Foreign Development Assistance Letter to the Speaker of the House and the President of the Senate Transmitting Proposed Legislation.

Dear Mr. Speaker: (Dear Mr. President:)

I am transmitting today a bill to authorize foreign development assistance programs for the fiscal years 1978 and 1979.

Enactment of this legislation will enable the United States to carry out an efficient and effective bilateral development assistance program which our international position and objectives require. This bill also authorizes appropriation of voluntary contributions to International Organizations whose programs are focused on the developing world.

The bill provides that development assistance shall be made available to the poorest countries on a grant basis to the maximum extent that is consistent with the attainment of our development objectives. This proposal is consistent with the United States position at the UNCTAD IV Conference, which urged aid donor nations to provide the relatively least developed countries on the UNCTAD list with assistance on a grant rather than a loan basis. The bill creates separate authorizations for population planning and health programs, and a requirement that all development assistance programs be reviewed to assure that proper attention is paid to the relationship of these programs to worldwide population growth. The bill also contains an authorization of $200 million for a long-term multidonor development plan for the Sahel. U.S. contributions to this program will be based on equitable burden-sharing with other donor countries.

Enactment of this legislation will be an important step in demonstrating our concern for the economic problems of the developing world. I urge its early passage.

Sincerely,

JIMMY CARTER