Multilateral development banks and debt-for-nature exchanges

22 U.S.C. § 262p–4i
in effect
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(a) Directions to United States Executive DirectorsThe Secretary of the Treasury shall direct the United States Executive Directors of the multilateral development banks to—(1) negotiate for the creation in each respective multilateral development bank, except where the Secretary of the Treasury determines that the provisions of this subsection have previously been met, of a department that will—(A) be responsible for environmental protection and resource conservation, including support for restoration, protection, and sustainable use policies; (B) develop and monitor strict environmental guidelines and policies to govern lending activities; and (C) actively promote, coordinate and facilitate debt-for-nature exchanges and the restoration, protection, and sustainable use of tropical forests, renewable natural resources, endangered ecosystems and species in debtor countries; (2) support and encourage the approval of multilateral development bank loans which include provisions that foster and facilitate the implementation of a sound and effective environmental policy in the borrowing country; (3) encourage the banks to assist such countries in reducing and restructuring private debt through the use of a portion of a project or policy based environmental loan in ways which will enable such countries to buy back private debt at a rate of discount available for such debt, at auction in the secondary market or through negotiations with creditors holding such debt; (4) seek to ensure that staff of each bank facilitate debtor countries’ collaboration with local and international non-governmental or private organizations in implementing debt-for-nature exchanges; and (5) seek to ensure that each bank adopts policy guidelines which to the maximum extent possible provide for—(A) the inclusion of sustainable use policies in loan agreements negotiated with borrower members; (B) the adoption of economic programs to foster sound environmental policies; and (C) the provision of debtor countries’ policy changes or significant increases in financial resources for use in at least 1 of the following—(i) restoration, protection, or sustainable use of the world’s oceans and atmosphere; (ii) restoration, protection, or sustainable use of diverse animal and plant species; (iii) establishment, restoration, protection, and maintenance of parks and reserves; (iv) development and implementation of sound systems of natural resource management; (v) development and support of local conservation programs; (vi) training programs to strengthen conservation institutions and increase scientific, technical, and managerial capabilities of individuals and organizations involved in conservation efforts; (vii) efforts to generate knowledge, increase understanding, and enhance public commitment to conservation; (viii) design and implementation of sound programs of land and ecosystem management; and (ix) promotion of regenerative approaches in farming, forestry, and watershed management. (b) Negotiation of guidelines for restoration, protection, or sustainable use policiesThe United States Executive Directors of the multilateral development banks shall seek to negotiate with the other executive directors to provide guidelines for restoration, protection, or sustainable use policies. Pending the outcome of such negotiations, the United States Executive Directors shall consider restoration, protection, or sustainable use policies to be those which—(1) support development that maintains and restores the renewable natural resource base so that present and future needs of debtor countries’ populations can be met, while not impairing critical ecosystems and not exacerbating global environmental problems; (2) are environmentally sustainable in that resources are conserved and managed in an effort to remove pressure on the natural resource base and to make judicious use of the land so as to sustain growth and the availability of all natural resources; (3) support development that does not exceed the limits imposed by local hydrological cycles, soil, climate, vegetation, and human cultural practices; (4) promote the maintenance and restoration of soils, vegetation, hydrological cycles, wildlife, critical ecosystems (tropical forests, wetlands, and coastal marine resources), biological diversity and other natural resources essential to economic growth and human well-being and shall, when using natural resources, be implemented to minimize the depletion of such natural resources; and (5) take steps, wherever feasible, to prevent pollution that threatens human health and important biotic systems and to achieve patterns of energy consumption that meet human needs and rely on renewable resources. (c) Inclusion of certain items in guidelinesThe United States Executive Directors shall endeavor to include the provisions of paragraphs (1) through (5) of subsection (b) in the guidelines developed through the negotiations specified in this section.

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