Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare is looking forward to the launching of more infrastructure projects supported by the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) while welcoming the US decision to re-establish its presence in Solomon Islands.
The US Secretary of State, Antony John Blinken announced the re-establishment of the US Embassy in Honiara during a US –Pacific Island Leaders Meeting on Saturday 12 February 2022
Sogavare said Solomon Islands is looking forward to engage with the US to roll out the recently signed MCC Threshold Programme and to conclude the US SCALE framework and jointly work together with other partners to meaningfully address the unexploded ordinance UXO issue in the country.
The U.S. government’s Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) and the Government of Solomon Islands signed the $20 million U.S. dollar MCC-Solomon Islands Threshold Program on January 27 formalizing a partnership that aims to alleviate poverty and encourage sustainable development in the country.
The MCC-Solomon Islands program will bring more reliable, sustainable benefits from the country’s precious forest resources by balancing regulatory procedures and ensuring a more equitable allocation of generated revenues.
The partnership will support the government of Solomon Islands to better manage land access issues, which will facilitate investments and generate growth in the country’s critical tourism sector.
The MCC-Solomon Islands investment will feature two projects: The Forest Value Enhancement Project and the Accessing Land for Tourism Investment Facilitation Project.
The Solomon Islands engagement with the MCC is one that is based on a true and genuine spirit of partnership. The Solomon Islands Government supports such a clear and transparent approach to development assistance and encourages other programs to take a similar approach.
MCC’s threshold programs are smaller-scale grants awarded to countries that are committed to improving policy performance through policy reform and strengthened institutional capacity.
The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) is an independent U.S. government agency working to reduce global poverty through economic growth. Created in 2004, MCC provides time-limited grants and assistance to countries that meet rigorous standards for good governance, fighting corruption and respecting democratic rights.
-GCU Press