Let me begin by making a point that too often is overlooked: Foreign assistance is not just a numbers game. It’s not just who has written checks, and for how much, and to whom. Foreign assistance is a reflection of a nation’s core principles and values. America’s use of smart power has always been a reflection of our values, from our moment of independence. In fact, you could argue that the most powerful and important tool we’ve given the world is the Declaration of Independence.
USAID Mekong Safeguards promotes smarter, more sustainable infrastructure development to prevent environmental damage and depletion of natural resources in the Lower Mekong region. The project aims to ensure that large-scale infrastructure is planned and developed in ways that optimize sustainable social, economic, and environmental outcomes. To that end, I’m proud to help officially launch the Mekong Infrastructure Tracker. This user-friendly tracker is the most comprehensive online platform on energy, water, and transportation infrastructure projects in the Lower Mekong region.
Today, much of our work occurs under the umbrella of addressing fragility and fostering resilience. Through targeted, multi-sectoral assistance we aim to prevent crises before they occur; stabilize those that do; and create conditions that serve as bulwarks to external shocks. Of course, the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic have brought even greater urgency to the imperative to address global fragility.
Today marks my final day at the helm of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). It has been an extraordinary privilege to work with partners like you in pursuit of a safer, freer, and more prosperous world, and I know that you'll continue to provide invaluable support to USAID's mission. Before I step away, I wanted to provide an update on the Agency's COVID-19 response efforts.
The U.S. Government, through the United States Agency for International Development, is providing more than MNT3.3 billion ($1.2 million) to the World Health Organization and UNICEF to support the Government of Mongolia’s COVID-19 response.
USAID has supported labor rights in Cambodia for more than two decades. We are proud of that support. Our Labor Rights in Cambodia Project is the newest phase in our support for workers. It is a five-year project with an ambitious set of objectives, including assisting independent trade unions in their efforts to represent and provide benefits to their member workers in the garment, construction, food and services, hotel and hospitality industries, as well as workers in the informal economy, from tuk tuk drivers to entertainment workers.
This is a key milestone—not only for the Ministry of Commerce, Trade, and Industry—but also for Zambia and the entire Southern Africa region. This new portal has the potential to significantly improve the flow of information, automate trade procedures, improve risk-management processes, and boost the overall performance of border-control agencies.
The ZDHS also serves as a vital source of data used by USAID, international and national stakeholders, non-governmental organizations, and other partners to guide our programming and help to measure the impact of our collective investments in Zambia’s health sector.
It is a pleasure to be here this morning to participate in the ribbon cutting for Standard Microgrid’s 10th solar microgrid in Zambia. Today, we are here to acknowledge and support the 69 percent of Zambians across the country who do not have access to electricity; and they are not alone. Two out of three people in sub-Saharan Africa lack access to electricity. Electricity is the lifeblood of economic development and is essential for one’s quality of life. While important strides have been made to diversify power generation and expand access to power in Zambia, there is still significant work to be done to ensure electricity is available to all Zambians.
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Last updated: June 25, 2020
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