119-hr2412

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2412 Introduced in House

    (IH) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 H. R. 2412

 To establish an Office for Indigenous Affairs, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 March 27, 2025

Mr. Case (for himself and Mr. McGovern) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition 
to the Committee on Natural Resources, for a period to be subsequently 
 determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 
 provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

 A BILL

 To establish an Office for Indigenous Affairs, and for other purposes.

 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

 This Act may be cited as the ``Indigenous Diplomacy and Engagement 
Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

 Congress finds the following:

    (1) There are an estimated 476,000,000 Indigenous Peoples 
 worldwide who share a common heritage of collective ancestral 
 ties to the lands and natural resources where they and their 
 ancestors live or have lived together with their own unique 
 cultures, languages and traditions.

    (2) The Indigenous Peoples of the world also share a common 
 challenge and goal of preserving and protecting their ancestral 
 lands and natural resources and unique cultures, languages and 
 traditions.

    (3) The status, rights, challenges and goals of Indigenous 
 Peoples worldwide have been recognized by various international 
 organizations, including by the United Nations in its September 
 13, 2007, Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

    (4) The United States should expand its direct engagement 
 with Indigenous Peoples worldwide in order to better assist 
 Indigenous Peoples to achieve their goals and focus on common 
 challenges and opportunities.

SEC. 3. COMPREHENSIVE INTERNATIONAL STRATEGY FOR PROMOTING DIPLOMACY 
 AND ENGAGEMENT WITH INDIGENOUS PEOPLES.

    (a) Development and Implementation of Strategy.--Not later than 1 
year after the date of the enactment of this Act, and every 5 years 
thereafter, the President, acting through the Coordinator for 
Indigenous Affairs appointed pursuant to 

section 4

    (b) , shall--

    (1) develop and implement a comprehensive, 5-year 
 international strategy for promoting diplomacy and engagements 
 with international Indigenous peoples; and

    (2) submit to the appropriate congressional committees such 
 strategy.

    (b) Elements.--The strategy required by subsection

    (a) shall 
include the following elements:

    (1) An identification, for purposes of the strategy, of at 
 least 10 and not more than 20 countries that--
        (A) are geographically, ethnically, and culturally 
 diverse; and
        (B) have significant populations of Indigenous 
 peoples.

    (2) An assessment of the following with respect to each 
 country identified pursuant to paragraph

    (1) :
        (A) The nature and extent of United States 
 diplomacy and engagement with international Indigenous 
 peoples in the country.
        (B) The efforts of the government of the country to 
 promote and facilitate people-to-people engagements 
 involving international Indigenous peoples and domestic 
 Indigenous peoples.
            (C) Opportunities for the United States to 
 establish or enhance diplomacy and engagement with 
 international Indigenous peoples in the country and how 
 such establishment or enhancement would support the 
 broader foreign policy goals of the United States.
            (D) Metrics by which to evaluate the overall 
 progress of United States efforts to promote and 
 facilitate diplomacy and engagements with international 
 Indigenous peoples in the country.

    (3) A plan (developed taking into consideration the results 
 of the assessment under paragraph

    (2) ), including an outline of 
 specific programs, activities, or other efforts that may be 
 conducted, to--
        (A) promote and facilitate, in cooperation with the 
 government of each country identified pursuant to 
 paragraph

    (1) , activities that enhance diplomacy and 
 engagement with the Indigenous peoples of that country; 
 and
        (B) coordinate regarding such promotion and 
 facilitation with existing programs and initiatives 
 involving Indigenous peoples, including coordination 
 with the heads of nongovernmental organizations, civil 
 society, and Indigenous groups.

    (4) An identification of the general levels of resources 
 necessary on an annual basis to implement the plan under 
 paragraph

    (3) in each country identified pursuant to paragraph

    (1) , taking into account activities and funding provided by the 
 country and multilateral institutions and leveraging private 
 sector resources.

    (5) An identification of the relevant Federal departments 
 and agencies conducting the programs, activities, and other 
 efforts described with respect to the plan required by 
 paragraph

    (3) .

    (6) For each such Federal department or agency, an 
 assessment of the anticipated contributions of that department 
 or agency (including technical, financial, and in-kind 
 contributions) to implement such plan.
            (c) Collaboration.--In developing the strategy under subsection

    (a) , the President, acting through the Coordinator, shall consult 
with--

    (1) the Secretary of State;

    (2) the Secretary of the Interior;

    (3) the Administrator of the United States Agency for 
 International Development;

    (4) the Chief Executive Officer of the Millennium Challenge 
 Corporation;

    (5) the Chief Executive Officer of the Development Finance 
 Corporation;

    (6) the Advisory Commission on Indigenous Peoples 
 established under 

section 6; and

    (7) nongovernmental organizations that demonstrate 
 sufficient background, knowledge, and expertise--
        (A) working on the issues of Indigenous rights or 
 resources; or
        (B) engaging with international Indigenous peoples.
            (d) Sustainability and Impact Considerations.--In implementing the 
strategy under subsection

    (a) and the plan required by subsection

    (b)

    (3) , the President shall ensure that the policies and initiatives 
carried out pursuant to such strategy are designed to achieve maximum 
impact and long-term sustainability.

SEC. 4. OFFICE FOR INDIGENOUS AFFAIRS.

    (a) Establishment.--There is established an Office for Indigenous 
Affairs (in this section referred to as the ``Office'') for the purpose 
of coordinating all efforts of the Federal Government regarding 
diplomacy and engagements with international Indigenous peoples.

    (b) Coordinator.--The Office shall be headed by the Coordinator for 
Indigenous Affairs (in this section referred to as the 
``Coordinator''), who shall--

    (1) be appointed by the President, by and with the advice 
 and consent of the Senate;

    (2) report directly to the Secretary of State; and

    (3) have the rank and status of Ambassador at Large.
            (c) Duties.--The Coordinator shall have the following 
responsibilities:

    (1) To design, oversee, and coordinate activities and 
 programs of the Federal Government relating to diplomacy and 
 engagement with international Indigenous peoples.

    (2) To direct United States resources to--
        (A) increase and enhance diplomatic exchange and 
 engagements with international Indigenous peoples; and
        (B) assist in the development of the comprehensive 
 international strategy under 

section 3 to promote 
 diplomacy and engagements with international Indigenous 
 peoples and domestic Indigenous peoples.

    (3) To coordinate all policies, programs, and funding 
 relating to diplomacy and engagements with international 
 Indigenous peoples of relevant United States Government 
 agencies, including--
        (A) the Department of State;
        (B) the United States Agency for International 
 Development;
            (C) the Department of the Interior;
            (D) the Millennium Challenge Corporation; and
        (E) the Development Finance Corporation.

    (4) To design, integrate, and, as appropriate, implement 
 policies, programs, and activities related to Indigenous 
 health, education, economic development, international 
 Indigenous human rights, and protection of international 
 Indigenous peoples in humanitarian crises.

    (5) To encourage the Secretary of the Interior and the 
 Administrator of the United States Agency for International 
 Development to establish department- or agency-specific (as the 
 case may be) programmatic guidelines regarding diplomacy and 
 engagements between international Indigenous peoples and 
 domestic Indigenous peoples and to monitor the implementation 
 of those guidelines.
            (d) Principal Advisor.--In addition to the duties under subsection
            (c) , the Coordinator shall serve as the principal advisor to the 
Secretary of State regarding matters relating to international 
Indigenous peoples.

    (e) Diplomatic Representation.--Subject to the direction of the 
President and the Secretary of State, the Coordinator may represent the 
United States in matters relevant to diplomacy and engagements with 
international Indigenous peoples in--

    (1) contacts with Tribal representatives in other 
 countries, foreign governments, nongovernmental organizations, 
 the United Nations and its specialized agencies, and other 
 international organizations of which the United States is a 
 member; and

    (2) multilateral conferences and meetings relevant to 
 diplomacy and engagements with international Indigenous 
 peoples.

    (f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to the Coordinator such sums as may be necessary to carry 
out the duties and responsibilities of the Office for Indigenous 
Affairs as established by this section. Amount appropriated pursuant to 
this authorization are authorized to remain available until expended 
and shall supplement, not supplant, amounts otherwise authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out the purposes described in this section.

SEC. 5. ANNUAL REPORT ON PROMOTING INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMACY AND 
 ENGAGEMENT WITH INDIGENOUS PEOPLE.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 1 year after date of the submission 
of the comprehensive international strategy developed under 

section 3, 
and every 4 years thereafter, the Secretary of State, acting through 
the Coordinator for Indigenous Affairs appointed pursuant to 

section 4

    (b) , shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report 
to be titled the ``Report on International Indigenous Diplomacy and 
Engagement''.

    (b) Matters.--Each report under subsection

    (a) shall include the 
following:

    (1) The goals and objectives of the comprehensive 
 international strategy developed under 

section 3.

    (2) The assessment of the Coordinator of the effectiveness 
 to date of the strategy, including the specific criteria used 
 in such assessment.

    (3) A description of the coordination of all Federal 
 Government resources and international activities to engage 
 with and support international Indigenous peoples that 
 includes--
        (A) an identification of the Federal departments or 
 agencies involved;
        (B) a description of the coordination between the 
 heads of such Federal departments and agencies; and
            (C) a description of the coordination with non-
 Federal Government entities, including foreign 
 governments, multilateral organizations and 
 institutions, and nongovernmental organizations.

    (4) A description of the relationship between--
        (A) efforts to support international Indigenous 
 peoples;
        (B) other United States assistance strategies in 
 developing countries; and
            (C) diplomatic relationships with such countries.

    (5) A description of efforts to design, support, and 
 implement activities in response to the needs of international 
 Indigenous peoples and in furtherance of United States 
 diplomatic and peacemaking initiatives.

    (6) A description of data collection efforts conducted 
 under programs authorized by this Act or the amendments made by 
 this Act.

    (7) A description of any significant efforts by bilateral 
 or multilateral donors in support of international Indigenous 
 peoples.

    (8) An identification of all contractors, subcontractors, 
 grantees, and subgrantees receiving United States funds for 
 programs supporting international Indigenous peoples.

    (9) Recommendations related to best practices, effective 
 strategies, and suggested improvements to enhance the impact of 
 efforts to support international Indigenous peoples.

    (10) A description of United States resources that are 
 being used--
        (A) to implement the strategy developed under 
 

section 3;
        (B) to respond to needs of international Indigenous 
 people;
            (C) to promote equity and advance the status of 
 international Indigenous people; and
            (D) to encourage all parties to engage with and 
 support the participation of international Indigenous 
 peoples in decisions affecting their lands, cultures, 
 and traditions, the allocation of natural resources, 
 and the protection of the civil and political rights of 
 such peoples.

SEC. 6. ADVISORY COMMISSION ON INDIGENOUS PEOPLES.

    (a) Establishment.--There is established within the Department of 
State an Advisory Commission on Indigenous Peoples (in this section 
referred to as the ``Advisory Commission'').

    (b) Membership.--

    (1) Appointment.--The Advisory Commission shall be composed 
 of--
        (A) the Coordinator for Indigenous Affairs 
 appointed pursuant to 

section 4

    (b) , who shall serve as 
 chair;
        (B) 8 members appointed by the Secretary of State, 
 from among individuals who are not officers or 
 employees of the Federal Government;
            (C) 3 members appointed by the President pro 
 tempore of the Senate on the joint recommendation of 
 the Majority and Minority Leaders of the Senate;
            (D) 3 members appointed by the Speaker of the House 
 of Representatives on the joint recommendation of the 
 Majority and Minority Leaders of the House of 
 Representatives; and
        (E) 1 representative from each of--
            (i) the National Congress of American 
 Indians;
            (ii) the Alaska Federation of Natives; and
            (iii) the Office of Hawaiian Affairs.

    (2) Selection.--The members of the Advisory Commission 
 described in subparagraphs
        (B) through
            (D) of paragraph

    (1) shall be selected from among--
        (A) academics representative of the various 
 scholarly approaches to the history of the rights and 
 resources of international Indigenous peoples;
        (B) representatives of nongovernmental 
 organizations and other institutions having the 
 background, knowledge, and expertise related to 
 diplomacy and engagements with international Indigenous 
 peoples and domestic Indigenous peoples; and
            (C) other distinguished individuals noted for their 
 diverse background, knowledge, and expertise in the 
 fields relevant to international Indigenous peoples, 
 including foreign affairs, human rights, and 
 international law.

    (3) Time of appointment.--The appointments of the members 
 described in subparagraphs
        (B) through
            (D) of paragraph

    (1) should be made not later than 120 days after the date of the 
 enactment of this Act.

    (4) Terms.--The term of each member appointed in accordance 
 with paragraph

    (3) to the Advisory Commission shall be 3 years. 
 Members shall be eligible for reappointment to a second term.
            (c) Duties.--The Advisory Commission shall--

    (1) annually make recommendations to the Secretary of State 
 regarding best practices to promote diplomacy and engagements 
 with international Indigenous peoples and the effective 
 integration of such practices into the foreign policy of the 
 United States, including assistance programming; and

    (2) consult with members of the Federal Government, 
 domestic and international Indigenous leaders, and with private 
 groups and individuals with expertise on the promotion of 
 diplomacy and engagements with international Indigenous 
 peoples.
            (d) Hearings.--In carrying out this section, the Advisory 
Commission may conduct such hearings, sit and at such times and places, 
take such testimony, and receive such evidence, as the Advisory 
Commission considers appropriate.

    (e) Funding.--Members of the Advisory Commission shall be allowed 
travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence at rates 
authorized for employees of agencies under subchapter I of chapter 57 
of title 5, United States Code, while away from their homes or regular 
places of business in the performance of duties for the Advisory 
Commission.

    (f) Report of the Advisory Commission.--Not later than April 1 of 
each year, the Advisory Commission shall submit to the President, the 
Secretary of State, and the appropriate congressional committees a 
report that sets forth its findings and recommendations for United 
States policy and programs.

SEC. 7. TRAINING FOR FOREIGN SERVICE OFFICERS ON INTERNATIONAL 
 INDIGENOUS DIPLOMACY AND ENGAGEMENT.

 

Section 708 of the Foreign Service Act of 1980 (22 U.S.C. 4028) is 
amended by adding at the end the following:
 ``

    (e) Indigenous Communities.--The Secretary of State, acting 
through the Coordinator for Indigenous Affairs, shall establish, as 
part of the standard training provided for chiefs of mission, deputy 
chiefs of mission, and other officers of the Service prior to departure 
for posting outside the United States, training on the history and 
culture of the Indigenous communities that reside near the applicable 
posts of assignment, along with guidance on ways to engage with and 
provide direct support to individuals from those communities.''.

SEC. 8. DEFINITIONS.

 In this Act:

    (1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term 
 ``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
        (A) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the 
 Committee on Natural Resources of the House of 
 Representatives; and
        (B) the Committee on Foreign Relations and the 
 Committee on Indian Affairs of the Senate.

    (2) Coordinator.--The term ``Coordinator'' means the 
 Coordinator for Indigenous Affairs appointed pursuant to 
 

section 4

    (b) .

    (3) Domestic indigenous peoples.--The term ``domestic 
 Indigenous peoples'' means--
        (A) Indians, as that term is defined in 

section 4
            (d) of the Indian Self-Determination and Education 
 Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 450b
            (d) );
        (B) Native Hawaiians, as that term is defined in 
 

section 6207 of the Native Hawaiian Education Act (20 
 U.S.C. 7517);
            (C) Alaska Natives, within the meaning provided for 
 the term ``Native'' in 

section 3

    (b) of the Alaska 
 Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1602

    (b) ); and
            (D) Pacific Islanders, as such term is defined in 
 

section 815 of the Native American Programs Act of 1974 
 (42 U.S.C. 2992c).

    (4) Indigenous peoples.--The term ``Indigenous peoples''--
        (A) means distinct social and cultural groups that 
 the Coordinator for Indigenous Affairs designates as 
 such, taking into account relevant factors such as 
 internationally recognized definitions of Indigenous 
 Peoples, historical context, and sociological 
 circumstances; and
        (B) includes domestic Indigenous peoples and 
 international Indigenous peoples.

    (5) International indigenous peoples.--The term 
 ``international Indigenous peoples'' means the peoples 
 indigenous to foreign countries or foreign territories.
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