United States

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is the main agency for international cooperation and development assistance of the United States (US). It provides grants to confront five key challenges: the compounding conflict, displacement, and food insecurity; the climate crisis; repression and corruption; fragile primary health care systems; and pervasive barriers to inclusive growth and equitable opportunity.

ADB and USAID signed the Regional Development Objective Agreement (RDOAG) in 2019. It was amended in June 2022 to expand the scope of collaboration to encompass other development objectives of mutual interest. In August 2022, ADB and USAID signed the RDOAG for Enhanced Pacific Islands Partnerships that aims to (i) strengthen community resilience, (ii) advance resilient economic growth, and (iii) strengthen governance in the Pacific region.

Additionally, in April 2022, ADB signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the US Trade and Development Agency, which works to enable the export of US goods and services for priority infrastructure projects in emerging economies). The MOU announced a new partnership to advance quality infrastructure across Asia.

In March 2023, the administration released its budget request for the financial year 2024. This included ADB’s Asian Development Fund, the Innovative Finance Facility for Climate in Asia and the Pacific, and the Energy Transition Mechanism.

In September 2023, the US Executive Director to ADB, supported by the US Commerce Department and other US development agencies, led a roadshow across the US to present business opportunities with ADB for the US private sector. ADB’s Procurement, Portfolio, and Financial Management Department, Sectors Group, Office of Markets Development and Public–Private Partnership, and the North American Representative Office highlighted the support they can provide to interested US companies.

Highlights of ADB–US Engagement in 2023:

Sovereign Cofinancing. In 2023, the US committed a total of $7.6 million in grant cofinancing and technical assistance. Of this, $6.4 million was to support Nepal in strengthening the equity, quality, and resilience of its school education system.

Nonsovereign Cofinancing. The Trade and Supply Chain Finance Program (TSCFP) supported over 15,600 transactions valued at $24.1 billion with banks domiciled in the US from inception to December 2023. During the same period, the TSCFP supported over 2,680 American exports and/or imports valued at $2 billion. In 2023 alone, the TSCFP supported 963 transactions valued at $1.7 billion with banks domiciled in the US and supported 366 American exports and/or imports valued at $242 million. Exports and/or imports were mainly to or from Viet Nam, Bangladesh, and the People’s Republic of China. Underlying goods involved mostly food and agriculture-related goods, textiles and apparel, as well as raw and non-energy commodities.

The US supported ADB’s TSCFP by providing $2.2 million to fund the development of supply chain finance capacity to bolster small and medium-sized enterprises.

Trust Funds. In November 2023, the US committed $3 million to the newly established Nonsovereign Revolving Trust Fund. The fund aims to support and invest in private companies and projects that can significantly impact development in Asia and the Pacific.

Special Funds. The US is a founding member of ADB and has, since 1966, committed $5 billion to ADB special funds. Of this commitment, $4.8 billion has gone to the Asian Development Fund (ADF). The ADF provides grants to ADB’s low-income, developing member countries to help reduce poverty and improve quality of life.

Knowledge. In June 2023, ADB, the US Agency for International Development, and the Korean Energy Agency organized the Asia Clean Energy Forum 2023 in Manila, Philippines. The forum was guided by the theme “Navigating Toward a Carbon-Neutral Future through Clean Energy Solutions.” Its goal was to deliver practical knowledge, increased awareness, and opportunities for collaboration to a range of clean energy stakeholders and practitioners from across Asia and the Pacific.

Also in June 2023, the US Department of Interior’s US Geological Survey and US Fish and Wildlife Service, with support from USAID, provided technical briefings during two training sessions of the ADB’s Regional Flyway Initiative.

The Office of the US Executive Director at ADB also supported discussions with a range of US agencies about areas of further collaboration such as multi-hazard risk management, electronic Know Your Customer (e-KYC), and water security.