The Former United States (US) Ambassador to the United Nations (UN) Samantha Power was confirmed by United States Senate as the nineteenth Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
“Today, the Senate voted to confirm Ambassador Samantha Power as the nineteenth Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). USAID looks forward to her ceremonial swearing-in, scheduled to occur Monday, and the vast experience she will bring to the role as Administrator,” USAID, Acting Spokesperson, Pooja Jhunjhunwala announced yesterday.
The former United States Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Power, who was also a former journalist, made an official tour to Sri Lanka from November 21st to 23rd in 2015.
Under the new USAID’s Country Development Cooperation Stratergy for Sri Lanka (2020-2025), USAID aims to redfine its relationship with Sri Lanka.
“An active partnership with the GSL is critical to advance shared priorities. To establish the partnership needed to implement this strategy, USAID will seek to reset and redefine its relationship with the host government. The Mission expects that USAID’s long history of successfully advancing Sri Lankan priorities will facilitate GSL cooperation and partnership. Building upon over 60 years of partnership and results in Sri Lanka, USAID will leverage the
alignment of priorities identified in Sri Lanka’s Policy Framework with USG priorities to boost GSL commitment and incentivize partnership around issues the government cannot afford to ignore, given its precarious fiscal position and the expectations of Sri Lankan citizens,” it said.
USAID has been a key active intrenational development donor for Sri Lanka over past sixty years inclcuding private sector.