U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Assistant Administrator for Latin America and the Caribbean John Barsa will travel to Brazil from January 26 to February 1, 2020. He will be joined by Department of State Deputy Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs Carrie Filipetti.

On December 27 and December 31, 2019, the U.S Agency for International Development (USAID) launched the first two in a series of global health awards to accelerate reductions in maternal, newborn, and child mortality and morbidity in high-burden countries. These two awards- collectively valued at up to $130 million, subject to annual appropriations- fall under the MOMENTUM suite of projects, which aims to increase the capacity of host-government institutions and local non-governmental organizations to introduce, deliver, scale-up, and sustain the use of evidence-based, high-quality maternal, reproductive, newborn, and child health care and voluntary family planning.

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is providing an initial $100,000 to support the humanitarian response of the Government of the Philippines to the eruption of Taal Volcano in Batangas Province, which has displaced nearly 112,800 people to nearly 420 evacuation centers since it began on January 12, 2020.

On January 13, 2020, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Mark Green met with the United Nations (UN) Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Mark Lowcock, who directs the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). The two officials discussed some of the world’s most-pressing man-made crises, including Yemen, Venezuela, South Sudan, and Syria. Administrator Green expressed USAID’s continued commitment to provide life-saving humanitarian assistance to vulnerable populations around the world.

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is deploying four expert advisors from its Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance to support the response to the ongoing wildfires in the Commonwealth of Australia.  USAID is also providing $100,000 in humanitarian assistance to support emergency-response efforts in affected areas.

History tells us that states with more democratic characteristics are usually more prosperous, stable, and reliable partners. They're better economic partners, because they possess the characteristics and conditions that we believe are vital for economic vibrancy and sustainable growth. They're better strategic partners because they're citizen-centered, making them less likely to produce terrorists, proliferate weapons of mass destruction or engage in armed aggression. Conversely, authoritarian regimes are, at best, unreliable partners and, at worst, pose significant risks to peace and stability.

On behalf of the United States Agency for International Development, I extend my congratulations to Interim President Guaidó upon his re-election as President of the National Assembly, the only legitimate and democratically elected government institution in Venezuela. This re-election is a testament to the bravery and sacrifice of the people of Venezuela, Interim President Guaidó, and members of the National Assembly, in the face of the illegitimate Maduro regime's unrelenting deployment of bribes, blackmail, threats, and persecution to undermine the democratic process and attempt to deny Venezuelans their right to vote. In spite of continual harassment, the National Assembly remains a beacon of hope for all Venezuelans, and we salute the parliamentarians for their steadfast commitment to democracy.

On Tuesday, January 7, 2020, Administrator Mark Green of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) will deliver a keynote speech at the day-long conference entitled, "A Governance Agenda for Preventing Violence in a Fractured World," at the invitation of the United States Institute of Peace.

United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Mark Green visited Bridgetown, Barbados, from December 15-16, 2019, to announce an additional $10 million as part of the U.S.-Caribbean Resilience Partnership to improve the ability to prepare for, and recover from, natural disasters in the Caribbean region. With this new funding, USAID will work with community-level organizations, host-country governments, regional institutions, and the private sector to strengthen local, national, and regional planning and preparation for hurricanes, earthquakes, and other calamities. For example, USAID will finance training for local first-responders, harmonize disaster-preparedness standards, and coordinate and facilitate information-sharing among the governments of the region and civil society.