COVID-19
Speeches Shim
Last updated: February 26, 2021
Today, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) launched a formal partnership with Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences (MANRRS), a national society that promotes the academic and professional advancement of historically underrepresented groups. USAID and MANRRS will partner to increase diversity in the next generation of science professionals and ensure they are set up for success throughout their careers. This partnership exemplifies USAID’s commitment to ensuring equity in USAID’s workforce, moving closer to a workforce that is reflective of the American people.
Today, thanks to Congress and the generosity of the American people, President Biden announced that the United States intends to provide an initial $2 billion, out of a total planned $4 billion, to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, to support the Gavi COVAX Advance Market Commitment (Gavi COVAX AMC) to provide COVID-19 vaccines for 92 low- and middle-income countries.
And our final panelist is Acting Administrator of USAID, Gloria Steele, who is, I gotta tell you, is one of the most highly respected, dedicated public servants for four decades has worked at USAID, literally working on every issue under the sun, but particularly an expert on what we're going to talk about today: democracy.
USAID has stood shoulder to shoulder with the people of Burma for decades in their struggle for peace, democracy, and freedom. They deserve nothing less. President Biden has described the Burmese military’s February 1, 2021 coup as a “direct assault on the country’s transition to democracy and the rule of law.” The people of Burma have struggled for too long and made too many sacrifices for the military to erase this progress in such an undemocratic manner.
As President Biden made clear in his remarks today, it is a new day for USAID, the United States, and the world.
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