Special Envoy for Humanitarian Aid Workers

(a) In general Section 1 of the State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956 (22 U.S.C. 2651a) is amended by adding at the end the following: (p) Special Envoy for Humanitarian Aid Workers (1) Establishment There shall be a Special Envoy for Humanitarian Aid Workers, who shall be appointed by the President and shall report to the Secretary of State. (2) Rank and status of ambassador The Special Envoy shall have the rank and status of ambassador. (3) Duties The Special Envoy shall be responsible for— (A) inquiring into the death, fatal injury, or detention of any aid worker in the course of providing assistance as part of a humanitarian mission supported by the United States; (B) advocating for the robust coordination and deconfliction between humanitarian missions supported by the United States, international bodies, and relevant foreign security forces; (C) advocating for foreign countries to adopt best practices, including security for aid workers, to enable nongovernmental organizations to freely deliver humanitarian aid and assistance; (D) developing and advocating, in consultation with the Secretary of State, best practices for foreign countries to work with humanitarian nongovernmental organizations and civil society organizations; and (E) advocating for any other matter that supports the efforts of nongovernmental organizations to provide humanitarian assistance without the interference of the security of a foreign country. (4) Report to Congress Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this section, and annually thereafter, the Special Envoy shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report regarding the working environment of the conflict areas in which humanitarian aid workers operate to provide humanitarian assistance as part of a humanitarian mission supported by the United States, including— (A) any security challenges that nongovernmental organizations face in providing United States humanitarian assistance; (B) the effectiveness of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in deconflicting between nongovernmental organizations providing humanitarian assistance and parties to conflict; (C) how much humanitarian assistance the United States has distributed in the preceding 1-year period; and (D) any policy recommendations. (5) Definitions In this section: (A) Aid worker The term aid worker means an individual who provides humanitarian assistance to those in need outside the United States. (B) Appropriate congressional committees The term appropriate congressional committees means— (i) the Committees on Appropriations of the House of Representatives and Senate; (ii) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives; and (iii) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate.. (b) Report on OCHA (1) In general Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this section, the Special Envoy for Humanitarian Aid Workers shall, in consultation with the Secretary of State, submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report regarding the effectiveness of the efforts of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs with respect to coordination and deconfliction between humanitarian nongovernmental organizations and foreign countries as part of a humanitarian response supported by the United States. (2) Appropriate congressional committees defined In this subsection, the term appropriate congressional committees means— (A) the Committees on Appropriations of the Senate and House of Representatives; (B) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives; and (C) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate.