For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
September 25, 2003
Executive Order 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 part of USA Freedom Corps, "Volunteers
for Prosperity" is a call to service to support major U.S. 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 Governments 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 U.S. volunteers to
work with nongovernmental and voluntary service organizations overseas
is a preferred use of our resources and also will help leverage private
sector resources. United States citizens who are skilled professionals
and who volunteer, when matched with organizations working on specific
U.S. 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, con-sistent with
U.S. 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) Agencies subject to this order shall consider, in evaluating
grant applications for assistance activities to be implemented abroad,
the applicants use of highly skilled U.S. volunteers to support U.S.
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 well-defined
volunteer service opportunities for highly skilled U.S. professionals
who wish to work with nongovernmental and voluntary service
organizations around the world in support of major U.S. 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 U.S. 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 U.S.
prosperity initiatives listed in section 1 of this order to provide
appropriate support to organizations that use highly skilled U.S.
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 Office, within the White House
Office. The reports shall be submitted within 180 days after the date
of this order and annually thereafter. The USA Freedom Corps Council
shall encourage consistency in policies and practices within the
agencies subject to this order, as appropriate, for purposes 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.
GEORGE W. BUSH
THE WHITE HOUSE,
September 25, 2003.
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