PUBLIC LAW 106-113—APPENDIX E 113 STAT. 150L\-313 (h) CERTAIN PROHIBITIONS INAPPLICABLE.—Except as the President may otherwise determine for reasons of national security, a cancellation of debt under this section shall not be considered to be assistance for purposes of any provision of law limiting assistance to a country. The authority to provide for cancellation of debt under this section may be exercised notwithstanding section 620(r) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, or any similar provision of law. (i) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—For the cost (as defined in section 502(5) of the Federal Credit Reform Act of 1990) of the cancellation of any debt under this section, there are authorized to be appropriated to the President such sums as may be necessary for each of the fiscal years 2000 through 2004, which shall remain available until expended. (j) ANNUAL REPORTS TO THE CONGRESS. — Not later than December 31 of each year, the President shall prepare and transmit to the Committees on Banking and Financial Services, Appropriations, and International Relations of the House of Representatives, and the Committees on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, Foreign Relations, and Appropriations of the Senate a report, which shall be made available to the public, concerning the cancellation of debt under subsection (a), and a detailed description of debt relief provided by the United States as a member of the Paris Club of Official Creditors for the prior fiscal year. SEC. 502. ACTIONS TO IMPROVE THE PROVISION OF MULTILATERAL DEBT RELIEF. Title XVI of the International Financial Institutions Act (22 U.S.C. 262p-262p-5) is amended by adding at the end the following: "SEC. 1623. IMPROVEMENT OF THE HEAVILY INDEBTED POOR COUN- TRIES INITIATIVE. "(a) IMPROVEMENT OF THE HIPC INITIATIVE.— In order to accelerate multilateral debt relief and promote human and economic development and poverty alleviation in heavily indebted poor countries, the Congress urges the President to commence immediately efforts, with the Paris Club of Official Creditors, as well as the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (World Bank), and other appropriate multilateral development institutions to accomplish the following modifications to the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative: " (1) FOCUS ON POVERTY REDUCTION, GOOD GOVERNANCE, TRANSPARENCY, AND PARTICIPATION OF CITIZENS. —^A country which is otherwise eligible to receive cancellation of debt under the modified Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative may receive such cancellation only if the country has committed, in connection with social and economic reform programs that are jointly developed, financed, and administered by the World Bank and the IMF— "(A) to enable, facilitate, or encourage the implementation of policy changes and institutional reforms under economic reform programs, in a manner that ensures that such policy changes and institutional reforms are designed and adopted through transparent and participatory processes;
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