Building on the recent visit of USAID Administrator Samantha Powers, US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Julie Chung announced today that the US will offer an additional estimated $65 million (more than 23 billion Sri Lankan rupees) in assistance to Sri Lanka through USAID over a five-year period. Mr. Gabriel Grau, Mission Director for USAID Sri Lanka and Maldives, and Mr. Mahinda Siriwardena, Secretary, Ministry of Finance, Economic Stabilization, and National Policies signed the Development Objectives Assistance Agreement (DOAG).
This financing is in addition to the more than $60 million (21 billion Sri Lankan rupees) in fresh humanitarian and fertiliser aid announced by Administrator Power last week in response to Sri Lanka’s current economic and political crisis.
“The United States and the American people are proud of our enduring and powerful connection with the people and government of Sri Lanka,” Ambassador Julie Chung said in commemoration of the launch of this new bilateral agreement. We remain completely committed to advancing locally led initiatives to advance a stable, economic, and peaceful Sri Lanka, which is vital to promoting a free and open Indo-Pacific in which all nations are linked, prosperous, resilient, and secure.”
The United States is dedicated to assisting Sri Lanka in advancing market-driven economy, environmental sustainability and resilience, and good governance through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). All USAID financing for Sri Lanka is delivered in the form of gifts or grants, and it is executed by local and international organisations that follow tight monitoring criteria.
Since 1956, the United States has donated more than $2 billion (roughly 720 billion Sri Lankan rupees) in development assistance to Sri Lanka.