By Caribbean News Global 
WASHINGTON, USA – The United States partners with Caribbean governments in defense of our shared values, and to improve Caribbean resilience in all aspects – economy, security, and democracy – so that the people of the Caribbean and the United States enjoy prosperity, health, and freedom, US department of state, said Tuesday, via the office of the spokesperson.
Food Security
- The US government is providing the Caribbean with $28 million in assistance to address urgent food security needs.
- USAID deployed five technical experts to the Caribbean region who advise on efficient use of fertilizer, biofertilizer production, nutrient management and crop insurance feasibility, and are working to develop an operational logistics and supply chain model to streamline intraregional trade.
- The US Environmental Protection Agency conducted three capacity-building training sessions to promote pesticide management and strengthen food security.
- USAID launched the two-year, $2.7 million Resilient Agriculture Activity (RAA) in the Dominican Republic to directly address the spike in food prices, crude oil and commodities – including fertilizers and other common agricultural inputs – due to supply chain disruptions resulting from the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the Covid-19 pandemic. RAA will focus on soil fertility and fertilizer best practices, other climate-smart agriculture practices and local, organic fertilizer production.
- USAID, in coordination with CARICOM, is designing an integrated food security activity that will increase farmer adoption of climate-smart technologies, improve smallholder fruit and vegetable production, build capacity of SMEs in agro-processing, increase technical knowledge among extensionists, and address sanitary and phytosanitary measures limiting open trade.
- The United States, CARICOM, and the Dominican Republic developed medium- and long-term action plans that will guide ongoing efforts to enhance food security in the region.
Energy Security
- Under the US – Caribbean Partnership to Address the Climate Crisis 2030 (PACC 2030) the United States is working with Caribbean nations to develop wide-ranging, long-term energy security and climate resilience solutions. For more information, please see the PACC 2030 Fact Sheet.
- Understanding the need for reliable, cost-effective energy solutions, in January 2023, the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued Trinidad and Tobago a specific license to allow them to develop the Dragon gas field, located in Venezuelan maritime territory, paving the way for LNG from this eventual project to benefit the entire Caribbean.
Climate Change
- We congratulate those CARICOM member countries that have joined 150 countries in endorsing the Global Methane Pledge, and we are committed to working together to meet our collective goal to reduce global methane emissions 30 percent by 2030 – the single most effective strategy to limit warming in the near term. We look forward to supporting national country planning and related methane reduction policy and project efforts, particularly in the waste sector.
- In January 2023, USAID announced its intention to partner with the Government of Barbados with funding to support the establishment of the Blue Green Investment Corporation, a regional financing vehicle to finance projects that will help with climate change mitigation and adaptation, including resilient housing, renewable energy, green transportation, and water conservation.
- The United States supported flexibility in the IMF’s allocation of the Resilience Sustainability Trust, under which the IMF approved significant financing for Barbados’ future investments in climate resilience.
Diplomatic engagement
- Vice president Harris met with six Caribbean heads of state at the White House since the Summit of the Americas.
- Two Under Secretaries of State led strategic dialogues with Caribbean countries.
- Two interagency scoping missions travelled to the region under the auspices of PACC 2030.
- US Development Finance Corporation’s chief operating officer travelled to the region in January 2023.
- US Delegation to the CARICOM Intersessional includes assistant secretary Brian Nichols, former Secretary of State and special presidential envoy for Climate John Kerry, former senator and special presidential advisor Chris Dodd, and EXIM chairwoman Reta Jo Lewis.
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