The below is attributable to Spokesperson Jessica Jennings:
Today, Administrator Samantha Power met with Pat Conroy, Minister for International Development and the Pacific and for Defense Industry for Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).
Administrator Power welcomed DFAT’s decision to update its development strategy, aligning it with the government’s added focus on climate change, gender equality, and development programming in the Pacific and Southeast Asia. The Administrator expressed USAID’s desire to identify concrete opportunities for our agencies to advance shared objectives, including scaling up financing for climate adaptation for climate-vulnerable countries in the Pacific.
The Administrator also recognized that the Indo-Pacific region faces complex geopolitical challenges and that there is a strong need for USAID and DFAT to work even more closely together to advance transparent, inclusive, sustainable development that is consistent with our shared democratic values.