FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, September 25, 2003
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The White House
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Executive Order - Volunteers For Prosperity |
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VOLUNTEERS FOR PROSPERITY
By the authority vested in me as President by the
Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, and in order to
encourage volunteer service by highly skilled Americans to support major
initiatives by the United States for promoting health and prosperity around the
world, it is hereby ordered as follows:
Section 1.
(a) Policy. A Presidential initiative of the USA Freedom
Corps, “Volunteers for Prosperity” is a call to service to support major United
States initiatives that promote health and prosperity around the world.
Deploying highly skilled volunteers abroad is an efficient way to use our
resources consistent with the objectives of the United States Government’s
global prosperity agenda. United States volunteers will help to achieve the
objectives of the global prosperity agenda, including providing clean water to
the poor, promoting democratic governance, developing economic freedom,
promoting free and open markets, and stemming the spread of HIV/AIDS.
The investment of Federal resources to enable United States
volunteers to work with nongovernmental and voluntary service organizations
overseas is an effective use of our resources. United States citizens who are
skilled professionals and who volunteer, when matched with organizations working
on specific United States prosperity initiatives overseas, can provide
invaluable support for these initiatives and will supplement and complement the
traditions and accomplishments of the Peace Corps.
United States prosperity initiatives that can benefit from
volunteer service include, but are not limited to, the Emergency Plan for AIDS
Relief, the Digital Freedom Initiative, the Water for the Poor Initiative, the
Trade for African Development and Enterprise Initiative, and the Middle East
Partnership Initiative.
Volunteer service in support of other initiatives, consistent
with United States foreign policy, shall be considered as well.
(b) Applicability. The following agencies are subject to the
requirements of this order: the United States Agency for International
Development (“USAID”), the Department of State, the Department of Commerce, the
Department of Health and Human Services, and such other federal agencies as the
President may designate in the future.
Sec. 2. Establishment. (a) Agencies subject to this order
shall each establish within their respective organizations an Office for
Volunteers for Prosperity (“Office”) or, as appropriate, an operating unit
within an office.
(b) Each agency subject to this order shall provide its
Office or unit with appropriate staff, administrative support, and resources to
meet its responsibilities under this order.
(c) Each of these Offices or units shall begin operations no
later than 30 days from the date of this order.
(d) In evaluating grant applications for assistance
activities to be implemented abroad, agencies subject to this order shall
consider the applicant’s use of highly skilled United States volunteers to
support United States prosperity objectives and initiatives.
Sec. 3. Purpose. To the extent permitted by law, the
purpose of the Offices will be to promote, expand, and enhance volunteer service
opportunities for highly skilled United States professionals who wish to work
with nongovernmental and voluntary service organizations around the world in
support of major United States prosperity initiatives as identified in section 1
of this order. Such promotion, expansion, and enhancement would include actively
participating in the design and selection processes for grants within their
agencies, tracking the use of United States private volunteer organizations by
their agencies, and coordinating with White House Offices including the USA
Freedom Corps, the Office of National AIDS Policy, and the Office of Faith-Based
and Community Initiatives, as appropriate.
Sec. 4. Funding. Agencies subject to this order are hereby
directed to use their best efforts to use funds available for the United States
prosperity initiatives listed in section 1 of this order to provide appropriate
support to organizations that use highly skilled United States volunteers to
accomplish the objectives identified in those initiatives.
Sec. 5. Coordination. The USAID shall serve as the
inter-agency coordinator for the Volunteers for Prosperity initiative. In that
capacity, the USAID shall coordinate the activities that fall within the scope
of the initiative and report on the progress of the initiative to the USA
Freedom Corps in the Executive Office of the President. The reports shall be
submitted within 180 days after the date of this order and annually thereafter.
The agencies subject to this order and the USA Freedom Corps Council shall work
together to ensure consistency, as appropriate, in the agencies’ policies and
practices related to the Volunteers for Prosperity initiative.
Sec. 6. Administration. The actions directed by this order
shall be carried out subject to the availability of appropriations, to the
extent permitted by law, and consistent with the agencies’ missions.
Sec. 7. Judicial Review. This order is intended only to
improve the internal management of the executive branch of the Federal
Government, and it is not intended to, and does not, create any right or
benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity, against the
United States, its departments, agencies, or other entities, its officers or
employees, or any other person.
THE WHITE HOUSE
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