USAID to establish hub

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USAID to establish hub

NEWLY appointed United States ambassador to Fiji Marie Damour says in a bid to ensure commitments made by President Joe Biden to Pacific nations including Fiji are fulfilled, the US Agency for International Development (USAID) will establish a regional hub in Suva.

“We have a very dedicated team here at the US mission that is going to grow over the course of the next year or two,” she said during a news conference at the US Embassy in Suva recently.

“The US Agency for International Development has already announced their intent to open a regional hub here in Suva, so we expect to see quite a few more colleagues join us probably by September of next year in order to help fulfil those commitments that have been made across the board, not just in climate change but particularly in climate change.

” Ms Damour said she had been very privileged to work previously with the Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry who was “incredibly focused on the issue of climate change”.

“He is particularly interested in ensuring that not just governments meet their commitments but that the private sector too makes available the substantial amounts of money that they have pledged at COP27 and previously at COP26 in Glasgow.

“So I think what we’re going to see here in Fiji as well as in the region is an absolute laser focus on climate change, the US is well on its way to meeting its commitments in reducing our emissions by 2030, so I am very excited about what the embassy and our colleagues throughout the inter-agency in Washington DC are going to be doing here in the Pacific in the years to come.”

On July 12, US Vice President Harris participated virtually in the Pacific Islands Forum leaders’ meeting at the invitation of the forum chair Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama of Fiji.

She said the US was prepared to request from the US Congress $US60 million ($F134 million) per year for the next ten years—nearly triple the current levels and $US600 million ($F1,334 million) in total — in connection with a new Economic Assistance Agreement with the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency. She also announced a host of other incentives and assistance programs

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