H.R. 122 Summary

• Urges the Peace Corps to reopen its office in East Timor as soon as practicable.

• Notes that Peace Corps East Timor was the first new Peace Corps program of the 21st century, established in 2002 with a diplomatic note signed by Nobel Peace Laureate Jose Ramos-Horta.

• Peace Corps volunteers were evacuated from East Timor in 2006 due to civil unrest, but the country has since stabilized and is safer than when the program was originally established.

• Emphasizes that East Timor remains one of the poorest countries in Asia with 40 percent of the population surviving on less than $1 per day, and nearly half its population is children under age 15.

• Directs transmission of certified copies of the resolution to the U.S. President, East Timor's government officials, U.S. ambassadors to and from East Timor, USAID leadership, and the Peace Corps Director.