Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, U.S. representative to the United Nations, has reaffirmed the American government’s commitment to the Pacific Islands’ sustainable development goals, which include building resilient and secure infrastructure. The ambassador made the pledge during the Pacific Islands Forum held in the Cook Islands, where she met with regional leaders and entrepreneurs.
Enhancing digital connectivity and enabling cyber resilience are two focus areas of the U.S. commitment to help Pacific Island nations build resilient and secure infrastructures, according to the White House’s fact sheet on the U.S. PIF partnership.
Digital connectivity support from the U.S. included work on connecting the Pacific Islands to international commercial subsea cable systems.
U.S. assistance on the Pacific Islands’ cyber resilience, on the other hand, revolves around its commitment to a pilot initiative announced in October to boost the region’s cyber resilience through engagement with Pacific Island countries and the private sector.
Other U.S. commitments to PIF infrastructure development involve natural disaster response, climate change adaptation and aviation resilience. A workshop on the measures to address the challenges is scheduled in February 2024, organized by the U.S.-Southeast Asia and Pacific Aviation Cooperation Program.