Speeches Shim
Lao PDR–U.S. International and Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Integration (USAID LUNA II), a four-year activity funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), helps Lao PDR further integrate into the global economy by supporting officials to develop and implement sound, modern, transparent and inclusive economic policies and regulations.
Natural resource extraction has helped fuel, on average, a 7.8 percent annual GDP growth rate in Lao PDR over the past 10 years; however, the country’s per capita income remains low at about $2,150 in 2016 with poverty levels among the highest in Southeast Asia. Integration within the global economy helps generate sustainable trade and investment, and creates the conditions for improved access to economic opportunities and higher incomes across Lao society.
In 2015, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Economic Community (AEC) is set to launch, transforming ASEAN into a region with free movement of goods, services, investment, skilled labor and capital. The AEC Blueprint highlights the need for increased mobility of persons as ASEAN becomes more interconnected with a greater exchange of skilled labor. ASEAN member states have agreed to create a standardized system to measure professional education and experiences obtained in eight priority sectors – architectural services, surveying, medicine, nursing, dental services, engineering, accounting and tourism. Developing and implementing national qualification frameworks would allow workers in these sectors to transfer jobs within the ASEAN countries.
Since September 25, 2013 the U.S. Government has committed a total of $100 million in support of the High Impact Micro-Infrastructure Initiative (HIMII). The HIMIII was launched by Secretary Kerry in partnership with the Palestinian Authority at last year’s Ad Hoc Liaison Committee meeting. HIMII objectives are to create jobs and build vital infrastructure throughout the West Bank. Projects include upgrading of existing and construction of new health clinics, schools, water systems, community centers, and roads. These projects are designed to deliver tangible benefits to improve the living conditions of Palestinians and to support growth of the Palestinian economy.
Since the first cases of Ebola Virus Disease (Ebola) were reported in West Africa in March 2014, the United States has mounted a whole-of-government response to contain and stop the spread of the virus, while also taking prudent measures at home. There are currently more than 1,350 U.S. government personnel on the ground in West Africa, making this the largest-ever U.S. response to a global health crisis. The World Health Organization (WHO) projects that it will take at least six months to bring the outbreak under control. The goal of the United States in West Africa is to stop the epidemic at its source through mobilizing our government-wide capabilities to fight the epidemic on a regional basis. The Ebola crisis is derailing not only lives, but livelihoods, in some of the most vulnerable communities in the world. Fears of infection have disrupted normal economic activity in West Africa. If the epidemic is not contained during 2015, this cost will multiply nearly ten-fold.
- On November 7, WHO released new safe and dignified burial-practice protocols for handling the bodies of deceased EVD patients, emphasizing the inclusion of family members and encouraging religious rites as essential parts of the burials. The guidelines support efforts to reduce EVD transmission through proper dead body management—a pressing need given that as many as one in five EVD infections occur during burials, according to WHO.
- The GoS announced plans to re-open its border with Guinea and plans to allow commercial flights to and from Liberia and Sierra Leone to resume. President of Senegal Macky Sall noted that the decision follows the recommendations of the Economic Community of West African States to re-open borders with EVD-affected states.
- Sierra Leone’s Koinadugu District—the latest district of Sierra Leone to become affected by EVD—has experienced 50 EVD-related deaths since mid-October, according to the Sierra Leone Red Cross Society (SLRCS) and the U.N. Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER). Health and response personnel have confirmed approximately 60 EVD cases in the district and more than 200 people have been placed in isolation to reduce EVD transmission.
On October 30, the World Bank announced $100 million in additional funding to support EVD response activities in West Africa. In Guinea, the U.N. Children’s Fund (UNICEF) plans to construct up to 41 community care centers (CCCs) and collaborate with the African Union (AU) to train up to 1,000 health care workers (HCWs) to staff the new facilities. The Logistics Cluster plans to establish five regional logistics hubs in Liberia to increase the U.N.’s capacity to store and distribute personal protective equipment (PPE) and other medical supplies.
On July 21, 2014, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry announced that the United States is providing $47 million to help the humanitarian situation in Gaza. To address the urgent needs in Gaza, USAID is drawing from these funds to provide food; clean water; basic commodities; health care and medical assistance; and shelter protection. As of November 4, USAID has provided the following assistance.
A high-level U.S. Government (USG) delegation travels to West Africa to assess the EVD response and liaise with stakeholders U.S. President Barack H. Obama lauds ongoing USG efforts to respond to EVD in West Africa
A 65-person U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) team arrives in Monrovia, Liberia, to support the USG response to the EVD outbreak. The first contingent of Cuban health workers arrive in Guinea.
Protracted conflict, high levels of insecurity, inhospitable terrain, severe climate and weak infrastructure have plagued Afghanistan for the past 30 years. Afghanistan’s humanitarian landscape is further complicated by several other factors: a majority of the population lives in hard-to-reach rural areas, over 700,000 Afghans are internally displaced by conflict, over 200,000 people are exposed to natural disasters each year, and more than 2.2 million people are severely food insecure.
The U.N. World Health Organization (WHO) announced the official end to the EVD outbreaks in Nigeria and Senegal on October 17 and 20, respectively, after both countries completed two 21-day cycles without an additional reported case. CDC supported the governments of Nigeria and Senegal with epidemiological surveillance as part of the countries’ successful response efforts.
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