USAID Administrator Samantha Power has officially inaugurated the elevation of USAID’s presence in Papua New Guinea from a regional satellite office to a Country Representative Office, building on more than four decades of partnership and fulfilling the commitment made by U.S President Joe Biden last year at the historic U.S.-Pacific Islands Summit.
Administrator Power was joined by Chargé d’affaires Joseph Zadrozny and USAID’s new Country Representative Nino Nadiradze at a celebration at the USAID office, located inside the U.S Embassy, in Port Moresby.
As part of the broader U.S Embassy to Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu, the USAID Country Representative Office will continue to oversee programmes in Papua New Guinea, as well as the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu.
USAID also plans to increase its staff, including hiring more Pacific Islanders, in order to support efforts to become more agile, impactful, and efficient in delivering sustainable results in line with the countries’ economic and social development priorities. With this new Country Representative Office, USAID will be better placed to expand and invest in its relationships with the governments of Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu so that we can better listen, partner, and deliver lasting development progress.
USAID Papua New Guinea will implement the five-year USAID Strategic Framework for the Pacific Islands, which aligns with the priorities of the Pacific Island nations in the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent to advance a more democratic, prosperous, and resilient Pacific Island region.
USAID Papua New Guinea will also implement the ten-year U.S Strategy to Prevent Conflict and promote stability that integrates U.S development, diplomacy, and security sector engagement to partner with Papua New Guineans in their promotion of a more peaceful and resilient country.
“Our increased presence will enhance USAID’s partnership with individual Pacific Island governments, build stronger people-to-people ties, and implement more tailored programmes at the community level. Ultimately, the new Country Office will strengthen USAID’s ability to deliver sustainable results on development priorities set by Papua New Guineans and others in the region, such as building greater resilience to the climate crisis, and safeguarding against economic shocks. It will also allow USAID to better promote economic development for all people, and support strong political systems that champion democratic values, good governance, and human rights.
Elevating USAID’s presence will also allow the Agency to deliver on its growing commitment to Papua New Guinea’s development goals, and ensure that regional programming is more responsive and tailored to development challenges in Solomon Islands and Vanuatu,” USAID said in a statement.
As a Pacific nation, the United States shares a longstanding relationship with Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and other island countries in the Pacific. USAID will continue to partner with Pacific Island neighbours to advance a free and open Indo-Pacific that is more connected, prosperous, resilient, and secure.
SOURCE: USAID/PACNEWS
