Overview

Section 118(e) of the Foreign Assistance Act (FAA), as amended, requires that “Each country development strategy statement or other country plan prepared by the Agency for International Development shall include an analysis of (1) the actions necessary in that country to achieve conservation and sustainable management of tropical forests, and (2) the extent to which the actions proposed for support by the Agency meet the needs thus identified."

Similarly, Section 119(d) of the FAA, as amended, requires that “Each country development strategy statement or other country plan prepared by the Agency for International Development shall include an analysis of (1) the actions necessary in that country to conserve biological diversity, and (2) the extent to which the actions proposed for support by the Agency meet the needs thus identified.”

USAID requires a Tropical Forest (Section 118) and Biodiversity (Section 119) Analysis in preparation for “each country development strategy statement or other country plan,” which currently (but not exclusively) includes regional development cooperation strategies (RDCS) or country development cooperation strategies (CDCS). Chapter 201 of USAID’s Automated Directives System (ADS), which sets out USAID’s mandatory Operational Policies, implements this statutory requirement. Referenced in ADS 201.3.2.9, ADS Reference 201MAV provides guidance on the USAID procedures for meeting the legislative requirement for FAA Sections 118 and 119 Analyses.

Repository of Country and sub-Regional FAA 118/119 Analyses

To view individual analyses please visit the FAA 118/119 repository found here.

How-to guidance

Foreign Assistance Act Sections 118/119 Tropical Forest and Biodiversity Analysis Best Practices Guide 2.0 (July 2020)

The 118/119 Tropical Forest and Biodiversity Analysis Best Practices Guide provides practical "how-to" advice for USAID staff and contractors conducting the analysis. The best practices guide promotes a standardized application of best practices to assist missions with preparing for, managing, conducting and using the 118/119 analysis and better aligns the analysis with new requirements in USAID’s ADS Chapter 201: Program Cycle Operational Policy. The guide includes a scope of work template, annotated report outline and template for analysis report submission.

More information and a word version of the annexes can be found here.

Agency Annual Summary Reports

FAA 118 and 119 also require USAID to report annually on how the agency has implemented the programming mandates established by these sections of the law in the area of tropical forests and biodiversity. USAID satisfies this requirement with a “Biodiversity Conservation and Forestry Programs Annual Report.”

These reports are available at: https://www.usaid.gov/biodiversity/impact/annual-reports