Millennium Challenge Corporation Candidate Country Report for Fiscal Year 2025, 73126-73129 [2024-20132]
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73126
Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 174 / Monday, September 9, 2024 / Notices
Procedures for Classifying Labor
Surplus Areas
The Department of Labor (DOL) issues
the LSA list on a fiscal year basis. The
list becomes effective each October 1,
and remains in effect through the
following September 30. The reference
period used in preparing the current list
was January 2022 through December
2023. The national average
unemployment rate (including Puerto
Rico) during this period is rounded to
3.66 percent. Twenty percent higher
than the national unemployment rate
during this period is rounded to 4.39
percent. Since this percent is below the
floor rate, the qualifying rate is 6
percent.
To ensure that all areas classified as
labor surplus meet the requirements,
when a city is part of a county and
meets the unemployment qualifier as a
LSA, that city is identified in the LSA
list, the balance of county, not the entire
county, will be identified as a LSA if the
balance of county also meets the LSA
unemployment criteria. The data on the
current and previous years’ LSAs are
available at www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/
lsa.
ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1
Petition for Exceptional Circumstance
Consideration
The classification procedures also
provide criteria for the designation of
LSAs under exceptional circumstances
criteria. These procedures permit the
regular classification criteria to be
waived when an area experiences a
significant increase in unemployment
which is not temporary or seasonal and
which was not reflected in the data for
the 2-year reference period. Under the
program’s exceptional circumstance
procedures, LSA classifications can be
made for civil jurisdictions,
Metropolitan Statistical Areas or
Combined Statistical Areas, as defined
by the U.S. Office of Management and
Budget. In order for an area to be
classified as a LSA under the
exceptional circumstance criteria, the
State Workforce Agency must submit a
petition requesting such classification to
the Department of Labor’s ETA.
The current criteria for an exceptional
circumstance classification are:
1. An area’s unemployment rate is at
least 6 percent for each of the three most
recent months; and
2. A projected unemployment rate of
at least 6 percent for each of the next 12
months because of an event.
When submitting such a petition, the
State Workforce Agency must provide
documentation that the exceptional
circumstance event has occurred. The
State Workforce Agency may file
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17:19 Sep 06, 2024
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petitions on behalf of civil jurisdictions,
Metropolitan Statistical Areas, or
Micropolitan Statistical Areas.
State Workforce Agencies may submit
petitions in electronic format to
arbulu.lucas.w@dol.gov,
haughton.donald.w@dol.gov, or in hard
copy to the U.S. Department of Labor,
Employment and Training
Administration, Office of Workforce
Investment, 200 Constitution Avenue
NW, Room C–4514, Washington, DC
20210, Attention Lucas Arbulu. Data
collection for the petition is approved
under OMB 1205–0207, expiration date
May 31, 2026.
José Javier Rodrı́guez,
Assistant Secretary for Employment and
Training Administration.
[FR Doc. 2024–20162 Filed 9–6–24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510–FN–P
MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE
CORPORATION
[MCC FR 24–04]
Millennium Challenge Corporation
Candidate Country Report for Fiscal
Year 2025
Millennium Challenge
Corporation.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
The Millennium Challenge
Act of 2003, as amended, requires the
Millennium Challenge Corporation to
publish a report that identifies countries
that are ‘‘candidate countries’’ for
Millennium Challenge Account
assistance during Fiscal Year 2025. The
report is set forth in full below.
SUMMARY:
(Authority: 22 U.S.C. 7707(a))
Dated: September 3, 2024.
Peter E. Jaffe,
Vice President, General Counsel, and
Corporate Secretary.
Millennium Challenge Corporation
Candidate Country Report for Fiscal
Year 2025
Summary
This report to Congress is provided in
accordance with section 608(a) of the
Millennium Challenge Act of 2003, as
amended, 22 U.S.C. 7701, 7707(a) (the
Act).
The Act authorizes the provision of
assistance for global development
through the Millennium Challenge
Corporation (MCC) for countries that
enter into a Millennium Challenge
Compact with the United States to
support policies and programs that
advance the progress of such countries
to achieve lasting economic growth and
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poverty reduction. The Act also
authorizes the provision of assistance to
countries for the purpose of assisting
such country to become compact
eligible. The Act requires MCC to take
a number of steps in selecting countries
to which MCC will seek to provide
assistance, including determining the
countries that will be eligible countries
for fiscal year (FY) 2025 based on (a) a
country’s demonstrated commitment to
(i) just and democratic governance, (ii)
economic freedom, and (iii) investments
in its people; (b) the opportunity to
reduce poverty and generate economic
growth in the country; and (c) the
availability of funds to MCC. These
steps include the submission to the
congressional committees specified in
the Act and publication in the Federal
Register of reports on the following:
• The countries that are ‘‘candidate
countries’’ for FY 2025 are based on
their per capita income levels and their
eligibility to receive assistance under
U.S. law and countries that would be
candidate countries but for specified
legal prohibitions on assistance (section
608(a) of the Act);
• The criteria and methodology that
the MCC Board of Directors (the Board)
will use to measure and evaluate the
relative policy performance of the
‘‘candidate countries’’ consistent with
the requirements of subsections (a) and
(b) of section 607 of the Act in order to
determine ‘‘eligible countries’’ from
among the ‘‘candidate countries’’
(section 608(b) of the Act); and
• The list of countries determined by
the Board to be ‘‘eligible countries’’ for
FY 2025, identification of such
countries with which the Board will
seek to enter into compacts, and a
justification for such eligibility
determination and selection for compact
negotiation (section 608(d) of the Act).
This report is the first of three
required reports listed above.
Candidate Countries for FY 2025
The Act requires the identification of
all countries that are candidate
countries for purposes of eligibility for
MCC assistance for FY 2025 and the
identification of all countries that would
be candidate countries for purposes of
eligibility for MCC assistance but for
specified legal prohibitions on
assistance. Qualification as a candidate
country is defined in sections 606(a)
and (b) of the Act, under which:
A country will be a candidate country
in the low income category for FY 2025
if it:
• has a per capita income that is not
greater than the World Bank’s lower
middle income country threshold for
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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 174 / Monday, September 9, 2024 / Notices
such fiscal year ($4,515 gross national
income per capita for FY 2025);
• is among the 75 countries identified
by the World Bank as having the lowest
per capita income; and
• is not ineligible to receive United
States economic assistance under part I
of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961,
as amended (the Foreign Assistance
Act), by reason of the application of the
Foreign Assistance Act or any other
provision of law.
A country will be a candidate country
in the lower middle income category for
FY 2025 if it:
• has a per capita income that is not
greater than the World Bank’s lower
middle income country threshold for
such fiscal year ($4,515 gross national
income per capita for FY 2025);
• is not among the 75 countries
identified by the World Bank as having
the lowest per capita income; and
• is not ineligible to receive United
States economic assistance under part I
of the Foreign Assistance Act by reason
of the application of the Foreign
Assistance Act or any other provision of
law.
Under section 606(c) of the Act as
applied for FY 2025, a country with per
capita income changes from FY 2024 to
FY 2025 such that the country would be
reclassified from the low income
category to the lower middle income
category or vice versa will retain its
income status in its former category for
FY 2025 and two subsequent fiscal years
(FY 2026 and FY 2027). A country that
has transitioned to the upper middle
income category does not qualify as a
candidate country.
Under section 616 of the Act, the
Board may select countries from this list
of candidate countries for the purpose of
assisting such country to become an
eligible country (traditionally referred to
as threshold programs) if such country
demonstrates a significant commitment
to meeting the requirements of
subsections (a) and (b) of section 607 of
the Act but fails to meet such
requirements.
Pursuant to section 606(d) of the Act,
the Board identified the following
countries as candidate countries under
the Act for FY 2025. In so doing, the
Board referred to the prohibitions on
assistance to countries for FY 2024
under the Department of State, Foreign
Operations, and Related Programs
Appropriations Act, 2024 (FY 2024
SFOAA) contained in Division F of the
Further Consolidated Appropriations
Act, 2024 (Pub. L. 118–47).
Candidate Countries: Low Income
Category
1. Afghanistan *
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2. Angola
3. Bangladesh
4. Benin
5. Bhutan
6. Bolivia
7. Burundi
8. Cabo Verde
9. Cambodia *
10. Cameroon
11. Central African Republic
12. Chad
13. Comoros
14. Congo, Dem. Rep.
15. Congo, Rep.
16. Cote d’Ivoire
17. Djibouti *
18. Egypt, Arab Rep.
19. Eswatini
20. Ethiopia
21. Gambia, The
22. Ghana
23. Guinea-Bissau
24. Honduras
25. India
26. Kenya
27. Kiribati
28. Kyrgyz Republic
29. Lao PDR
30. Lebanon
31. Lesotho
32. Liberia
33. Madagascar
34. Malawi
35. Mauritania
36. Morocco
37. Mozambique
38. Nepal
39. Nigeria
40. Pakistan
41. Papua New Guinea *
42. Philippines
43. Rwanda
44. Sao Tome and Principe
45. Senegal
46. Sierra Leone
47. Solomon Islands
48. Somalia
49. Tajikistan
50. Tanzania
51. Timor-Leste
52. Togo
53. Tunisia
54. Uganda
55. Uzbekistan
56. Vanuatu
57. Vietnam
58. Yemen, Rep.
59. Zambia
* This country was ranked Tier 3 in
the 2024 Trafficking in Persons Report
issued by the U.S. Department of State.
If, consistent with section 110 of the
Trafficking Victims Protection Act of
2000, the President determines that the
United States will not provide nonhumanitarian nontrade-related
assistance to the country, then it would
no longer be a candidate country for FY
2025.
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Candidate Countries: Lower Middle
Income Category
1. Jordan
2. Micronesia, Federated States of
3. Samoa
Countries That Would Be Candidate
Countries but for Legal Provisions That
Prohibit Assistance
Countries that would be considered
candidate countries for purposes of
eligibility for MCC assistance for FY
2025 but are ineligible to receive United
States economic assistance under part I
of the Foreign Assistance Act by reason
of the application of any provision of
the Foreign Assistance Act or any other
provision of law are listed below. This
list is based on legal prohibitions
against economic assistance that apply
as of July 29, 2024.
Prohibited Countries: Low Income
Category
• Burkina Faso is ineligible to receive
foreign assistance pursuant to the
military coup restriction in section 7008
of the FY 2024 SFOAA.
• Burma is ineligible to receive
foreign assistance as it is subject to
numerous restrictions including for
concerns relative to its record on human
rights and pursuant to the military coup
restriction in section 7008 of the FY
2024 SFOAA.
• Eritrea is ineligible to receive
foreign assistance as it is subject to
numerous restrictions including for
concerns related to its record on human
rights and its status as a Tier 3 country
under the Trafficking Victims Protection
Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7101 et seq.).
• Guinea is ineligible to receive
foreign assistance pursuant to the
military coup restriction in section 7008
of the FY 2024 SFOAA.
• Haiti is ineligible to receive foreign
assistance unless the Secretary of State
provides a certification pursuant to
section 7045(g)(2) of the FY 2024
SFOAA.
• Korea, North is ineligible to receive
foreign assistance as it is subject to
numerous restrictions including section
7007 of the FY 2024 SFOAA and its
status as a Tier 3 country under the
Trafficking Victims Protection Act of
2000 (22 U.S.C. 7101 et seq.).
• Mali is ineligible to receive foreign
assistance pursuant to the military coup
restriction in section 7008 of the FY
2024 SFOAA.
• Nicaragua is ineligible to receive
foreign assistance as it is subject to
numerous restrictions including under
section 7047(c) of the FY 2024 SFOAA
related to its recognition posture with
respect to the Russian Federation
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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 174 / Monday, September 9, 2024 / Notices
occupied Georgian territories of
Abkhazia and Tskhinvali Region/South
Ossetia, and its status as a Tier 3
country under the Trafficking Victims
Protection Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7101
et seq.).
• Niger is ineligible to receive foreign
assistance pursuant to the military coup
restriction in section 7008 of the FY
2024 SFOAA.
• South Sudan is ineligible to receive
foreign assistance as it is subject to
numerous restrictions including for
concerns relative to its record on human
rights, and its status as a Tier 3 country
under the Trafficking Victims Protection
Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7101 et seq.).
• Sudan is ineligible to receive
foreign assistance as it is subject to
numerous restrictions including the
military coup restriction in section 7008
of the FY 2024 SFOAA.
• Syria is ineligible to receive foreign
assistance as it is subject to numerous
restrictions including section 7007 of
the FY 2024 SFOAA and its status as a
Tier 3 country under the Trafficking
Victims Protection Act of 2000 (22
U.S.C. 7101 et seq.).
• Zimbabwe is ineligible to receive
foreign assistance, including pursuant to
section 7042(j)(2) of the FY 2024
SFOAA, which prohibits (with limited
exceptions) assistance for the central
government of Zimbabwe unless the
Secretary of State certifies and reports to
Congress that the rule of law has been
restored, including respect for
ownership and title to property, and
freedoms of expression, association, and
assembly.
ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1
Prohibited Countries: Lower Middle
Income Category
• Sri Lanka is ineligible to receive
foreign assistance pursuant to section
7044(c)(2) of the FY 2024 SFOAA,
which restricts (with limited
exceptions) assistance for the central
government unless the Secretary makes
certain certifications regarding actions
taken by the Government of Sri Lanka
and reports to the Committees on
Appropriations.
Countries identified above as
candidate countries, as well as countries
that would be considered candidate
countries but for the applicability of
legal provisions that prohibit U.S.
economic assistance, may be the subject
of future statutory restrictions or
determinations, or changed country
circumstances, that affect their legal
eligibility for assistance under part I of
the Foreign Assistance Act by reason of
application of the Foreign Assistance
Act or any other provision of law for FY
2025.
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Appendix: Candidate Countries and
Prohibited Countries in the Event of
Enactment of Millennium Challenge
Corporation Candidate Country Reform
Act Legislation or Similar Legislation
As of the date of this report,
legislation known as the Millennium
Challenge Corporation Candidate
Country Reform Act is under active
consideration by the United States
Congress. If passed as currently drafted,
the legislation would reform the income
threshold for countries to be candidate
countries for purposes of eligibility for
MCC assistance by changing it to the
World Bank threshold for initiating the
International Bank for Reconstruction
and Development graduation process for
the fiscal year ($7,895 gross national
income per capita for FY 2025). It would
also eliminate the distinction between
lower income category and lower
middle income category countries.
Should this legislation (or legislation
that similarly reforms the income
threshold for countries to become
candidates) become law before FY 2026,
the Board identified that the following
countries would be qualified, based on
their income status, as candidate
countries for consideration under the
Act for FY 2025:
1. Afghanistan *
2. Albania
3. Algeria
4. Angola
5. Armenia
6. Bangladesh
7. Belize
8. Benin
9. Bhutan
10. Bolivia
11. Botswana
12. Burundi
13. Cabo Verde
14. Cambodia *
15. Cameroon
16. Central African Republic
17. Chad
18. Colombia
19. Comoros
20. Congo, Dem. Rep.
21. Congo, Rep.
22. Cote d’Ivoire
23. Djibouti *
24. Ecuador
25. Egypt, Arab Rep.
26. El Salvador
27. Equatorial Guinea
28. Eswatini
29. Ethiopia
30. Fiji
31. Gambia, The
32. Georgia
33. Ghana
34. Guatemala
35. Guinea-Bissau
36. Honduras
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37. India
38. Indonesia
39. Iraq
40. Jamaica
41. Jordan
42. Kenya
43. Kiribati
44. Kosovo
45. Kyrgyz Republic
46. Lao PDR
47. Lebanon
48. Lesotho
49. Liberia
50. Libya
51. Madagascar
52. Malawi
53. Marshall Islands
54. Mauritania
55. Micronesia, Federated States of
56. Moldova
57. Mongolia
58. Morocco
59. Mozambique
60. Namibia
61. Nepal
62. Nigeria
63. North Macedonia
64. Pakistan
65. Papua New Guinea *
66. Paraguay
67. Peru
68. Philippines
69. Rwanda
70. Samoa
71. Sao Tome and Principe
72. Senegal
73. Sierra Leone
74. Solomon Islands
75. Somalia
76. South Africa
77. Suriname
78. Tajikistan
79. Tanzania
80. Thailand
81. Timor-Leste
82. Togo
83. Tonga
84. Tunisia
85. Tuvalu
86. Uganda
87. Ukraine
88. Uzbekistan
89. Vanuatu
90. Vietnam
91. Yemen, Rep.
92. Zambia
If the Millennium Challenge
Corporation Candidate Country Reform
Act legislation or legislation that
similarly reforms the income threshold
for countries to become candidates were
* This country was ranked Tier 3 in the 2024
Trafficking in Persons Report issued by the U.S.
Department of State. If, consistent with section 110
of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000,
the President determines that the United States will
not provide non-humanitarian nontrade-related
assistance to the country then it would no longer
be a candidate country for FY 2025.
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09SEN1
Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 174 / Monday, September 9, 2024 / Notices
to become law, the following countries
would be considered candidate
countries for purposes of eligibility for
MCC assistance for FY 2025, but are
ineligible to receive United States
economic assistance under part I of the
Foreign Assistance Act by reason of the
application of any provision of the
Foreign Assistance Act or any other
provision of law are listed below. This
list is based on legal prohibitions
against economic assistance that apply
as of July 29, 2024.
ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1
Prohibited Countries
• Azerbaijan is ineligible to receive
foreign assistance pursuant to section
907 of the FREEDOM Support Act (22
U.S.C. 5801).
• Belarus is ineligible to receive
foreign assistance as it is subject to
numerous restrictions including for
concerns relative to its record on human
rights and its status as a Tier 3 country
under the Trafficking Victims Protection
Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7101 et seq.).
• Burkina Faso is ineligible to receive
foreign assistance pursuant to the
military coup restriction in section 7008
of the FY 2024 SFOAA.
• Burma is ineligible to receive
foreign assistance as it is subject to
numerous restrictions including for
concerns relative to its record on human
rights and pursuant to the military coup
restriction in section 7008 of the FY
2024 SFOAA.
• Eritrea is ineligible to receive
foreign assistance as it is subject to
numerous restrictions including for
concerns relative to its record on human
rights and its status as a Tier 3 country
under the Trafficking Victims Protection
Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7101 et seq.).
• Guinea is ineligible to receive
foreign assistance pursuant to the
military coup restriction in section 7008
of the FY 2024 SFOAA.
• Haiti is ineligible to receive foreign
assistance unless the Secretary of State
provides a certification pursuant to
section 7045(g)(2) of the FY 2024
SFOAA.
• Iran is ineligible to receive foreign
assistance as it is subject to numerous
restrictions including section 7007 of
the FY 2024 SFOAA and its status as a
Tier 3 country under the Trafficking
Victims Protection Act of 2000 (22
U.S.C. 7101 et seq.).
• Korea, North is ineligible to receive
foreign assistance as it is subject to
numerous restrictions including section
7007 of the FY 2024 SFOAA and its
status as a Tier 3 country under the
Trafficking Victims Protection Act of
2000 (22 U.S.C. 7101 et seq.).
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17:19 Sep 06, 2024
Jkt 262001
• Mali is ineligible to receive foreign
assistance pursuant to the military coup
restriction in section 7008 of the FY
2024 SFOAA.
• Nicaragua is ineligible to receive
foreign assistance as it is subject to
numerous restrictions including under
section 7047(c) of the FY 2024 SFOAA
related to its recognition posture with
respect to the Russian Federation
occupied Georgian territories of
Abkhazia and Tskhinvali Region/South
Ossetia and its status as a Tier 3 country
under the Trafficking Victims Protection
Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7101 et seq.).
• Niger is ineligible to receive foreign
assistance pursuant to the military coup
restriction in section 7008 of the FY
2024 SFOAA.
• South Sudan is ineligible to receive
foreign assistance as it is subject to
numerous restrictions including for
concerns relative to its record on human
rights, and its status as a Tier 3 country
under the Trafficking Victims Protection
Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7101 et seq.).
• Sri Lanka is ineligible to receive
foreign assistance pursuant to section
7044(c)(2) of the FY 2024 SFOAA,
which restricts (with limited
exceptions) assistance for the central
government unless the Secretary makes
certain certifications regarding actions
taken by the Government of Sri Lanka
and reports to the Committees on
Appropriations.
• Sudan is ineligible to receive
foreign assistance as it is subject to
numerous restrictions including the
military coup restriction in section 7008
of the FY 2024 SFOAA.
• Syria is ineligible to receive foreign
assistance as it is subject to numerous
restrictions including section 7007 of
the FY 2024 SFOAA and its status as a
Tier 3 country under the Trafficking
Victims Protection Act of 2000 (22
U.S.C. 7101 et seq.).
• Zimbabwe is ineligible to receive
foreign assistance, including pursuant to
section 7042(j)(2) of the FY 2024
SFOAA, which prohibits (with limited
exceptions) assistance for the central
government of Zimbabwe unless the
Secretary of State certifies and reports to
Congress that the rule of law has been
restored, including respect for
ownership and title to property, and
freedoms of expression, association, and
assembly.
The countries identified above that
would be candidate countries should
the legislation pass; as well as countries
that would be considered candidate
countries but for the applicability of
legal provisions that prohibit U.S.
economic assistance, may be the subject
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73129
of future statutory restrictions or
determinations that affect their legal
eligibility for assistance under part I of
the Foreign Assistance Act by reason of
application of the Foreign Assistance
Act or any other provision of law for FY
2025.
[FR Doc. 2024–20132 Filed 9–6–24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 9211–03–P
NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
Agency Information Collection
Activities; National Survey of College
Graduates
ACTION:
Correction.
The National Science
Foundation (NSF) published a
document in the Federal Register of
September 4, 2024, concerning a request
for public comment on the 2025
National Survey of College Graduates
with the wrong survey title.
SUMMARY:
Corrections
In the Federal Register published
September 4, 2024, in FR Doc. 2024–
19850 (Filed 9–3–24), on page 71938,
first column, under SUPPLEMENTARY
INFORMATION: Title of Collection, please
change the title to 2025 National Survey
of College Graduates. All other details
remain unchanged.
Dated: September 4, 2024.
Suzanne H. Plimpton,
Reports Clearance Officer, National Science
Foundation.
[FR Doc. 2024–20233 Filed 9–6–24; 8:45 am]
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NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
Advisory Committee for Environmental
Research and Education; Notice of
Meeting
In accordance with the Federal
Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92–
463, as amended), the National Science
Foundation (NSF) announces the
following meeting:
Name and Committee Code: Advisory
Committee for Environmental Research
and Education (9487).
Date and Time:
November 7, 2024; 10 a.m.–5 p.m. (EDT)
November 8, 2024; 9 a.m.–3:30 p.m.
(EDT)
Place: National Science Foundation,
2415 Eisenhower Avenue, Room W–
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Hybrid.
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09SEN1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 174 (Monday, September 9, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 73126-73129]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-20132]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE CORPORATION
[MCC FR 24-04]
Millennium Challenge Corporation Candidate Country Report for
Fiscal Year 2025
AGENCY: Millennium Challenge Corporation.
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Millennium Challenge Act of 2003, as amended, requires the
Millennium Challenge Corporation to publish a report that identifies
countries that are ``candidate countries'' for Millennium Challenge
Account assistance during Fiscal Year 2025. The report is set forth in
full below.
(Authority: 22 U.S.C. 7707(a))
Dated: September 3, 2024.
Peter E. Jaffe,
Vice President, General Counsel, and Corporate Secretary.
Millennium Challenge Corporation Candidate Country Report for Fiscal
Year 2025
Summary
This report to Congress is provided in accordance with section
608(a) of the Millennium Challenge Act of 2003, as amended, 22 U.S.C.
7701, 7707(a) (the Act).
The Act authorizes the provision of assistance for global
development through the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) for
countries that enter into a Millennium Challenge Compact with the
United States to support policies and programs that advance the
progress of such countries to achieve lasting economic growth and
poverty reduction. The Act also authorizes the provision of assistance
to countries for the purpose of assisting such country to become
compact eligible. The Act requires MCC to take a number of steps in
selecting countries to which MCC will seek to provide assistance,
including determining the countries that will be eligible countries for
fiscal year (FY) 2025 based on (a) a country's demonstrated commitment
to (i) just and democratic governance, (ii) economic freedom, and (iii)
investments in its people; (b) the opportunity to reduce poverty and
generate economic growth in the country; and (c) the availability of
funds to MCC. These steps include the submission to the congressional
committees specified in the Act and publication in the Federal Register
of reports on the following:
The countries that are ``candidate countries'' for FY 2025
are based on their per capita income levels and their eligibility to
receive assistance under U.S. law and countries that would be candidate
countries but for specified legal prohibitions on assistance (section
608(a) of the Act);
The criteria and methodology that the MCC Board of
Directors (the Board) will use to measure and evaluate the relative
policy performance of the ``candidate countries'' consistent with the
requirements of subsections (a) and (b) of section 607 of the Act in
order to determine ``eligible countries'' from among the ``candidate
countries'' (section 608(b) of the Act); and
The list of countries determined by the Board to be
``eligible countries'' for FY 2025, identification of such countries
with which the Board will seek to enter into compacts, and a
justification for such eligibility determination and selection for
compact negotiation (section 608(d) of the Act).
This report is the first of three required reports listed above.
Candidate Countries for FY 2025
The Act requires the identification of all countries that are
candidate countries for purposes of eligibility for MCC assistance for
FY 2025 and the identification of all countries that would be candidate
countries for purposes of eligibility for MCC assistance but for
specified legal prohibitions on assistance. Qualification as a
candidate country is defined in sections 606(a) and (b) of the Act,
under which:
A country will be a candidate country in the low income category
for FY 2025 if it:
has a per capita income that is not greater than the World
Bank's lower middle income country threshold for
[[Page 73127]]
such fiscal year ($4,515 gross national income per capita for FY 2025);
is among the 75 countries identified by the World Bank as
having the lowest per capita income; and
is not ineligible to receive United States economic
assistance under part I of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as
amended (the Foreign Assistance Act), by reason of the application of
the Foreign Assistance Act or any other provision of law.
A country will be a candidate country in the lower middle income
category for FY 2025 if it:
has a per capita income that is not greater than the World
Bank's lower middle income country threshold for such fiscal year
($4,515 gross national income per capita for FY 2025);
is not among the 75 countries identified by the World Bank
as having the lowest per capita income; and
is not ineligible to receive United States economic
assistance under part I of the Foreign Assistance Act by reason of the
application of the Foreign Assistance Act or any other provision of
law.
Under section 606(c) of the Act as applied for FY 2025, a country
with per capita income changes from FY 2024 to FY 2025 such that the
country would be reclassified from the low income category to the lower
middle income category or vice versa will retain its income status in
its former category for FY 2025 and two subsequent fiscal years (FY
2026 and FY 2027). A country that has transitioned to the upper middle
income category does not qualify as a candidate country.
Under section 616 of the Act, the Board may select countries from
this list of candidate countries for the purpose of assisting such
country to become an eligible country (traditionally referred to as
threshold programs) if such country demonstrates a significant
commitment to meeting the requirements of subsections (a) and (b) of
section 607 of the Act but fails to meet such requirements.
Pursuant to section 606(d) of the Act, the Board identified the
following countries as candidate countries under the Act for FY 2025.
In so doing, the Board referred to the prohibitions on assistance to
countries for FY 2024 under the Department of State, Foreign
Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2024 (FY 2024
SFOAA) contained in Division F of the Further Consolidated
Appropriations Act, 2024 (Pub. L. 118-47).
Candidate Countries: Low Income Category
1. Afghanistan *
2. Angola
3. Bangladesh
4. Benin
5. Bhutan
6. Bolivia
7. Burundi
8. Cabo Verde
9. Cambodia *
10. Cameroon
11. Central African Republic
12. Chad
13. Comoros
14. Congo, Dem. Rep.
15. Congo, Rep.
16. Cote d'Ivoire
17. Djibouti *
18. Egypt, Arab Rep.
19. Eswatini
20. Ethiopia
21. Gambia, The
22. Ghana
23. Guinea-Bissau
24. Honduras
25. India
26. Kenya
27. Kiribati
28. Kyrgyz Republic
29. Lao PDR
30. Lebanon
31. Lesotho
32. Liberia
33. Madagascar
34. Malawi
35. Mauritania
36. Morocco
37. Mozambique
38. Nepal
39. Nigeria
40. Pakistan
41. Papua New Guinea *
42. Philippines
43. Rwanda
44. Sao Tome and Principe
45. Senegal
46. Sierra Leone
47. Solomon Islands
48. Somalia
49. Tajikistan
50. Tanzania
51. Timor-Leste
52. Togo
53. Tunisia
54. Uganda
55. Uzbekistan
56. Vanuatu
57. Vietnam
58. Yemen, Rep.
59. Zambia
* This country was ranked Tier 3 in the 2024 Trafficking in Persons
Report issued by the U.S. Department of State. If, consistent with
section 110 of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000, the
President determines that the United States will not provide non-
humanitarian nontrade-related assistance to the country, then it would
no longer be a candidate country for FY 2025.
Candidate Countries: Lower Middle Income Category
1. Jordan
2. Micronesia, Federated States of
3. Samoa
Countries That Would Be Candidate Countries but for Legal Provisions
That Prohibit Assistance
Countries that would be considered candidate countries for purposes
of eligibility for MCC assistance for FY 2025 but are ineligible to
receive United States economic assistance under part I of the Foreign
Assistance Act by reason of the application of any provision of the
Foreign Assistance Act or any other provision of law are listed below.
This list is based on legal prohibitions against economic assistance
that apply as of July 29, 2024.
Prohibited Countries: Low Income Category
Burkina Faso is ineligible to receive foreign assistance
pursuant to the military coup restriction in section 7008 of the FY
2024 SFOAA.
Burma is ineligible to receive foreign assistance as it is
subject to numerous restrictions including for concerns relative to its
record on human rights and pursuant to the military coup restriction in
section 7008 of the FY 2024 SFOAA.
Eritrea is ineligible to receive foreign assistance as it
is subject to numerous restrictions including for concerns related to
its record on human rights and its status as a Tier 3 country under the
Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7101 et seq.).
Guinea is ineligible to receive foreign assistance
pursuant to the military coup restriction in section 7008 of the FY
2024 SFOAA.
Haiti is ineligible to receive foreign assistance unless
the Secretary of State provides a certification pursuant to section
7045(g)(2) of the FY 2024 SFOAA.
Korea, North is ineligible to receive foreign assistance
as it is subject to numerous restrictions including section 7007 of the
FY 2024 SFOAA and its status as a Tier 3 country under the Trafficking
Victims Protection Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7101 et seq.).
Mali is ineligible to receive foreign assistance pursuant
to the military coup restriction in section 7008 of the FY 2024 SFOAA.
Nicaragua is ineligible to receive foreign assistance as
it is subject to numerous restrictions including under section 7047(c)
of the FY 2024 SFOAA related to its recognition posture with respect to
the Russian Federation
[[Page 73128]]
occupied Georgian territories of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali Region/South
Ossetia, and its status as a Tier 3 country under the Trafficking
Victims Protection Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7101 et seq.).
Niger is ineligible to receive foreign assistance pursuant
to the military coup restriction in section 7008 of the FY 2024 SFOAA.
South Sudan is ineligible to receive foreign assistance as
it is subject to numerous restrictions including for concerns relative
to its record on human rights, and its status as a Tier 3 country under
the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7101 et
seq.).
Sudan is ineligible to receive foreign assistance as it is
subject to numerous restrictions including the military coup
restriction in section 7008 of the FY 2024 SFOAA.
Syria is ineligible to receive foreign assistance as it is
subject to numerous restrictions including section 7007 of the FY 2024
SFOAA and its status as a Tier 3 country under the Trafficking Victims
Protection Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7101 et seq.).
Zimbabwe is ineligible to receive foreign assistance,
including pursuant to section 7042(j)(2) of the FY 2024 SFOAA, which
prohibits (with limited exceptions) assistance for the central
government of Zimbabwe unless the Secretary of State certifies and
reports to Congress that the rule of law has been restored, including
respect for ownership and title to property, and freedoms of
expression, association, and assembly.
Prohibited Countries: Lower Middle Income Category
Sri Lanka is ineligible to receive foreign assistance
pursuant to section 7044(c)(2) of the FY 2024 SFOAA, which restricts
(with limited exceptions) assistance for the central government unless
the Secretary makes certain certifications regarding actions taken by
the Government of Sri Lanka and reports to the Committees on
Appropriations.
Countries identified above as candidate countries, as well as
countries that would be considered candidate countries but for the
applicability of legal provisions that prohibit U.S. economic
assistance, may be the subject of future statutory restrictions or
determinations, or changed country circumstances, that affect their
legal eligibility for assistance under part I of the Foreign Assistance
Act by reason of application of the Foreign Assistance Act or any other
provision of law for FY 2025.
Appendix: Candidate Countries and Prohibited Countries in the Event of
Enactment of Millennium Challenge Corporation Candidate Country Reform
Act Legislation or Similar Legislation
As of the date of this report, legislation known as the Millennium
Challenge Corporation Candidate Country Reform Act is under active
consideration by the United States Congress. If passed as currently
drafted, the legislation would reform the income threshold for
countries to be candidate countries for purposes of eligibility for MCC
assistance by changing it to the World Bank threshold for initiating
the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development graduation
process for the fiscal year ($7,895 gross national income per capita
for FY 2025). It would also eliminate the distinction between lower
income category and lower middle income category countries.
Should this legislation (or legislation that similarly reforms the
income threshold for countries to become candidates) become law before
FY 2026, the Board identified that the following countries would be
qualified, based on their income status, as candidate countries for
consideration under the Act for FY 2025:
1. Afghanistan *
2. Albania
3. Algeria
4. Angola
5. Armenia
6. Bangladesh
7. Belize
8. Benin
9. Bhutan
10. Bolivia
11. Botswana
12. Burundi
13. Cabo Verde
14. Cambodia *
15. Cameroon
16. Central African Republic
17. Chad
18. Colombia
19. Comoros
20. Congo, Dem. Rep.
21. Congo, Rep.
22. Cote d'Ivoire
23. Djibouti *
24. Ecuador
25. Egypt, Arab Rep.
26. El Salvador
27. Equatorial Guinea
28. Eswatini
29. Ethiopia
30. Fiji
31. Gambia, The
32. Georgia
33. Ghana
34. Guatemala
35. Guinea-Bissau
36. Honduras
37. India
38. Indonesia
39. Iraq
40. Jamaica
41. Jordan
42. Kenya
43. Kiribati
44. Kosovo
45. Kyrgyz Republic
46. Lao PDR
47. Lebanon
48. Lesotho
49. Liberia
50. Libya
51. Madagascar
52. Malawi
53. Marshall Islands
54. Mauritania
55. Micronesia, Federated States of
56. Moldova
57. Mongolia
58. Morocco
59. Mozambique
60. Namibia
61. Nepal
62. Nigeria
63. North Macedonia
64. Pakistan
65. Papua New Guinea *
66. Paraguay
67. Peru
68. Philippines
69. Rwanda
70. Samoa
71. Sao Tome and Principe
72. Senegal
73. Sierra Leone
74. Solomon Islands
75. Somalia
76. South Africa
77. Suriname
78. Tajikistan
79. Tanzania
80. Thailand
81. Timor-Leste
82. Togo
83. Tonga
84. Tunisia
85. Tuvalu
86. Uganda
87. Ukraine
88. Uzbekistan
89. Vanuatu
90. Vietnam
91. Yemen, Rep.
92. Zambia
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
* This country was ranked Tier 3 in the 2024 Trafficking in
Persons Report issued by the U.S. Department of State. If,
consistent with section 110 of the Trafficking Victims Protection
Act of 2000, the President determines that the United States will
not provide non-humanitarian nontrade-related assistance to the
country then it would no longer be a candidate country for FY 2025.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
If the Millennium Challenge Corporation Candidate Country Reform
Act legislation or legislation that similarly reforms the income
threshold for countries to become candidates were
[[Page 73129]]
to become law, the following countries would be considered candidate
countries for purposes of eligibility for MCC assistance for FY 2025,
but are ineligible to receive United States economic assistance under
part I of the Foreign Assistance Act by reason of the application of
any provision of the Foreign Assistance Act or any other provision of
law are listed below. This list is based on legal prohibitions against
economic assistance that apply as of July 29, 2024.
Prohibited Countries
Azerbaijan is ineligible to receive foreign assistance
pursuant to section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act (22 U.S.C. 5801).
Belarus is ineligible to receive foreign assistance as it
is subject to numerous restrictions including for concerns relative to
its record on human rights and its status as a Tier 3 country under the
Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7101 et seq.).
Burkina Faso is ineligible to receive foreign assistance
pursuant to the military coup restriction in section 7008 of the FY
2024 SFOAA.
Burma is ineligible to receive foreign assistance as it is
subject to numerous restrictions including for concerns relative to its
record on human rights and pursuant to the military coup restriction in
section 7008 of the FY 2024 SFOAA.
Eritrea is ineligible to receive foreign assistance as it
is subject to numerous restrictions including for concerns relative to
its record on human rights and its status as a Tier 3 country under the
Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7101 et seq.).
Guinea is ineligible to receive foreign assistance
pursuant to the military coup restriction in section 7008 of the FY
2024 SFOAA.
Haiti is ineligible to receive foreign assistance unless
the Secretary of State provides a certification pursuant to section
7045(g)(2) of the FY 2024 SFOAA.
Iran is ineligible to receive foreign assistance as it is
subject to numerous restrictions including section 7007 of the FY 2024
SFOAA and its status as a Tier 3 country under the Trafficking Victims
Protection Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7101 et seq.).
Korea, North is ineligible to receive foreign assistance
as it is subject to numerous restrictions including section 7007 of the
FY 2024 SFOAA and its status as a Tier 3 country under the Trafficking
Victims Protection Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7101 et seq.).
Mali is ineligible to receive foreign assistance pursuant
to the military coup restriction in section 7008 of the FY 2024 SFOAA.
Nicaragua is ineligible to receive foreign assistance as
it is subject to numerous restrictions including under section 7047(c)
of the FY 2024 SFOAA related to its recognition posture with respect to
the Russian Federation occupied Georgian territories of Abkhazia and
Tskhinvali Region/South Ossetia and its status as a Tier 3 country
under the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7101 et
seq.).
Niger is ineligible to receive foreign assistance pursuant
to the military coup restriction in section 7008 of the FY 2024 SFOAA.
South Sudan is ineligible to receive foreign assistance as
it is subject to numerous restrictions including for concerns relative
to its record on human rights, and its status as a Tier 3 country under
the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7101 et
seq.).
Sri Lanka is ineligible to receive foreign assistance
pursuant to section 7044(c)(2) of the FY 2024 SFOAA, which restricts
(with limited exceptions) assistance for the central government unless
the Secretary makes certain certifications regarding actions taken by
the Government of Sri Lanka and reports to the Committees on
Appropriations.
Sudan is ineligible to receive foreign assistance as it is
subject to numerous restrictions including the military coup
restriction in section 7008 of the FY 2024 SFOAA.
Syria is ineligible to receive foreign assistance as it is
subject to numerous restrictions including section 7007 of the FY 2024
SFOAA and its status as a Tier 3 country under the Trafficking Victims
Protection Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7101 et seq.).
Zimbabwe is ineligible to receive foreign assistance,
including pursuant to section 7042(j)(2) of the FY 2024 SFOAA, which
prohibits (with limited exceptions) assistance for the central
government of Zimbabwe unless the Secretary of State certifies and
reports to Congress that the rule of law has been restored, including
respect for ownership and title to property, and freedoms of
expression, association, and assembly.
The countries identified above that would be candidate countries
should the legislation pass; as well as countries that would be
considered candidate countries but for the applicability of legal
provisions that prohibit U.S. economic assistance, may be the subject
of future statutory restrictions or determinations that affect their
legal eligibility for assistance under part I of the Foreign Assistance
Act by reason of application of the Foreign Assistance Act or any other
provision of law for FY 2025.
[FR Doc. 2024-20132 Filed 9-6-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 9211-03-P