The below is attributable to Deputy Spokesperson Shejal Pulivarti:
Deputy Administrator Isobel Coleman attended the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in New York from September 19-22. The Deputy Administrator highlighted USAID’s commitment to combating food insecurity; promoting women’s empowerment; enabling inclusive digital public infrastructure; addressing global humanitarian crises; and ending child malnutrition through a series of meetings and events with world leaders.
EVENTS AND PRESS ENGAGEMENTS
At the World Economic Forum Resilience Consortium meeting, the Deputy Administrator emphasized the importance of resilience investment and collaboration with the private sector to end the global food crisis – including in the Horn of Africa, where a historic drought is pushing millions to the brink of starvation.
Deputy Administrator Coleman provided the keynote address at the Stronger Foundations for Nutrition Retreat, which brought together a coalition of private donors and philanthropies working to tackle global malnutrition. She underscored the urgent need to increase financing for nutrition and commended participating organizations for their contributions on wasting treatment and prevention, including new commitments announced at USAID’s Child Malnutrition Crisis pledging event later that week.
At the Ford Foundation’s End Child Marriage event, Deputy Administrator Coleman provided the keynote address focusing on USAID’s continued commitment to preventing and responding to all forms of gender-based violence, including child early, forced marriages and unions (CEFMU). She highlighted new tools to support expanded, evidence-based efforts to end child marriage.
At the annual Concordia Summit, Deputy Administrator Coleman participated in “The Fight for Food: Value Chains and Partnerships,” a panel focused on how food value chains can improve prospects for the agricultural sector and drive sustainable innovation for a secure food market. She highlighted how the U.S. government, through its Feed the Future Initiative, is empowering smallholder farmers through sustained investment in global agriculture, and spotlighted USAID’s commitments to partner with the private sector to advance innovative solutions and catalyze investments.
Alongside U.S. Department of State Special Envoy for Global Food Security Dr. Cary Fowler, Deputy Administrator Coleman led a Foreign Press Center briefing focused on the Biden Administration’s efforts to strengthen food security. At the briefing, the Deputy Administrator spotlighted President Biden’s UNGA announcement of $2.14 billion in new USAID commitments to address the global food security crisis, including through development programs focused on critical last-mile delivery of agricultural tools, technologies, and production methods.
The Deputy Administrator also provided remarks at “The Future of Digital Cooperation: Building Resilience through Safe, Trusted, and Inclusive Digital Public Infrastructure.” She highlighted the U.S. government’s commitment to open, secure, and inclusive digital infrastructure through the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment; the Declaration for the Future of the Internet; and the CHIPS and Science Act. She also outlined USAID’s Digital Strategy, Digital Invest program, and ongoing development of the Charter for Digital Public Goods as examples of the Agency’s leadership in this space.
During a high-level event on the Rohingya Crisis, the Deputy Administrator announced more than $170 million in additional humanitarian assistance for the Burma and Bangladesh humanitarian crisis, bringing total U.S. humanitarian assistance for this crisis to nearly $1.9 billion since it began in August 2017. With this new funding, USAID will provide food and nutrition assistance, health care, shelter, safe drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene support, protection for the most vulnerable, and other critical support for relief operations in Burma and Bangladesh.
Deputy Administrator Coleman provided closing remarks at a meeting with U.S. Undersecretary for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment Jose Fernandez and representatives from the eight new Feed the Future target countries: Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Zambia. She discussed how the U.S. government, through Feed the Future, works in partnership with African countries to produce food more efficiently, improve nutrition, and bolster smallholder farmer incomes.
BILATERAL MEETINGS
The Deputy Administrator met with Timor-Leste Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Adaljiza Magno to discuss USAID’s development partnership in Timor-Leste, including on food security, democratic governance, and women’s social and economic empowerment. The Deputy Administrator expressed U.S. support for Timor-Leste’s steps toward greater regional integration, including work in support of accession to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the World Trade Organization.
Deputy Administrator Coleman also met with Sri Lankan Minister of External Affairs Ali Sabry to discuss the Government of Sri Lanka’s efforts to address the country’s political and economic crises, and how USAID can support a viable path forward for Sri Lanka’s economic growth.
Deputy Administrator Coleman met with the Belarusian Leader of the Democratic Opposition Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya to reaffirm the U.S. government’s enduring support for a sovereign, independent Belarus that respects the rights and voices of its people.
Deputy Administrator Coleman also met with Uzbekistan Foreign Minister Vladimir Norov to discuss joint efforts to help Uzbekistan’s poorest households cope with high food costs and energy inflation as a result of Putin’s war. They discussed USAID support for Uzbekistan’s fertilizer producers to increase production and ongoing efforts to promote good governance, justice, and economic diversification and resilience.
The Deputy Administrator joined Administrator Power in a meeting with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal to reaffirm USAID’s commitment to support the government and people of Ukraine in the face of Putin’s full scale invasion.
Deputy Administrator Coleman met with Vietnam Vice Foreign Minister Ha Kim Ngoc and reaffirmed our joint commitment to promote an open, prosperous, and secure Vietnam. They discussed war legacy issues; climate change and renewable energy; and reforms to enhance cooperation.
Deputy Administrator Coleman also met with Yemen Foreign Minister Dr. Ahmed Awad Bin Mubarak. She expressed USAID’s continued support for the Republic of Yemen Government, and praised the government’s efforts to help the Yemeni people receive tangible benefits from the current truce, including access to USAID assistance. She advocated for an extended and expanded truce as it is currently set to expire on October 2, 2022.