The United States Government has added USAID to the country’s growing community of international aid partners for development in PNG and the region.
Speaking at the presentation of the designated aid status to USAID in Port Moresby, deputy secretary (Policy), Department of Foreign Affairs, John Yamin said that the PNG government recognised USAID as an aid organisation under the development cooperation agreement between the US and PNG in July 1990 and the Aid status (Privileges and immunities) Act 1997.
He said the Department of Foreign Affairs would continue to liaise with the PNG immigration and citizenship authority and the Internal Revenue Commission so that USAID could be granted the same privileges, exemptions and benefits as accredited to other foreign aid or development agencies in PNG.
Yamin reiterated that PNG highly valued the bilateral relations and multilateral cooperation and the bilateral development assistance programs with the US government through the USAID and PNG was fully committed to continue to expand and deepen this cooperation in the years ahead.
PNG and USA signed a development cooperation agreement in Port Moresby on May 7, 1990.
In the agreement, the US government designated USAID as its implementing agency to administer its responsibilities relating to the provision of all official US development, economic, technical and other such assistance to PNG
However, in the mid-1990s, there was a change in the general direction of US policy on development assistance to PNG and other Pacific island nations which effectively resulted in the shelving of US official development assistance in the region.
Recently, under President Barack Obama, the US government has refocused its attention towards the sub-region.
Consequently, the US government established the USAID Pacific Islands Satellite office in Port Moresby in Oct 2011, supported through the USAID Philippines office.
The occasion was witnessed by the US Ambassador to PNG Walter North, Dr Susan Brems, Director USAID Philippines, Pacific Islands and Mongolia, officers from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Planning.