Speeches Shim
Private sector engagement is essential to realizing USAID’s objectives of fostering sustainable solutions to the most vexing development challenges today. USAID proactively collaborates with the private sector across nearly every field sector and industry to find new solutions to global challenges. Our private sector engagement efforts may focus on achieving shared goals related to encouraging and supporting business growth in developing countries, increasing investment into areas sectors that are critical to development, or promoting adoption of sustainable and inclusive business practices. Ultimately, development needs to be enterprise-driven and align with the private sector as co-creators of market-oriented solutions.
Being LGBTI in Asia is a first-of-its-kind initiative to support Asia’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people. It works to bolster basic LGBTI rights across the region and in specific focus countries including China, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. In 2014, the Embassy of Sweden in Bangkok, through the section for Regional Development Cooperation, joined the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) as a lead funding partner, raising the profile of regional organizations and institutions in addressing LGBTI rights issues. Faith in Love Foundation (Hong Kong) and The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) became donor partners in July 2017 and August 2018, respectively. In September 2018, UNDP signed a memorandum of understanding with the Ministry for European Affairs and Equality (Malta) to share information and technical assistance on laws, policy documents and initiatives concerning LGBTI people. The program will be implemented through March 2020.
Being LGBTI in Asia is a first-of-its-kind initiative to support Asia’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people. It works to bolster basic LGBTI rights across the region and in specific focus countries including China, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. In 2014, the Embassy of Sweden in Bangkok, through the section for Regional Development Cooperation, joined the U.S.
Youth in the Asia-Pacific region are affected disproportionately by poverty, conflict, violence, unemployment and exclusion. Yet, evidence shows that if countries in the region invest effectively in their integrated development and engage them as partners in these efforts, this generation can pay a demographic dividend allowing countries to stimulate greater economic growth, promote democracy and stability and reach the 2030 UN Global Goals.
Gender equality is defined in USAID’s Gender Equality and Female Empowerment Policy as a state “in which both men and women have equal opportunity to benefit from and contribute to economic, social, cultural and political development; enjoy socially valued resources and rewards; and realize their human rights.” The U.S. Agency for International Development Regional Development Mission for Asia (USAID/RDMA) is committed to collaborating with partners to bridge gender inequality gaps in programming to advance inclusive growth by strengthening women’s economic empowerment and increasing women’s and girls’ voices in decision-making, leadership and science.
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