Partnership for Peace Fund Advisory Board; Notice of Meeting, 47099-47100 [2023-14981]

Download as PDF 47099 Notices Federal Register Vol. 88, No. 139 Friday, July 21, 2023 This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings and investigations, committee meetings, agency decisions and rulings, delegations of authority, filing of petitions and applications and agency statements of organization and functions are examples of documents appearing in this section. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT Partnership for Peace Fund Advisory Board; Notice of Meeting United States Agency for International Development. ACTION: Request for public comment and notice of public meeting. AGENCY: The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) announces a public meeting, and requests public comment for the third meeting of the Partnership for Peace Fund (PPF) Advisory Board to receive further information on the DFC’s Joint Investment for Peace Initiative under MEPPA; discuss feedback and insights from the recent Board trip to Israel and the West Bank; and provide recommendations for peacebuilding programming at USAID. A portion of this meeting will be closed to the public. SUMMARY: ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1 DATES: 1. Written comments and information are requested on or before August 21, 2023, at 5 p.m. EDT. 2. The public meeting will take place on Thursday, August 24, 2023, from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. EDT via the Zoom platform (https://usaid.zoomgov.com/j/ 1613820653) followed by the closed portion. 3. The meeting does not require preregistration. ADDRESSES: You may submit comments regarding the work of the PPF Advisory Board by email to MEPPA@usaid.gov. Include ‘‘Public Comment, PPF Advisory Board Meeting, August 24’’ in the subject line. All public comments and questions will be included in the official record of the meeting and posted publicly on the USAID website. Please email MEPPA@usaid.gov to request reasonable accommodations for the public meeting. Include ‘‘Request for Reasonable Accommodation, PPF VerDate Sep<11>2014 19:06 Jul 20, 2023 Jkt 259001 Advisory Board Meeting, August 24’’ in the subject line. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dan McDonald, 202–712–4938, meppa@ usaid.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In December 2020, Congress passed the Nita M. Lowey Middle East Partnership for Peace Act, or MEPPA, with bipartisan support. The Act directs USAID and the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), in coordination with the Department of State, to program $250 million over five years to build the foundation for peaceful coexistence between Israelis and Palestinians through a new PPF, managed by USAID, and a Joint Investment Initiative, managed by the DFC. MEPPA serves as a recognition that economic, social, and political connections between Israelis and Palestinians are the best way to foster mutual understanding and provide the strongest basis for a sustainable, twostate solution. USAID’s Middle East Bureau has been working with Congress, interagency colleagues, and partners in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza to implement the Act. MEPPA also calls for the establishment of a board to advise USAID on the strategic direction of the PPF. Composed of up to 15 members, the PPF Advisory Board includes development experts, private sector leaders and faith-based leaders who are appointed by members of Congress and the USAID Administrator. As stated in its charter, the Board’s role is to: 1. To consult with, provide information to and advise USAID, and other U.S. Government agencies, as appropriate, on matters and issues relating to the PPF, including on: • the efficacy of United States and international support for grassroots, people-to-people efforts aimed at fostering tolerance, countering extremist propaganda and incitement in the State of Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza; • strengthening engagement between Palestinians and Israelis, including through people-to-people peacebuilding programs to increase the bonds of friendship and understanding; and • investing in cooperation that develops the Palestinian economy and results in joint economic ventures; 2. To make recommendations on the types of projects USAID should seek to PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 further the purposes of the People-toPeople PPF; 3. To make recommendations on partnerships with foreign governments and international organizations to leverage the impact of the PPF; and 4. To inform USAID’s required reporting to the appropriate Congressional committees. The following are the current members of the Advisory Board: • Chair: The Honorable George R. Salem • The Honorable Elliott Abrams • Farah Bdour • Rabbi Angela Buchdahl • Rabbi Michael M. Cohen • Sander Gerber • Ambassador Mark Green (ret.) • Hiba Husseini • Heather Johnston • Harley Lippman • The Honorable Nita M. Lowey • Dina Powell McCormick • Nickolay Mladenov • Jen Stewart • The Honorable Robert Wexler PPF Advisory Board meetings are held twice a year and are public. More information about how USAID is implementing MEPPA to increase people-to-people partnerships between Israelis and Palestinians is available at: https://www.usaid.gov/west-bank-andgaza/meppa. The purpose of this meeting is for the Advisory Board to gain a better understanding of the progress so far to program funds under the PPF to bring Israelis and Palestinians together to increase understanding and advance the goal of a two-state solution. During this meeting, the Board will (1) receive further information on the DFC’s Joint Investment for Peace Initiative under MEPPA; (2) discuss feedback and insights from the recent Board trip to Israel and the West Bank; and (3) provide recommendations for peacebuilding programming at USAID. The close portion of the meeting will involve discussion of matters determined to be exempt from the open meeting and public participation requirements found in Sections 10(a)(1) and 10(a)(3) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) (5 U.S.C. 1001– 1014). Closed Meeting Exemption and Determination The exemption is authorized by section 10(d) of the FACA, which E:\FR\FM\21JYN1.SGM 21JYN1 47100 Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 139 / Friday, July 21, 2023 / Notices ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1 permits the closure of advisory committee meetings, or portions thereof, if the head of the agency to which the advisory committee reports determines such meetings may be closed to the public in accordance with subsection (c) of the Government in the Sunshine Act (5 U.S.C. 552b(c)). In this case, the applicable provisions of 5 U.S.C. 552b(c) are subsection 552b(c)(9)(B), which permits closure to protect information that would be likely to significantly frustrate implementation of a proposed agency action were it to be disclosed prematurely, and 552b(c)(6), which permits closure to protect information disclosure of which would constitute an unwarranted invasion of privacy. The closed session of the meeting will involve committee discussions and guidance regarding USAID’s strategies and policies that substantially impact the interests of third-parties. The Administrator, with the concurrence of the General Counsel, formally determined on June 13, 2023 pursuant to section 10 of the FACA, (5 U.S.C. 1009(d)), that the portion of the meeting dealing with the privacy interests of third-parties and predecisional changes to Agency source selection policies and evaluation criteria relating to awards under the Partnership for Peace Fund shall be exempt from the provisions relating to public meetings found in 5 U.S.C. 1009(a)(1) and 1009(a)(3). The remaining portions of the meeting will be open to the public. The open session will be accessible to the public. See details below. Request for Public Comment To inform the direction and advice of the Board, USAID invites written comments from the public on areas for focus and strategies for people-to-people peacebuilding under the PPF. Written comments and information are requested on or before Monday, August 21, 2023, at 5 p.m. EDT. Include ‘‘Public Comment, PPF Advisory Board Meeting, August 24’’ in the subject line. Please submit comments and information as a Word or PDF attachment to your email. You are encouraged to submit written comments even if you plan to attend the public meeting. All public comments and questions will be included in the official record of the meeting and posted publicly on the USAID website. Public Meeting A public meeting will take place Thursday, August 24, 2023, from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. EDT. [The closed portion of the meeting will take place from approximately 10:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. VerDate Sep<11>2014 19:06 Jul 20, 2023 Jkt 259001 The open portion of the meeting will take place from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.]. This meeting is free and open to the public. Persons wishing to attend the meeting should use the following link: (https://usaid.zoomgov.com/j/ 1613820653). American Sign Language interpretation will be provided during the public meeting. Requests for reasonable accommodations should be directed to Daniel McDonald at MEPPA@usaid.gov. Please include ‘‘Request for Reasonable Accommodation, PPF Advisory Board Meeting, August 24’’ in the subject line. Megan Doherty, USAID Designated Federal Officer for the PPF Advisory Board, Bureau for the Middle East, U.S. Agency for International Development. [FR Doc. 2023–14981 Filed 7–20–23; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6116–01–P DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request The Department of Agriculture has submitted the following information collection requirement(s) to OMB for review and clearance under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104–13. Comments are requested regarding; whether the collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information will have practical utility; the accuracy of the agency’s estimate of burden including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used; ways to enhance the quality, utility and clarity of the information to be collected; and ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology. Comments regarding this information collection received by August 21, 2023 will be considered. Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information collection should be submitted within 30 days of the publication of this notice on the following website www.reginfo.gov/ public/do/PRAMain. Find this particular information collection by selecting ‘‘Currently under 30-day Review—Open for Public Comments’’ or by using the search function. An agency may not conduct or sponsor a collection of information PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 unless the collection of information displays a currently valid OMB control number and the agency informs potential persons who are to respond to the collection of information that such persons are not required to respond to the collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. Food and Nutrition Service Title: Food Distribution Programs. OMB Control Number: 0584–0293. Summary of Collection: The Food Distribution Programs of the Department of Agriculture (USDA), Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) assist American farmers and needy people by purchasing USDA donated foods and delivering them to State agencies that, in turn, distribute them to organizations who provide food assistance to those in need. The USDA donated foods help to meet the nutritional needs of: (a) Children from preschool age through high school in FNS Child Nutrition Programs and in nonprofit summer camps; (b) needy persons in households on Indian reservations participating in the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR) or the Food Distribution Program for Indian Households in Oklahoma (FDPIHO); (c) needy persons served by charitable institutions; (d) elderly persons participating in the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP); (e) low-income, unemployed or homeless people provided foods through household distributions or meals through soup kitchens under the Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP); (f) pre-school and school-age children, elderly, and functionally impaired adults enrolled in child and adult day care centers participating in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP); and (g) victims of Presidentially-declared disasters and other situations of distress. The following authorizing legislation allows the Secretary broad authority to establish regulatory provisions governing accountability in the use of USDA donated foods by Federal, State, and private agencies: (a) Section 4(b) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008, as amended (7 U.S.C. 2013(b)); (b) Sections 6, 14, and 17 of the National School Lunch Act, as amended (42 U.S.C. 1755, 1762(a), 1766); (c) Section 4 of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966, as amended (42 U.S.C. 1733); (d) The Emergency Food Assistance Act of 1983, as amended (7 U.S.C. 7501 et seq.); and (e) Sections 4(a) and 5 of the Agriculture and Consumer Protection Act of 1973, as amended (7 U.S.C. 612c note). E:\FR\FM\21JYN1.SGM 21JYN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 139 (Friday, July 21, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47099-47100]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-14981]


========================================================================
Notices
                                                Federal Register
________________________________________________________________________

This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules 
or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings 
and investigations, committee meetings, agency decisions and rulings, 
delegations of authority, filing of petitions and applications and agency 
statements of organization and functions are examples of documents 
appearing in this section.

========================================================================


Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 139 / Friday, July 21, 2023 / 
Notices

[[Page 47099]]



AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT


Partnership for Peace Fund Advisory Board; Notice of Meeting

AGENCY: United States Agency for International Development.

ACTION: Request for public comment and notice of public meeting.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) 
announces a public meeting, and requests public comment for the third 
meeting of the Partnership for Peace Fund (PPF) Advisory Board to 
receive further information on the DFC's Joint Investment for Peace 
Initiative under MEPPA; discuss feedback and insights from the recent 
Board trip to Israel and the West Bank; and provide recommendations for 
peacebuilding programming at USAID. A portion of this meeting will be 
closed to the public.

DATES: 
    1. Written comments and information are requested on or before 
August 21, 2023, at 5 p.m. EDT.
    2. The public meeting will take place on Thursday, August 24, 2023, 
from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. EDT via the Zoom platform (https://usaid.zoomgov.com/j/1613820653) followed by the closed portion.
    3. The meeting does not require pre-registration.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments regarding the work of the PPF 
Advisory Board by email to [email protected]. Include ``Public Comment, 
PPF Advisory Board Meeting, August 24'' in the subject line. All public 
comments and questions will be included in the official record of the 
meeting and posted publicly on the USAID website.
    Please email [email protected] to request reasonable accommodations 
for the public meeting. Include ``Request for Reasonable Accommodation, 
PPF Advisory Board Meeting, August 24'' in the subject line.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dan McDonald, 202-712-4938, 
[email protected]

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In December 2020, Congress passed the Nita 
M. Lowey Middle East Partnership for Peace Act, or MEPPA, with 
bipartisan support. The Act directs USAID and the U.S. International 
Development Finance Corporation (DFC), in coordination with the 
Department of State, to program $250 million over five years to build 
the foundation for peaceful coexistence between Israelis and 
Palestinians through a new PPF, managed by USAID, and a Joint 
Investment Initiative, managed by the DFC.
    MEPPA serves as a recognition that economic, social, and political 
connections between Israelis and Palestinians are the best way to 
foster mutual understanding and provide the strongest basis for a 
sustainable, two-state solution. USAID's Middle East Bureau has been 
working with Congress, interagency colleagues, and partners in Israel, 
the West Bank, and Gaza to implement the Act. MEPPA also calls for the 
establishment of a board to advise USAID on the strategic direction of 
the PPF.
    Composed of up to 15 members, the PPF Advisory Board includes 
development experts, private sector leaders and faith-based leaders who 
are appointed by members of Congress and the USAID Administrator. As 
stated in its charter, the Board's role is to:
    1. To consult with, provide information to and advise USAID, and 
other U.S. Government agencies, as appropriate, on matters and issues 
relating to the PPF, including on:
     the efficacy of United States and international support 
for grassroots, people-to-people efforts aimed at fostering tolerance, 
countering extremist propaganda and incitement in the State of Israel, 
the West Bank, and Gaza;
     strengthening engagement between Palestinians and 
Israelis, including through people-to-people peace-building programs to 
increase the bonds of friendship and understanding; and
     investing in cooperation that develops the Palestinian 
economy and results in joint economic ventures;
    2. To make recommendations on the types of projects USAID should 
seek to further the purposes of the People-to-People PPF;
    3. To make recommendations on partnerships with foreign governments 
and international organizations to leverage the impact of the PPF; and
    4. To inform USAID's required reporting to the appropriate 
Congressional committees.
    The following are the current members of the Advisory Board:

 Chair: The Honorable George R. Salem
 The Honorable Elliott Abrams
 Farah Bdour
 Rabbi Angela Buchdahl
 Rabbi Michael M. Cohen
 Sander Gerber
 Ambassador Mark Green (ret.)
 Hiba Husseini
 Heather Johnston
 Harley Lippman
 The Honorable Nita M. Lowey
 Dina Powell McCormick
 Nickolay Mladenov
 Jen Stewart
 The Honorable Robert Wexler

    PPF Advisory Board meetings are held twice a year and are public. 
More information about how USAID is implementing MEPPA to increase 
people-to-people partnerships between Israelis and Palestinians is 
available at: https://www.usaid.gov/west-bank-and-gaza/meppa.
    The purpose of this meeting is for the Advisory Board to gain a 
better understanding of the progress so far to program funds under the 
PPF to bring Israelis and Palestinians together to increase 
understanding and advance the goal of a two-state solution.
    During this meeting, the Board will (1) receive further information 
on the DFC's Joint Investment for Peace Initiative under MEPPA; (2) 
discuss feedback and insights from the recent Board trip to Israel and 
the West Bank; and (3) provide recommendations for peacebuilding 
programming at USAID. The close portion of the meeting will involve 
discussion of matters determined to be exempt from the open meeting and 
public participation requirements found in Sections 10(a)(1) and 
10(a)(3) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) (5 U.S.C. 1001-
1014).

Closed Meeting Exemption and Determination

    The exemption is authorized by section 10(d) of the FACA, which

[[Page 47100]]

permits the closure of advisory committee meetings, or portions 
thereof, if the head of the agency to which the advisory committee 
reports determines such meetings may be closed to the public in 
accordance with subsection (c) of the Government in the Sunshine Act (5 
U.S.C. 552b(c)). In this case, the applicable provisions of 5 U.S.C. 
552b(c) are subsection 552b(c)(9)(B), which permits closure to protect 
information that would be likely to significantly frustrate 
implementation of a proposed agency action were it to be disclosed 
prematurely, and 552b(c)(6), which permits closure to protect 
information disclosure of which would constitute an unwarranted 
invasion of privacy. The closed session of the meeting will involve 
committee discussions and guidance regarding USAID's strategies and 
policies that substantially impact the interests of third-parties. The 
Administrator, with the concurrence of the General Counsel, formally 
determined on June 13, 2023 pursuant to section 10 of the FACA, (5 
U.S.C. 1009(d)), that the portion of the meeting dealing with the 
privacy interests of third-parties and pre-decisional changes to Agency 
source selection policies and evaluation criteria relating to awards 
under the Partnership for Peace Fund shall be exempt from the 
provisions relating to public meetings found in 5 U.S.C. 1009(a)(1) and 
1009(a)(3).
    The remaining portions of the meeting will be open to the public.
    The open session will be accessible to the public. See details 
below.

Request for Public Comment

    To inform the direction and advice of the Board, USAID invites 
written comments from the public on areas for focus and strategies for 
people-to-people peacebuilding under the PPF.
    Written comments and information are requested on or before Monday, 
August 21, 2023, at 5 p.m. EDT. Include ``Public Comment, PPF Advisory 
Board Meeting, August 24'' in the subject line. Please submit comments 
and information as a Word or PDF attachment to your email. You are 
encouraged to submit written comments even if you plan to attend the 
public meeting. All public comments and questions will be included in 
the official record of the meeting and posted publicly on the USAID 
website.

Public Meeting

    A public meeting will take place Thursday, August 24, 2023, from 9 
a.m. to 10:30 a.m. EDT. [The closed portion of the meeting will take 
place from approximately 10:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. The open portion of 
the meeting will take place from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.]. This meeting is 
free and open to the public. Persons wishing to attend the meeting 
should use the following link: (https://usaid.zoomgov.com/j/1613820653).
    American Sign Language interpretation will be provided during the 
public meeting. Requests for reasonable accommodations should be 
directed to Daniel McDonald at [email protected]. Please include 
``Request for Reasonable Accommodation, PPF Advisory Board Meeting, 
August 24'' in the subject line.

Megan Doherty,
USAID Designated Federal Officer for the PPF Advisory Board, Bureau for 
the Middle East, U.S. Agency for International Development.
[FR Doc. 2023-14981 Filed 7-20-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6116-01-P
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