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[Federal Register: September 6, 2000 (Volume 65, Number 173)]
[Notices]
[Page 53977-53978]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr06se00-27]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Commodity Credit Corporation
Foreign Donation Program
AGENCY: Commodity Credit Corporation, USDA.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) will consider, on an expedited
basis, proposals from Cooperating Sponsors to carry out activities under the
Global Food for Education Initiative (GFFEI). CCC will conduct the CFFEI through
section 416(b) of the Agricultural Act of 1949.
EFFECTIVE DATE: CCC must receive all proposals by 5 p.m. EST, September 15,
2000.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Contact Dee A. Linse, Office of the
Deputy Administrator, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Foreign Agriculture
Service, Stop 1031, 1400 Independence Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20250-1031 or
telephone (202) 720-9847. Or contact Lorie Jacobs, Program Planning, Development
and Evaluation Division, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Foreign Agricultural
Service, Stop 1034, 1400 Independence Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20250-1034 or
Telephone (202) 720-2637.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On July 23, 2000, President Clinton announced new
initiatives to expand access to basic education and improve childhood
development in poor countries. These initiatives included a $300 million U.S.
Department of Agriculture international school feeding program to improve
student enrollment, attendance, and performance in poor countries. The U.S.
Department of Agriculture intends to use the authority of section 416(b) of the
Agricultural Act of 1949 (section 416(b)) to provide surplus agricultural
commodities in support of this endeavor. Under section 416(b), the Secretary of
Agriculture donates surplus agricultural commodities from CCC inventory to the
United Nations' World Food Program (WFP) or to Cooperating Sponsors to support
their humanitarian and developmental projects overseas. These entities may
distribute the donated commodities to needy people or sell some of the
commodities within the recipient country to provide local currency resources for
in-country expenses including, but not limited to, administrative, storage,
transportation, and handling expenses as well as direct project costs. Also, CCC
funds may be available to cover expenses related to implementing activities
supported with commodities acquired under section 5(d) of the CCC Charter Act.
Regulations governing commodity donations under section
416(b) appear at 7 CFR part 1499. Generally, the regulations require the
Cooperating Sponsors seeking a donation of agricultural
commodities must submit a proposal that includes the information specified in
the regulations. If the proposal is approved, CCC and the successful Cooperating
Sponsor will enter into a grant agreement incorporating the proposal and setting
forth mutual obligations of the parties.
CCC intends to commit section 416(b) resources totaling $300
million representing commodity costs, packaging, processing, transportation, and
other allowable program costs to the first year of the GFFEI. The $300 million
will be available to both the WFP and Cooperating Sponsors. CCC will give
priority consideration under section 416(b) to proposals that seek to institute
school feeding activities and encourages interested Cooperating Sponsors to
submit such proposals for consideration under the expedited procedures described
below. CCC will consider multi-year proposals subject to an annual review of
commodity availability and program performance.
Currently, CCC requires a Cooperating Sponsor to submit all
information specified in 7 CFR 1499.5 before CCC will consider its proposal.
This process may involve considerable effort and expense on the part of
Cooperating Sponsors to prepare a proposal and considerable time by CCC staff to
review and analyze the submitted proposals. Therefore, CCC will institute a
two-step process for consideration of activities under the GFFEI until the $300
million of section 416(b) resources is fully committed.
Under step one, interested Cooperating Sponsors may present
an initial submission that only contains information intended to demonstrate the
organizations' administrative capabilities. This would encompass the type of
information required by 7 CFR 1499.5(a)(3) to be included in paragraph 5(c) of
the Plan of Operation, i.e., organizational experience and resources available
to implement and manage the type of program proposed (direct school feeding
and/or monetization of commodities for school feeding programs), and staff
experience and knowledge in implementing and managing school feeding
programs. A comprehensive submission would include information on staff
experience and knowledge in implementing and managing school feeding programs,
demonstrate their ability to implement large scale programs, provide evidence of
establishing successful relationships with indigenous groups and government
representatives in country, and demonstrate their familiarity with laws and
regulations in countries which affect food aid/development programs and
organizations. If a Cooperating Sponsor is interested in monetization, evidence
should be provided to demonstrate their ability to successfully implement sales
and disbursements of proceeds. Additional statements might include a description
of automated record-keeping or accounting systems in place within the
organization, knowledge of standard accounting and financial reporting
practices, and a statement covering the Cooperating Sponsor's experience in the
closure of agreements and projects with USDA and other private and governmental
funding sources.
If Cooperating Sponsors are interested in utilizing or
collaborating with other entities in implementing a program, the Cooperating
Sponsor should also submit the information required by the regulations to be
included in paragraph (5)(e) and (f) of the Plan of Operation dealing with
``recipient agencies'' or other governmental and non-governmental entities that
would be involved in the activities.
In addition to the above information, organizations may wish
to provide one or two brief success stories (paragraph each).
CCC will then review this submission to decide which
Cooperating Sponsors are most capable of successfully implementing school
feeding activities. Under step two, CCC will invite those Cooperating Sponsors
determined to have the capability to participate to provide a supplemental
submission containing the remainder of the information required by 7 CFR
1499.5(a)(3) addressing specific proposed activities. The information should be
submitted not later than September 29, 2000.
The supplemental submission for the GFFEI activity should
contain information which supports the goal of establishing a pre-school or
school feeding program to draw children into the school environment and improve
access to basic education especially for females. Priority consideration will be
given to countries that have a commitment to universal free education, but need
assistance in the short-run, where pre-school or school feeding programs will
promote significant improvements in nutrition, school enrollment and attendance
levels, with existing food for education programs and where the likelihood of
support from other donors is high.
Cooperating Sponsors should provide, to the extent possible,
information on literacy rates for the target population, percentage of school
age children attending schools (with special emphasis on school age girls
attending school), public expenditure on primary education, whether the country
currently operates a school feeding initiative (either through USAID, with
assistance from the World Bank, or with internal resources), program impact on
areas such as teacher training, community infrastructure (Parent-Teacher
Associations (PTAs) and community groups), health and nutrition, and other
potential donors.
Agreements with successful Cooperating sponsors will require
special reporting for programs operated under the GFFEI. The Cooperating Sponsor
will be required to report periodically the number of meals served, enrollment
levels, and total attendance numbers, including female attendance levels. Such
reports should include information on the establishment of infrastructure
relevant to sustaining the feeding program such as establishment of PTAs and
community groups.
CCC will not make a final decision on which proposals to
accept until Cooperating Sponsors furnish all the required information. A
Cooperating Sponsor should not take an invitation to complete the process as any
indication of acceptance. CCC will not reimburse a Cooperating Sponsor for any
proposal preparation costs. The above described procedure is intended to
efficiently allocate a portion of the $300 million of section 416(b) resources
set aside for the first year of the President's GFFEI. Cooperating Sponsors that
do not participate in this expedited review procedure may still have projects
(including school feeding activities) considered during the normal course of
CCC's section 416(b) project review.
Signed at Washington, DC on August 30, 2000.
Timothy J. Galvin,
Administrator, Foreign Agricultural Service.
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