[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5024 Introduced in House (IH)]
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118th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 5024
To require the USAID Youth Coordinator, in their role as defined by the
USAID Youth Policy, to coordinate cross-sectoral international
development efforts related to youth, inclusive of youth, peace, and
security, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 27, 2023
Ms. Meng (for herself, Mr. Fitzpatrick, Mr. Phillips, Mr. Lawler, Ms.
Kamlager-Dove, and Ms. Salazar) introduced the following bill; which
was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require the USAID Youth Coordinator, in their role as defined by the
USAID Youth Policy, to coordinate cross-sectoral international
development efforts related to youth, inclusive of youth, peace, and
security, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Youth, Peace, and Security Act of
2023''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress makes the following findings:
(1) As of 2023, there are an estimated 2.4 billion people
in the world between the ages of 10-29 years of age, which
represents the largest number of young people to have existed
in human history, with 90 percent of youth (ages 15-24) in
developing countries, and 1 out of every 4 young people
directly affected by conflict, violence, and crisis.
(2) More than 1 billion children and youth are exposed to
violence each year. Failure to properly address adversity
experienced during childhood (ages 0-17) and youth (ages 10-29)
can lead to lifelong deficiencies and compromises future
opportunities for individual, community, and national
development.
(3) The majority of the population in many conflict-
affected countries is younger than 20 years of age, with some
countries having more than 70 percent of the population who are
younger than 30 years of age.
(4) Only 2.2 percent of parliamentarians are under 30, and
less than 1 percent are young women. Youth therefore remain
underrepresented around the world in peacebuilding, political
decision-making processes, conflict prevention, management, and
resolution, and post-conflict resolution relief and recovery
efforts. As a consequence, youth may turn from institutional
politics as they feel their governments are not addressing
critical issues they care about.
(5) When we fail to effectively engage youth, it can lead
to violence, instability, unrest, and irregular and forced
migration. For example, Sub-Saharan Africa hosts more than 26
percent of the world's 52 million refugees and internally
displaced persons (IDPs), of which approximately 50 percent are
youth. In Latin America and the Caribbean there are 6.3 million
migrants that are under 18 years old, and most migrants from
this region come from fragile states with economic and
political instability, where youth can be the deliberate
targets of violence.
(6) Adverse climate impacts, increased food insecurity and
malnutrition, rising debt, growing inequality, price shocks and
inflation, democratic recession, and the continued impacts of
COVID on service delivery contribute to the instability of
communities, disproportionately impacting the economic,
educational, and security prospects of youth, and their mental
health and wellbeing.
(7) Digital transformation has dramatically changed
industries, governments, economies, and societies. Digital
ecosystems, consisting of stakeholders, systems, and enabling
environments, can empower people and communities to use digital
technology to access services, engage with others, and pursue
economic opportunities in partner countries. Digital ecosystems
also come with risks of increasing inequality, repression, and
instability. Unsurprisingly, the rise of digital technology has
had a profound impact on young people, raising new
opportunities and challenges alike for youth, peace and
security, from youth mental health and wellbeing to online
recruitment and mobilization to online peacebuilding movements.
(8) Youth and youth-led groups and movements have
demonstrated the capacity of young people to play critical
roles in calling for reform through, for example, nonviolent
action and peaceful protests to hold governments accountable
and attempt to decrease or prevent authoritarianism in their
countries, by serving as a bridge between traditional community
values and cultural globalization, and by building diverse
coalitions that advance more peaceful and democratic outcomes
for their communities and countries, including--
(A) deescalating destructive conflict and helping
prevent the spread of conflict;
(B) discouraging anti-social youth mobilization
among peers;
(C) preventing recurring cycles of violence;
(D) encouraging defection from armed groups and
social reintegration of ex-combatants;
(E) improving the effectiveness and sustainability
of peace and political processes;
(F) improving social cohesion between and among
groups, peers, and associates;
(G) building resilience to violence and
recruitment;
(H) helping to identify and improve livelihood
options for youth and their families, and communities
impacted by crisis and conflict; and
(I) contributing to improved and more inclusive
democracy and governance.
(9) Youth are critical actors and partners in development
at all levels of society. The meaningful inclusion of youth in
the design and delivery of projects and strategies, including
those focused on youth, peace and security, can contribute to
better and more sustainable outcomes.
(10) Preventive, resilience-based, and cross-cutting youth-
inclusive approaches are more effective at reducing physical
and psychological violence than hard security responses and at-
risk and remedial approaches, which are often
counterproductive.
(11) Youth who have participated in United States-supported
civic engagement and development programs are less likely to
participate in or support political violence.
(12) Youth participation in the design and implementation
of community development strategies is critical for effectively
reducing violence and extremism, and increasing young peoples'
education, economic opportunity and empowerment, civic
engagement, and positive health outcomes, which can contribute
to peace and stability.
(13) Young people around the world, particularly adolescent
girls and members of the LGBTQI+ community, but also young men
and boys, are disproportionately affected by all forms of
violence. This includes, but is not limited to, risks
associated with technology facilitated violence, such as
intimidation, harassment, exploitation, abuse, trafficking,
misinformation, disinformation, malinformation, data tracking,
and other threats, which warrant increased attention. Such
risks also inhibit young peoples' ability to participate in
digital networks, democracy rights and governance and
peacebuilding movements.
(14) A study by PLAN International, which surveyed girls in
22 countries, found that--
(A) 58 percent of respondents reported that they
had personally experienced some form of online
harassment on social media platforms;
(B) activists attracted particular vitriol and
attention; and
(C) 47 percent of respondents reported that they
had been attacked for their opinions.
(15) The shrinking of global civic spaces facing youth, as
documented in the United Nations Office of the Secretary-
General's Envoy on Youth's report, ``If I Disappear'', shows
the complexity of the grave threats, challenges, and barriers
against diverse groups of youth active in the civic space,
taking the forms of sociocultural, financial, political, legal,
digital, and physical. Shrinking civic and political spaces
challenge the ability of youth to contribute to society
effectively and meaningfully, often resulting in declining
trust in government institutions among youth, leading to youth
directing social, civic, and political participation to
informal channels.
(16) Many national and international mechanisms for the
protection of human rights defenders, peacebuilders, and
humanitarians usually apply to adults (individuals over the age
of 29) excluding youth (age 29 and younger) due to their age.
(17) United Nations Security Council Resolution 2250 on
Youth, Peace, and Security, which was adopted on December 9,
2015, formalized an international framework to address the role
of youth in building and sustaining peace and preventing
conflict.
(18) United Nations Security Council Resolution 2419 on
Youth, Peace, and Security, which was adopted on June 6, 2018,
calls for increasing and formalizing the role of youth in
negotiating and implementing peace agreements.
(19) United Nations Security Council Resolution 2535 on
Youth, Peace, and Security, which was adopted on July 14, 2020,
advocates for the increased protection of youth peacebuilders
at risk of violence, creates a two-year reporting mechanism on
Youth, Peace, and Security, and recognizes the critical role of
youth in mitigating humanitarian crises, such as COVID-19.
SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS.
It is the sense of Congress that the United States Government
should, consistent with the priorities of USAID's 2022 Youth In
Development Policy--
(1) apply Do No Harm principles, while recognizing that
engaging young people as partners in peacebuilding and
humanitarian activities is critical in fragile environments;
(2) promote the meaningful and inclusive engagement of
youth in peacebuilding and conflict prevention, management, and
resolution, as well as post-conflict relief and recovery
efforts and processes, reinforced through diplomatic efforts
and programs;
(3) provide assistance to and build the capacity of youth-
led organizations dedicated to advancing peace and review
administrative and bureaucratic impediments to achieving this
aim;
(4) build on new learning and existing United States
Government strategies addressing youth, peace, and security,
including the Women, Peace and Security Act of 2017 (Public Law
115-68) and the Action Plan developed pursuant to section 8, to
ensure that--
(A) there is meaningful, inclusive and equitable
participation of diverse youth in decision making at
all levels;
(B) such decision making is designed and assessed
in consultation with youth representing diverse
identities and situations, including youth from
marginalized and underrepresented groups, including
young women and girls, LGBTQI+ youth, indigenous youth,
and youth with disabilities;
(C) ensure that the voices, experiences, and
perspectives of local youth are heard and valued, and
create accessible platforms for dialogue and
participatory processes that allow them to contribute
to decision making, peace negotiations, and policy
development at the local and municipal levels; and
(D) recognize that youth, including young women and
girls, are not a homogenous group and have diverse
experiences and perspectives, and ensure inclusivity by
engaging and incorporating the perspectives of
marginalized and underrepresented youth, girls, and
young women, including those from minority communities,
indigenous backgrounds, and rural areas;
(5) integrate youth outreach and engagement into relevant
conflict-resolution, leadership, democracy, and governance
programs supported by the United States Government; and
(6) include policies that are specific to boys and girls at
various ages and programming in the design, implementation, and
evaluation of relevant United States foreign assistance
programs.
SEC. 4. STATEMENT OF POLICY.
It shall be the policy of the United States to promote the
inclusive and meaningful participation of youth in peacebuilding and
conflict prevention, management, and resolution, and post-conflict
relief and recovery efforts, reinforced through diplomatic efforts and
assistance programs that--
(1) elevate and incorporate the perspectives and interests
of affected youth into conflict-prevention, violence-reduction,
and post-conflict peacebuilding activities and strategies;
(2) increase meaningful and inclusive youth engagement in
program planning and policy development related to conflict
prevention and violence reduction, democracy and governance,
and security sector initiatives funded by the United States
Government;
(3) promote the safety, security, and dignity of youth in
crisis, conflict, and other fragile environments;
(4) provide technical and financial support to diverse
youth-led groups, initiatives, and innovations working on
issues of peace and security;
(5) support greater access of youth-led and youth-serving
organizations who are traditionally less represented in
peacebuilding and conflict prevention programming to United
States foreign assistance aid distribution mechanisms and
services;
(6) advance civic education in formal and non-formal
settings, increase youth civic and political participation and
representation, and bolster collective action and leadership
that improve democracy, peace, and security outcomes;
(7) encourage partner governments to adopt plans to
increase meaningful and inclusive youth engagement in peace and
security processes and decision-making institutions;
(8) recognize the unique context underrepresented and
marginalized youth, including girls and young women, experience
in conflict and violence settings by adjusting programs and
policies that pertain to the achievement of the strategy and
policy goals of this Act--
(A) to protect youth population that are especially
vulnerable, including girls and young women, and to
ensure their online and offline safety, security, and
dignity;
(B) to support their equal access to aid and
development assistance;
(C) to prioritize programs to improve outcomes in
inclusion, equality, and empowerment; and
(D) to recognize the critical roles and agency of
young people in peacebuilding, recovery, and
development and prioritize the inclusion of
underrepresented and marginalized youth in these
processes and efforts;
(9) recognize the unique challenges facing youth affected
by conflict and violence in the areas of--
(A) trauma, psychosocial, and mental health issues;
(B) stigma and other challenges with community
reintegration after conflict or gang association, such
as access to education, training, and economic
opportunity, and a lack of access to related services;
and
(C) a lack of access to education, training, and
economic opportunity in pre-conflict, conflict and
post-conflict settings; and
(10) recognize the unique challenges facing young people
from a variety of different backgrounds and demographics
including but not limited to, race, religion, ethnicity,
linguistics, caste, and youth with disabilities.
SEC. 5. USAID YOUTH COORDINATOR.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of State, in consultation with the
Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development
(USAID) shall require the USAID Youth Coordinator, in their role as
defined by the USAID Youth Policy, to coordinate cross-sectoral
international development efforts related to youth, inclusive of youth,
peace, and security.
(b) Delegation.--At the discretion of the Secretary of State, the
authority to require the USAID Youth Coordinator to fulfill this role
may be delegated by the Secretary of State to the Administrator of the
United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
(c) Duties.--The USAID Youth Coordinator shall--
(1) have the primary responsibility for the advocacy and
integration of youth into USAID initiatives, oversee the youth
and development policy coherence, support implementation and
training; and serve as a senior representative on youth issues
in the interagency and external community;
(2) lead the development and implementation of the United
States Foreign Assistance Youth, Peace and Security Action Plan
in accordance with section 8;
(3) lead revision, not less frequently than once every 5
years of such Plan;
(4) oversee the interagency coordination as provided for
under section 6, by engaging Youth, Peace and Security policy
and program experts across Federal agencies to inform the
development, implementation, and revision such Plan;
(5) facilitate outreach to and exchange with multilateral
agencies and other youth, peace, and security stakeholders
established under section 6 to inform such Plan, by carrying
out--
(A) outreach to facilitate exchange between USAID
and a diverse range of youth leaders, youth-led
organizations, and youth-serving organizations
advancing youth, peace, and security to inform and
provide recommendations to improve the Action Plan; and
(B) engagement with multilateral agencies and
international organizations to inform the development,
implementation, and revision of the Action Plan; and
(6) support, consistent with USAID's Policy for Youth in
Development, the designation of a Youth Point of Contact (YPOC)
in USAID Bureaus and diplomatic overseas Mission, as selected
by such missions and bureaus.
(d) Restriction on Additional or Supplemental Compensation.--The
USAID Youth Coordinator shall receive no additional or supplemental
compensation as a result of carrying our responsibilities and duties
under this section.
SEC. 6. COORDINATION.
To advance coordination for cross-sectoral international
development efforts related to youth, inclusive of youth, peace and
security, the USAID Youth Coordinator shall--
(1) serve as the focal point for intra agency and
interagency coordination of youth, peace, and security
initiatives between USAID and other United States Government
peacebuilding offices, entities, and partners including the
Executive Office of the President, the National Security
Council, the Department of Defense, the Department of State,
the Peace Corps, and the Millennium Challenge Corporation, and
the US Institute of Peace;
(2) support an interagency working group focused on the
harmonization of the United States Foreign Assistance Youth,
Peace, and Security Action Plan established under section 7
with approaches and key learning from existing peace and
security strategies, such as the United States Strategy on
Women, Peace, and Security and the Global Fragility Act, and
leverage learning other relevant policies and strategies to
inform the Action Plan's approach, such as USAID's Digital
Strategy the USG Global Strategy to Empower Adolescent Girls;
and
(3) engage multilateral agencies and other key youth,
peace, and security stakeholders from the implementing
community, youth-led organizations, and the private sector to
help inform the development of the Action Plan, including by--
(A) engaging the multilateral community in a call
to action to help inform and surface key evidence,
data, and measurement indicators to track youth in
development and youth, peace and security programming;
and
(B) engaging youth-led and youth-serving
organizations and networks to inform youth engagement
in the Action Plan.
SEC. 7. UNITED STATES FOREIGN ASSISTANCE YOUTH, PEACE, AND SECURITY
ACTION PLAN.
(a) In General.--Not later than one year after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the SAID Youth Coordinator, in coordination with
the USAID Administrator and the Secretary of State, and Secretary of
Defense, shall coordinate the development and implementation of the
United States Foreign Assistance Youth, Peace, and Security Action Plan
to accomplish the policy objective described in section 4, which
shall--
(1) consistent with the goals, priorities, and approach of
the USAID Youth In Development Policy, identify barriers and
opportunities to meaningfully integrate and engage diverse
youth in the full program cycle of interventions that are
relevant to youth, peace, and security (e.g., youth-led
research, assessment, and consultation; program design and
implementation; monitoring, learning, and evaluation);
(2) prioritize funding programs that build the assets,
agency, and capacity of youth engaged in peacebuilding,
violence prevention, mediation, negotiation, and peacekeeping,
at the community level and through meaningful youth
participation in decision making and in formal spaces and
institutions;
(3) ensure that capacity-building and youth engagement
programs take a systems-based and intergenerational approach by
engaging key institutions and stakeholders, such as peers and
peer mentors, family and community members, educators,
religious leaders, and policy leaders;
(4) encourage the development of youth-inclusive
reconciliation, disengagement, and reintegration programs;
(5) support inclusive education with a focus on mother-
language and cultural pride, and context-specific critical
thinking skills, relationship-based and skill-building
learning, and conflict resolution;
(6) through the USG's geographical reach, experience
working with vulnerable children and youth on the ground,
existing partnerships and thematically linked programs, and
USAID's Digital Strategy as a vehicle, address diverse forms of
digital harm to children and youth, learn from these
experiences and continue to strengthen interventions;
(7) utilize and promote safe and accessible digital
platforms and networks to strengthen and promote youth dialogue
and participation in peacebuilding efforts;
(8) specifically address the impact that the growing
digital ecosystem play in--
(A) achieving or impeding the inclusive and
meaningful participation of youth in peacebuilding
efforts and political processes; and
(B) radicalization and recruitment;
(9) include youth in assessments of United States peace and
security initiatives;
(10) encourage government partners to ensure inclusive
participation of youth in formal peace and political transition
processes, including in national dialogues; civic engagement
and political participation; reconciliation; and other
political processes related to peace and security; and
(11) assist youth to create a more secure environment in
which youth actors may better carry out their work in peace and
security in relation to the Action Plan and promote the
physical and psychological recovery of young survivors of armed
conflict.
(b) Regional Plans.--Such Plan shall include specific
implementation issues and considerations to be made in consultation
with each regional bureau of USAID and the Department of State as part
of the ongoing planning processes within USAID, including relevant
Country Development Cooperation Strategies and Joint Regional
Strategies.
SEC. 8. DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE TO EXPAND TRAINING, TECHNICAL
ASSISTANCE, AND GRANTS MANAGED AND CONTROLLED BY YOUTH
LEADERS.
(a) Youth, Peace, and Security Fund.--The USAID Youth Coordinator
is authorized to establish a grant program through an implementation
mechanism as determined by the Youth Coordinator, using amounts from
the Youth, Peace, and Security fund made available pursuant to
paragraph (3), may provide grants, emergency assistance, and technical
assistance to eligible youth-led civil society organizations and youth
peacebuilding implementers who seek to achieve--
(1) peacebuilding;
(2) improved economic security;
(3) community violence intervention;
(4) conflict and crisis management;
(5) conflict resolution and people-to-people
reconciliation;
(6) post-conflict relief recovery, and rebuilding efforts;
(7) assistance for individuals facing immediate legal and
safety concerns due to their participation in any activity
described in paragraphs (1) through (5); and
(8) any programming based on a positive youth development
approach.
(b) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated $5,500,000 to carry out this section. Amounts appropriated
pursuant to the authorization of appropriations under this subsection
may be referred to as the ``Youth, Peace and Security Fund''.
SEC. 9. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Conflict.--The term ``conflict'' in this Act is
understood as an inevitable aspect of human interaction, and
present when two or more individuals or groups pursue mutually
incompatible goals. ``Conflict'' is a continuum. When channeled
constructively into processes of resolution, conflict can be
beneficial; however, conflict can also be waged violently, as
in war.
(2) Conflict prevention.--The term ``conflict prevention''
is understood as deliberate efforts to disrupt likely pathways
to the outbreak, escalation, or recurrence of violent conflict
and promote peaceful, resilient communities.
(3) Do no harm.--The term ``Do No Harm'' refers to taking
measures that ensure our efforts and interventions do not put
any individual or group at increased risk of harm. As the
legal, political, and social context for diverse youth is
challenging in most countries where youth, peace, and security
activities occur, our engagement with youth and their
communities should be done thoughtfully as it can raise their
visibility and potentially put them at risk.
(4) Inclusive development.--The term ``inclusive
development'' is understood to mean the concept that every
person, regardless of their identity, is instrumental in
transforming their societies. Development processes that are
inclusive yield better outcomes for the communities that embark
upon them.
(5) Meaningful youth engagement.--The term ``meaningful
youth engagement'' is defined as an inclusive, intentional,
mutually respectful partnership between youth and adults
whereby power is shared and respective contributions, including
young people's ideas, leadership, perspectives, skills, and
strengths, are valued.
(6) Peacebuilding.--The term ``peacebuilding'' is
understood as a range of efforts at the community, national,
and international levels to address the immediate impacts and
root causes of conflict and violence before, during, and after
it occurs.
(7) Resilience.--The term ``resilience'' in this Act is
understood as the ability of people, households, communities,
countries, and systems to mitigate, adapt to, and recover from
shocks and stresses in a manner that reduces chronic
vulnerability and facilitates inclusive growth. In conflict and
violence prevention, resilience often refers to protective
structures (personal, group, institutional) that buffer
individuals from the effects of adverse experiences.
(8) Violence.--The term ``violence'' in this Act is
understood as the intentional use of physical force or power,
threatened or actual, against another person or against a group
or community that results in or has a high likelihood of
resulting in injury, death, or psychological harm.
(9) Vulnerable.--The term ``vulnerable youth'',
``vulnerable populations'', or other such iterations referred
in this Act means a group of people are vulnerable to
situations or conditions, such as those situations and
conditions presented during conflicts or instability. It is not
meant to define any group as having vulnerability as inherent
to their identity.
(10) Action plan.--The term ``action plan'' means the
United States Foreign Assistance Youth, Peace, and Security
Action Plan developed pursuant to section 8.
(11) USAID.--The acronym ``USAID'' means the United States
Agency for International Development.
(12) Youth.--The term ``youth'' means individuals who have
attained 10 years of age and have not attained 30 years of age.
(13) Youth coordinator.--The term ``Youth Coordinator''
means the individual designated by the Administrator pursuant
to section 6 to coordinate all cross-sectoral international
development efforts related to youth.
SEC. 10. REPORTS.
(a) Initial Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the
submission of the United States Foreign Assistance Youth, Peace, and
Security Action Plan required under section 7, the USAID Administrator
shall submit to Congress a report that describes the status of the
implementation of such Plan.
(b) Content.--The report required under subsection (a) shall--
(1) contain a summary of such Plan as an appendix;
(2) describe the progress made in implementing such Plan;
(3) identify the indicators and measure results over time,
including disaggregated data on YPS grant funds obligated to
support children and youth and their meaningful engagement in
United States foreign assistance programming, as well as the
mechanisms for reporting such results in an open and
transparent manner;
(4) contain a transparent and detailed accounting of USAID
spending to implement such Plan and related activities;
(5) describe how such Plan leverages the United States
peace and security programs; and
(6) assess the increased access of youth-led and youth-
serving organizations to grants provided by USAID.
(c) Subsequent Reports.--For the 6-year period beginning on the
date of the submission of the initial report required under subsection
(a), the USAID Administrator shall submit to Congress a report on the
status of the implementation of such Plan, the progress made in
achieving the elements described in section 8(a), and any changes to
such Plan every other year since the date of the submission of the most
recent prior report.
(d) Public Availability of Information.--The information referred
to in subsections (a) and (b) shall be timely made available on the
public website of USAID in a consolidated, downloadable, and machine-
searchable format.
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