118 STAT. 216 PUBLIC LAW 108–199—JAN. 23, 2004 notification to the appropriate congressional committees in accordance with such provision of law, shall be construed as satisfying the requirement of such paragraph. (b) LOWER MIDDLE INCOME COUNTRIES.— (1) IN GENERAL.—In addition to countries described in sub section (a), a country shall be a candidate country for purposes of eligibility for assistance for fiscal year 2006 or a subsequent fiscal year if the country— (A) is classified as a lower middle income country in the then most recent edition of the World Development Report for Reconstruction and Development published by the International Bank for Reconstruction and Develop ment and has an income greater than the historical ceiling for International Development Association eligibility for the fiscal year involved; and (B) meets the requirements of subsection (a)(1)(B). (2) LIMITATION.—The total amount of assistance provided to countries described in paragraph (1) for fiscal year 2006 or any subsequent fiscal year may not exceed 25 percent of the total amount of assistance provided to all countries under section 605 for fiscal year 2006 or the subsequent fiscal year, as the case may be. (c) IDENTIFICATION BY THE BOARD.—The Board shall identify whether a country is a candidate country for purposes of this section. SEC. 607. ELIGIBLE COUNTRIES. (a) DETERMINATION BY THE BOARD.—The Board shall determine whether a candidate country is an eligible country for purposes of this section. Such determination shall be based, to the maximum extent possible, upon objective and quantifiable indicators of a country’s demonstrated commitment to the criteria in subsection (b), and shall, where appropriate, take into account and assess the role of women and girls. (b) CRITERIA.—A candidate country should be considered to be an eligible country for purposes of this section if the Board determines that the country has demonstrated a commitment to— (1) just and democratic governance, including a dem onstrated commitment to— (A) promote political pluralism, equality, and the rule of law; (B) respect human and civil rights, including the rights of people with disabilities; (C) protect private property rights; (D) encourage transparency and accountability of government; and (E) combat corruption; (2) economic freedom, including a demonstrated commit ment to economic policies that— (A) encourage citizens and firms to participate in global trade and international capital markets; (B) promote private sector growth and the sustainable management of natural resources; (C) strengthen market forces in the economy; and (D) respect worker rights, including the right to form labor unions; and 22 USC 7706.
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