Multilateral, regional, and bilateral programs

The Congress recognizes that the planning and administration of development assistance by, or under the sponsorship of the United Nations, multilateral lending institutions, and other multilateral organizations may contribute to the efficiency and effectiveness of that assistance through participation of other donors in the development effort, improved coordination of policies and programs, pooling of knowledge, avoidance of duplication of facilities and manpower, and greater encouragement of self-help performance. It is further the sense of the Congress (1) that where problems or opportunities are common to two or more countries in a region, in such fields as agriculture, education, transportation, communications, power, watershed development, disease control, and establishment of development banks, these countries often can more effectively resolve such problems and exploit such opportunities by joining together in regional organizations or working together on regional programs, (2) that assistance often can be utilized more efficiently in regional programs than in separate country programs, and (3) that to the maximum extent practicable consistent with the purposes of this chapter assistance under this chapter should be furnished so as to encourage less developed countries to cooperate with each other in regional development programs. It is the sense of the Congress that the President should increase, to the extent practicable, the funds provided by the United States to multilateral lending institutions and multilateral organizations in which the United States participates for use by such institutions and organizations in making loans to foreign countries.