U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Deputy Administrator Bonnie Glick traveled to Bangkok, Thailand, to speak at the Indo-Pacific Business Forum on November 4, 2019.

During public remarks at the Forum, the Deputy Administrator emphasized the importance of private-sector partnerships to advancing President Trump's vision for a free, open, and secure Indo-Pacific region, and to accelerating progress toward self-reliance in USAID's partner nations.

The Deputy Administrator announced that, since the 2018 Indo-Pacific Business Forum, USAID has dedicated more than $440 million in additional funding to the build-out of sustainable access to energy, high-quality infrastructure, and secure digital ecosystems across the Indo-Pacific. She reinforced USAID's commitment to encouraging competitive and transparent markets that unlock growth led by private enterprise. She emphasized USAID's priority of working with the private sector and other partners to catalyze investments that help the region meet its needs for financing for infrastructure. According to estimates published by the Asian Development Bank, the region needs $1.7 trillion in investment in infrastructure each year for the foreseeable future to maintain its economic growth. Yet Asia only invests $881 billion annually-barely half of what is needed.

Deputy Administrator Glick highlighted that USAID's Private-Sector Engagement Policy, which calls for the Agency and its partners to work hand-in-hand with commercial firms on the design and delivery of development assistance, is opening markets and other opportunities for U.S. businesses. The Deputy Administrator announced a new partnership with Houston-based GE Power to bring new and expanded energy-generation to Papua New Guinea (PNG), where the U.S. Government has committed, along with the Governments of Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and PNG, to provide access to electricity to 70 percent of the Papuan population by 2030, up from 13 percent today.

The Deputy Administrator also announced that USAID is funding environmental and social-impact assessments and other technical studies that will help New York-based Convalt Energy and the Governments of the Lao People's Democratic Republic and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam align clean-energy options with their national development plans. Finally, Deputy Administrator Glick announced the launch of USAID's new Digital Asia Accelerator, which will enhance digital and cybersecurity skills for commercial enterprises and civil society in Southeast Asia in partnership with U.S. technology companies.

During a side event with representatives from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the U.S.-Association of Southeast Asian Nations Business Council, and the U.S. Trade and Development Agency, Deputy Administrator Glick explored more potential partnership opportunities.

The Indo-Pacific Business Forum is the premier U.S.-sponsored business event in the Indo-Pacific region for 2019. For more information on USAID's announcements at the Forum, please see this USAID fact sheet. For more information on the U.S. Government's announcements at the Forum, please see this State Department fact sheet.

Before arriving in Thailand, the Deputy Administrator visited Vietnam. Read her trip readout here. The Deputy Administrator continues her travel to the People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Republic of Indonesia through November 11, 2019.