Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Kurt M. Campbell and Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral Cecil Haney will lead an interagency delegation to the Pacific Islands August 1-7. The delegation will include Jeff Prescott, Special Advisor for Asian Affairs at the Office of the Vice President, and Gloria Steele, USAID Mission Director for the Philippines and the Pacific Islands. This second annual interagency delegation to the Pacific underscores the United States’ commitment to working with our Pacific Island partners to secure a sustainable, prosperous, and peaceful future.
The delegation will arrive in Tonga on August 1. On August 2, they will travel to Kiribati, Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Federated States of Micronesia. On August 4, the delegation will travel to Palau and Papua New Guinea. It will arrive in the Solomon Islands on August 6. At each stop, the delegation will meet with senior government leaders and civil society groups to discuss cooperation on bilateral, regional and global issues, including security, development and climate change. The delegation will also participate in events commemorating the 70th anniversary of World War II battles and visit U.S.-supported projects to improve health, education, environmental protection and women’s empowerment. The delegation returns to Washington, DC on August 8.