Executive Order 13317 of September 25, 2003

 
                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 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 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, 
                consistent 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 applicant's 
                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

[[Page 56516]]

                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.

                    (Presidential Sig.)B

                THE WHITE HOUSE,

                    September 25, 2003.