On May 22, 2023, the United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken highlighted the U.S. commitment to working with Congress for over $7.2 billion (K24 billion) in funding and programs for the Pacific Islands region.
This includes over $45 million (K150 million) in new programming for Papua New Guinea, as well as additional Pacific Islands programming.
The President’s FY 2024 Budget also requests $7.1 billion over 20 years to extend assistance under the Compacts of Free Association with the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and Palau.
The new announcements include the following lines of effort:
- Delivering on the U.S.-Pacific Islands Partnership
- Expanding People-to-People Connections
- Climate Action, Clean Energy, and Sustainable Infrastructure
- Economic Partnership and Recovery
- Bolstering Security Cooperation and Maritime Domain Awareness
With these new announcements, the Biden-Harris Administration has committed to working with Congress on providing over $8 billion (K27 billion) to the Pacific Islands region since the historic first Summit in Washington, demonstrating U.S. commitment to the region.
In response, the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), reaffirmed their shared vision for a resilient Pacific region of peace, harmony, security, social inclusion, and prosperity.
The PIF says, “We are committed to bolstering Pacific regionalism, with a strong and united Pacific Islands Forum at its center. We will continue to work together to tackle shared challenges such as the climate crisis, to advance inclusive economic growth and social equity for the people of the Pacific and to jointly advocate on shared priorities.
“We reaffirm our commitment to comprehensively address the legacies of conflict and the promotion of nuclear nonproliferation, and we acknowledge the nuclear legacy of the Cold War. We remain committed to addressing the Republic of the Marshall Islands’ ongoing environmental, public health concerns, and other welfare concerns.”
PIF says they support the vision of the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent and recognise its centrality in the strengthening partnership between the United States and the Pacific Islands Forum.
The meeting on May 22 builds on three decades of close cooperation between the United States and the Pacific Islands Forum and the PIF states that they look forward to the Second U.S. – Pacific Islands Forum Summit in 2023.