,i #aafth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #dhfh ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,october #bh1 #bjai,mr4 ,wilson of ,south ,carolina 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,kildee1 ,mr4 ,gonzalez of ,texas1 and ,mr4 ,chabot7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs ,a ,,bill ,to certify that ,united ,states assistance to the ,united ,nations for humanitarian programs in the ,syrian ,arab ,republic is not misdirected1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,stop ,,un ,support for ,assad ,act of #bjai4 #b4 ,findings ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,the ,united ,states1 which has been the biggest donor to the ,united ,nations 7,,un7 ,humanitarian ,response in ,syria1 has provided more than #f1jjj1jjj1jjj for ,,un ,syria programming since #bjaa1 including over #dce1jjj1jjj in fiscal year #bjah alone4 7#b7 ,during the past eight years of conflict1 the ,assad regime has repeatedly weaponized access to ,united ,nations aid in prolonged and unlawful sieges of civilians as part of a widespread starve or surrender campaign1 with the ,united ,nations estimating #ige1jjj ,syrians under siege at the peak of this strategy4 7#c7 ,the ,united ,nations ,office for the ,coordination of ,humanitarian ,affairs 7,,ocha7 has reported repeated failures to deliver aid to the hardest-hit areas due to such obstructions by the ,assad regime4 7#d7 ,on ,february #ab1 #bjah1 former ,u4,s4 ,ambassador to ,syria ,robert ,ford wrote of ,,un aid in ,syria that it is clear the aid is not neutral and is being used as a weapon by the ,syrian government44 7#e7 ,the ,united ,nations continues to procure goods and services from several entities that have close ties to the ,assad regime1 despite their role in supporting the ,assad regime's gross human rights violations and international crimes--including torture1 sexual violence1 the targeting of medical facilities1 weaponized mass starvation1 enforced disappearance1 and forced displacement--for which the ,united ,nations itself has found the ,assad regime culpable4 7#f7 ,a #bjaf study of the ,,un ,report of ,procurement showed that ,,un operations in ,syria delivered #d million to ,syria's state-owned fuel industry1 #e million to blood banks operated by the ,syrian ,arab ,army for the benefit of its troops1 and #h4e million to charities co-opted by members of the ,assad family4 7#g7 ,international ,n,g,os working with the ,united ,nations are forced to select local partners1 many of which are controlled by the ,assad family and inner circle1 from a government-approved list1 therefore allowing these actors to profit from humanitarian relief efforts and perpetuate the conflict1 international crimes1 and human rights violations4 7#h7 ,the ,assad regime compels the ,united ,nations to house its #aej international staff in the ,four ,seasons ,hotel ,damascus where1 since #bjaf1 the ,united ,nations has spent more than #bf1jjj a night1 equalling nearly #aj million a year4 7#i7 ,on ,june #aa1 #bjai1 the ,united ,states ,treasury ,department sanctioned the ,four ,seasons ,hotel in ,damascus for its role in fueling an illicit network benefitting the ,assad regime1 and also sanctioned its owner ,samer ,foz a businessman who is directly supporting the murderous ,assad regime and building luxury developments on land stolen from those fleeing his brutality1 according to ,u4,s4 ,treasury ,undersecretary ,sigal ,mandelker2 the ,european ,union likewise sanctioned ,foz for funding the ,military ,security ,shield ,forces1 a pro-government militia responsible for severe human rights abuses4 7#aj7 ,united ,nation agencies and international ,n,g,os are required to purchase mobile phones from ,syriatel1 a company owned by ,rami ,makhlouf1 a cousin of ,bashar al-,assad who is sanctioned for corruption and whose involvement in human rights abuses in ,syria is well documented4 7#aa7 ,the ,assad regime has regularly siphoned humanitarian funds for the war effort and bypassed international sanctions through exploiting humanitarian exemptions4 7#ab7 ,on ,july #ae1 #bjai1 ,united ,nations ,high ,commissioner for ,refugees 7,,unhcr7 ,middle ,east ,director ,amin ,awad recognized in an interview with ,the ,national that the ,united ,nations has no procedure for assessing ownership and partnerships of suppliers it uses for procurement in ,syria3 ,i do not have a mechanism where we comb every single contract to see do you have one1 #aj or #ij percent connection with the regime or not44 7#ac7 ,on ,june #bh1 #bjai1 ,human ,rights ,watch published a comprehensive report with the following conclusion3 ,while seemingly benign1 the ,syrian government's aid and reconstruction policies are being used to punish perceived opponents and reward its supporters4 ''' ,the ,syrian government's aid framework undermines human rights1 and donors need to ensure they are not complicit ''' 44 #c4 ,statement of policy ,it is the policy of the ,united ,states that-- 7#a7 the delivery of assistance funded by the ,united ,states through the ,united ,nations must meet reasonable expectations that aid reaches its intended recipients2 7#b7 programming provided through the ,united ,nations based on ,united ,states funding should be determined according to greatest need1 not only greatest access2 7#c7 ,united ,states assistance to ,syria should not be manipulated for political or financial gain of any party to the conflict1 especially those most responsible for compounding the suffering of ,syrian civilians1 including the ,assad regime1 the ,russian ,federation1 the ,islamic ,republic of ,iran1 any entities owned or controlled thereof1 or non-state actors involved in international crimes and human rights abuses2 7#d7 no ,united ,states assistance should be given directly or indirectly to the ,assad regime in ,syria1 including through organs or subsidiaries of the ,united ,nations2 7#e7 the ,united ,states should support all efforts by the ,united ,nations to establish an independent mechanism to vet procurement contracts in ,syrian government-held areas1 and such a mechanism must-- 7,a7 ensure no contracts are entered into with the ,assad regime or its affiliates2 7,b7 develop and implement enhanced human rights due diligence practices1 including conducting quarterly human rights impact assessments that review how ,united ,nations aid is disbursed and how such aid flows through its suppliers and local partners in ,syria2 and 7,c7 make certain that the findings of the human rights impact assessments are integrated into all levels of ,united ,nations operations1 monitor the effectiveness of such assessments on such operations1 and report how human rights impacts are being addressed and mitigated2 7#f7 the ,united ,nations procurement operations throughout ,syria should abide by its own ,united ,nations ,supplier ,code of ,conduct1 which states that suppliers to the ,united ,nations must ensure that they are not complicit in human rights abuses2 and 7#g7 the ,united ,states will continue providing humanitarian assistance to ,syria while also continuing its efforts to facilitate a negotiated political transition from the ,assad regime1 in accordance with its commitment in ,united ,nations ,security ,council ,resolution #bbed4 #d4 ,certification 7a7 ,in general ,not later than #ahj days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary of ,state shall certify to the appropriate congressional committees whether ,united ,nations agency programming1 including any program or project1 in ,syria funded in whole or in part by the ,united ,states-- 7#a7 is delivered impartially1 without hindrance1 to the areas of greatest need2 7#b7 does not directly materially support the ,syrian government or entities owned or controlled by the ,syrian government1 ,syrian government officials1 their immediate families1 or entities under their direction2 7#c7 does not directly materially support associated forces of the ,syrian government or entities under their direction2 7#d7 adheres to the ,united ,nations ,supplier ,code of ,conduct1 which states that the ,united ,nations must not support1 directly or indirectly1 other entities and individuals involved in human rights abuses1 and which requires ,united ,nations agencies to secure guarantees from suppliers that they are not complicit in human rights abuses2 and 7#e7 is vetted by an independent mechanism that reviews contract procurement in ,syrian government-held areas1 as described in section #c7e74 7b7 ,funding limitation and redirection ,if the ,secretary of ,state makes a certification described in subsection 7a7 in the negative-- 7#a7 no ,federal department or agency may provide any funding1 directly or indirectly1 to any ,united ,nations agency programming1 including any program or project1 in ,syria that fails to meet the criteria of the certification specified in subsection 7a72 and 7#b7 amounts made available to the ,secretary of ,state that are withheld from ,united ,nations agency programming1 including any program or project1 in ,syria in accordance with paragraph 7#a7 shall be made available to the ,administrator of the ,united ,states ,agency for ,international ,development's ,office of ,foreign ,disaster ,assistance for providing assistance to populations in ,syria in need4 7c7 ,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7 ,appropriate congressional committees ,the term appropriate congressional committees means-- 7,a7 the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs and the ,committee on ,appropriations of the ,house of ,representatives2 and 7,b7 the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations and the ,committee on ,appropriations of the ,senate4 7#b7 ,associated forces ,the term associated forces includes forces of the ,russian government1 the ,iranian government1 ,iranian-backed proxy militias1 and ,hezbollah4