On October 29-30, USAID hosted a senior-level Trilateral Development and Humanitarian Assistance Policy Dialogue with counterparts from Japan and the Republic of Korea at the East-West Center in Honolulu, Hawai'i. The Dialogue, which was announced following the Trilateral Leaders' Summit hosted by President Joseph Biden at Camp David in August, advanced concrete discussions to coordinate assistance to countries around the world. The Dialogue was also the first deliverable from the Leaders' Summit to be completed.
Following the Dialogue, the three countries issued the Japan-Republic of Korea-United States Joint Statement on Development and Humanitarian Assistance Priorities that affirms our vision to address global issues, promote shared values, and advance the Sustainable Development Goals and the freedom, peace, and prosperity of partner countries around the world. During the two-day Dialogue, discussions focused on aligning development priorities and policies, our collaboration in the Indo-Pacific and beyond, as well as each country's efforts to improve development finance and invest in critical infrastructure.
The three nations reiterated our commitment to development efforts that address underlying destabilizing factors that lead to violence and threaten peace. Other priorities included streamlining coordination on humanitarian assistance and disaster risk reduction, promoting locally-led development, advancing the rights of women and girls, mobilizing private sector investment, and outlining next steps to ensure collaboration in partner countries. Japan, the Republic of Korea, and the United States also agreed to consider additional opportunities for cooperation and align development efforts in priority areas in the Indo-Pacific, Asia, and Africa.
The Trilateral Development and Humanitarian Assistance Policy Dialogue marked a new chapter in our countries' partnership, and paved the way for future trilateral dialogues to ensure that Japan, the Republic of Korea, and the United States are united in addressing the world's most pressing development and humanitarian challenges.
On the sidelines of the Trilateral Development Dialogue, Michele Sumilas, USAID Assistant to the Administrator for Planning, Learning, and Resource Management, who led the U.S. delegation, also met with the Hawai'i Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Youth Council, a group of students dedicated to advancing the SDGs across Hawaii.
