INTERNATIONAL YOUTH OPPORTUNITY FUND.

SEC. 7114. INTERNATIONAL YOUTH OPPORTUNITY FUND.(a) Findings.—Consistent with the report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, Congress makes the following findings:(1) Education that teaches tolerance, the dignity and value of each individual, and respect for different beliefs is a key element in any global strategy to eliminate terrorism.(2) Education in the Middle East about the world outside that region is weak.(3) The United Nations has rightly equated literacy with freedom.(4) The international community is moving toward setting a concrete goal of reducing by half the illiteracy rate in the Middle East by 2010, through the implementation of education programs targeting women and girls and programs for adult literacy, and by other means.(5) To be effective, efforts to improve education in the Middle East must also include—(A) support for the provision of basic education tools, such as textbooks that translate more of the world’s knowledge into local languages and local libraries to house such materials; and(B) more vocational education in trades and business skills.(6) The Middle East can benefit from some of the same programs to bridge the digital divide that already have been developed for other regions of the world.(b) International Youth Opportunity Fund.—(1) Establishment.—The Secretary of State is authorized to establish through an existing international organization, such as the United Nations Educational, Science and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) or other similar body, an International Youth Opportunity Fund to provide financial assistance for the improvement of public education in the Middle East and other countries of strategic interest with predominantly Muslim populations.(2) International participation.—The Secretary should seek the cooperation of the international community in establishing and generously supporting the Fund.