It was known in previous Congresses as the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights and International Organizations; those matters now have their own subcommittee.
The subcommittee is one of five with what the committees calls "regional jurisdiction" over a specific area of the globe.
Such jurisdiction includes political relations between the United States and countries in the region and related legislation, disaster assistance, boundary issues, and international claims.
The subcommittee is also the only regional subcommittee to also exercise what the committee calls "functional jurisdiction," including oversight of international health issues, population issues, legislation and oversight pertaining to implementation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and other matters relating to internationally recognized human rights, including legislation aimed at the promotion of human rights and democracy generally.
[1] This United States Congress–related article is a stub.