic growth and
eventual self-sufficiency;
(9) describe the contributions of the Global Food Security
Strategy to, and assess the impact of, broader international
food and nutrition security assistance programs, including
progress in the promotion of land tenure rights, creating
economic opportunities for women and small-scale producers, and
stimulating agriculture-led economic growth in target countries
and communities;
(10) <<NOTE: Assessment.>> assess efforts to coordinate
United States international food security and nutrition
programs, activities, and initiatives with key stakeholders;
(11) <<NOTE: Assessment.>> assess United States Government-
facilitated private investment in related sectors and the impact
of private sector investment in target countries and
communities;
(12) identify any United States legal or regulatory
impediments that could obstruct the effective implementation of
the programming referred to in paragraphs (8) and (9);
(13) <<NOTE: Analysis.>> contain a clear gender analysis of
programming, to inform project-level activities, that includes
established disaggregated gender indicators to better analyze
outcomes for food productivity, income growth, control of
assets, equity in access to inputs, jobs and markets, and
nutrition; and
(14) <<NOTE: Plan.>> incorporate a plan for regularly
reviewing and updating strategies, partnerships, and programs
and sharing lessons learned with a wide range of stakeholders in
an open, transparent manner.
(b) Global Food Security Crosscut Report.--Not later than 120 days
after the President submits the budget to Congress under section 1105(a)
of title 31, United States Code, the Director of the Office of
Management and Budget shall submit to the appropriate congressional
committees a report including--
(1) <<NOTE: Budget.>> an interagency budget crosscut report
that--
(A) displays the budget proposed, including any
planned interagency or intra-agency transfer, for each
of the principal Federal agencies that carries out
global food security activities in the upcoming fiscal
year, separately reporting the amount of planned funding
to be provided under existing laws pertaining to the
global food security strategy to the extent available;
and
(B) to the extent available, identifies all
assistance and research expenditures at the account
level in each of the five prior fiscal years by the
Federal Government and United States multilateral
commitments using Federal funds for global food security
strategy activities;
(2) to the extent available, a detailed accounting of all
assistance funding received and obligated by the principal
Federal agencies identified in the report and United States
multilateral commitments using Federal funds, for global food
security activities during the current fiscal year; and
(3) <<NOTE: Budget.>> a breakout of the proposed budget for
the current and budget years by agency, categorizing
expenditures by type of funding, including research, resiliency,
and other food security activities to the extent that such
information is available.
(c) <<NOTE: Web posting.>> Public Availability of Information.--The
information referred to in subsections (a) and (b) shall be made
available on the public website of the United States Agency for
International
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Development in an open, machine readable format, in a timely manner.
SEC. 9. <<NOTE: 22 USC 9308.>> RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.
(a) Effect on Other Programs.--Nothing in the Global Food Security
Strategy or this Act or the amendments made by this Act shall be
construed to supersede or otherwise affect the authority of the relevant
Federal departments and agencies to carry out programs specified in
subsection (b), in the manner provided, and subject to the terms and
conditions, of those programs, including, but not limited to, the terms,
conditions, and requirements relating to the procurement and
transportation of food assistance furnished pursuant to such programs.
(b) Programs Described.--The programs referred to in subsection (a)
are the following:
(1) The Food for Peace Act (7 U.S.C. 1691 et seq.).
(2) The Food for Progress Act of 1985 (7 U.S.C. 1736o).
(3) Section 416(b) of the Agriculture Act of 1949 (7 U.S.C.
1431).
(4) McGovern-Dole Food for Education Program (7 U.S.C.1736o-
1).
(5) Local and Regional Procurement Program (7 U.S.C. 1726c).
(6) Bill Emerson Humanitarian Trust Act (7 U.S.C. 1736f-1).
(7) Any other food and nutrition security and emergency and
non-emergency food assistance program of the Department of
Agriculture.
Approved July 20, 2016.
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY--S. 1252 (H.R. 1567):
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
HOUSE REPORTS: No. 114-482 (Comm. on Foreign Affairs) accompanying
H.R. 1567.
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 162 (2016):
Apr. 20, considered and passed Senate.
July 5, 6, considered and passed House.
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