For Immediate Release

Office of Press Relations
press@usaid.gov

Press Release

The below is attributable to Acting Spokesperson Pooja Jhunjhunwala:‎

On May 5, 2021, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Samantha Power represented the United States virtually at the G7 Foreign and Development Ministerial. The annual G7 Summit has over the years developed into the leading platform for making bold commitments to the world’s greatest challenges.

During Administrator Power’s first international appearance, she highlighted the U.S. Government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, and famine, also discussing US efforts to promote girls’ education, gender equality and women’s empowerment. She also announced a new five-year award to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), which will provide up to $300 million to help improve the health and well-being of mothers, children, and families in some of the most vulnerable and underserved communities around the world.

During her remarks, the Administrator stressed that girls' education was one of the most effective development investments that can be made, leading to improved prosperity for girls and their families, and broader country-level economic gains. With the COVID-19 pandemic pulling millions of girls out of school around the world, she and the foreign and development ministers gathered discussed how to decrease the risk that many will never return. On behalf of the United States, she endorsed the G7 Girls’ Education Declaration, which sets two new ambitious global targets on girls’ education in low and lower middle-income countries including an increased number of girls in school (40 million) and able to read (20 million) by 2026.

Administrator Power also endorsed the G7 Famine Prevention and Humanitarian Crises Compact, highlighting the importance of diplomatic action to end conflict and facilitate humanitarian access and protection for all civilians including women and children. As the largest donor of humanitarian assistance and emergency food assistance in the world, the United States remains steadfastly committed to protecting those at greatest risk of food insecurity and famine. Administrator Power highlighted the scale of the acute food insecurity crisis, and stressed that the alarming rise in chronic hunger and malnutrition must be met with sufficient resources and urgency. In the wake of COVID-19, the U.S. Government is committed to building resilient, sustainable food systems through its Feed the Future program.

Administrator Power underscored the U.S. Government’s commitment to tackling the climate crisis by working with partner countries to reduce emissions and increase climate resilience. She highlighted the new Global Climate Ambition Initiative—co-led by the State Department and USAID—that will help partner countries establish net-zero carbon strategies, and implement and track the progress of their nationally determined contributions and national adaptation strategies under the Paris Agreement.

Alongside the events of the G7, Administrator Power spoke with four young women from Namibia who serve as ambassadors for the DREAMS (Determined, Resilient, Empowered, AIDS-free, Mentored and Safe) program, a public-private partnership focused on reducing rates of HIV among girls and young women in target countries. During the conversation, the Administrator heard directly about how investments in global health, girls’ education, and the prevention of gender based-violence make lasting, tangible impacts in the lives of girls and young women.

Following the G7 and today’s new $300 million award announcement, Administrator Power met virtually with United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Executive Director Henrietta Fore. They discussed U.S. support for UNICEF’s critical work in providing vaccinations in developing countries. They also discussed the importance of investments in girls’ education, as well as the crises in Syria, Ethiopia, and the Northern Triangle.

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