US state secretary Blinken, USAID Administrator Power spotlight democratic progress, reforms in Nepal; announce new commitments from US, major philanthropies
New commitments announced at the UN General Assembly will support government reform efforts and facilitate improvements to public services as part of USAID's Democracy Delivers Initiative
Published: 05:33 pm Sep 21, 2023
KATHMANDU, SEPTEMBER 21
The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and USAID Administrator Samantha Power, in partnership with the Ford Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation, convened philanthropic and private sector partners to invest in Nepal and other countries experiencing democratic openings at the U.S. Agency for International Development's (USAID) 'Democracy Delivers' event on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly on Wednesday.
Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal joined the event alongside leadership from the first cohort of countries supported by USAID's Democracy Delivers Initiative.
During the event, USAID announced that Nepal will receive $2 million to support stabilization of the economy, promote job and wage growth, mobilize investment, and deliver democratic dividends.
Through USAID's Partnerships for Democratic Development, USAID/Nepal recently received $6.9 million to provide flexible, multi-year funding to deepen its partnership with Nepal's democratic reformers and support their efforts to assemble stakeholders from across society to advance fundamental reforms.
'The additional resources will be invested to align with Nepal's ongoing effort to strengthen local governance and improve delivery of public services to its citizens,' said Karen Welch, Acting Mission Director of USAID/Nepal.