FINAL - Supporting Statement

SUPPORTING STATEMENT FOR
PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT
U.S. National Commission for UNESCO Laura W. Bush Traveling Fellowship

OMB Number 1405-0180, DS-7646

A. JUSTIFICATION

1. A critical component of U.S. foreign policy is the encouragement of freedom and the adoption of democratic processes throughout the world. These goals can be pursued, bilaterally and multilaterally, by means of public diplomacy. The establishment of the U.S. National Commission for UNESCO, under 22 U.S.Code 287o et seq., supports these goals. The U.S. Department of State, Bureau of International Organization Affairs, Office of Specialized and Technical Agencies (IO/STA), Executive Secretariat of the U.S. National Commission for UNESCO awards a fellowship on approximately a biannual basis that is funded by private donations received by the Department of State. The Fellowship is named in honor of Laura W. Bush, who formerly served as a UNESCO Honorary Ambassador, and is awarded to a U.S. college student proposing to undertake activities that relate to the mandate of UNESCO, including activities that employ education, natural science, social and human science, culture, or communication and information to build strong ties among nations. The authority for this State Department fellowship is 22 U.S.C. 2651a, 2656, 1431 et seq., and 2451 et seq. The State Department will collect and review proposals submitted by applicants.

2. This information is collected as part of procedures to put into action the goals of The White House and the U.S. Department of State. Information is to be submitted by applicants and collected by the Executive Secretariat of the U.S. National Commission for UNESCO, within IO/STA. The information will be reviewed for the purpose of identifying the most meritorious proposal, as measured against the published evaluation criteria.

3. Responses are requested to be submitted electronically, if possible, as the most efficient means of collecting and processing the data. This process includes a government access mailbox (DCUNESCO@state.gov), which is monitored by the Executive Secretariat of the U.S. National Commission for UNESCO, within IO/STA. IO/STA will also accept hard copy responses should electronic submission not be possible for an applicant.

4. The information collected is not duplicative of other information collections.

5. This collection of information does not have an impact on small businesses or other small entities.

6. Not collecting this information on a timely basis will make it difficult for the Administration to implement its goals of promoting international collaborative efforts that build strong foundations of knowledge that bridge nations, encourage freedom, and promote democracy. A key component of these goals is the awarding and implementation of the proposed U.S. National Commission for UNESCO Laura W. Bush Traveling Fellowship.

7. There are no special circumstances that would require the information to be collected in the manner described.

8. A 60-day notice was published in the Federal Register on June 14, 2017 (see 82 FR 27325) in accordance with 5 CFR 1320.13. The Department received one comment in response to the Federal Register notice. The comment suggested shutting down the Fellowship or at least discontinuing the Department’s involvement. The Department acknowledged receipt of the comment and that it had been noted.

9. The Department does not make any type of payment to the respondent for the information other than awarding of the Fellowship if selected.

10. Information relevant to the vetting of Fellowship applications will be maintained in accordance with Privacy Act provisions. The Department has made no assurances of confidentiality.

11. The form does not request information of a sensitive nature.

12. The following data was used to calculate the estimated hour burden required to complete a proposal:

a. Number of Respondents: 100

b. Total Number of Responses: 100

c. Frequency of Response: On occasion.

d. Estimated form completion time: 10 hours

e. Annual hour burden: 1,000 hours (100 respondents x 10 hours to complete the form)

We estimate the form and assembly will take 1 hour. It will take an estimated 8 hours to compose the essay (stating the applicant’s interest) and 1 hour to secure the letter of recommendation.

The average time required for this information collection is 10 hours per response. Therefore, the total estimated annual burden for the collection is:

100 (number of respondents) x 10 hours = 1,000 hours per year.

To estimate the cost to respondents for this form based on the hourly wage and weighted wage multiplier, the Department calculated the following:

$23.86 (mean hourly earnings based on estimated income per hour from the Bureau of Labor Statistics) x 1.4 (weighted wage multiplier) = $33.40 (weighted wage)

1,000 (hour burden) x $33.40 (weighted wage) = $33,400.00.

The weighted wage cost burden, based on a U.S hourly wage of $23.86, is $33,400.00 ($23.86 x 1.4 x 10 hours x 100 respondents = $33,400).

13. There are no costs to respondents associated with this collection.

14. IO/STA staff estimates devoting 80 hours to evaluating the information submitted by applicants. Total cost to the Federal Government at $40/hour is $3,200.

15. There are no program changes since the last renewal of this information collection.

16. The information collected will not be published or routinely tabulated. Announcement of awarding of Fellowships will be published on the website of the U.S. National Commission for UNESCO. No personal information will be released to the public.

17. IO/STA will display the expiration date for OMB approval.

18. No exceptions to the certification statement identified in OMB Form 83-I are requested.

B. COLLECTION OF INFORMATION EMPLOYING STATISTICAL METHODS

This collection does not employ statistical methods.