Minister for Culture and Tourism, Hon. James Bonuga and his Permanent Secretary, Mr. Bunyan Sivoro welcome the US Deputy Secretary of State, Christopher Landau upon his arrival at Bloody Ridge National Heritage Park for the 84th commemoration of the Battle of Bloody Ridge.
US announces USD$200,000 funding support for the improvement of Bloody Ridge National Historical Park
US Deputy Secretary of State, Christopher Landau delivering his remark during the national commemoration, marking the 84th Battle of Bloody Ridge, held yesterday.
Honiara, 07/09/2026 – The Solomon Islands Government through the Ministry of Culture and Tourism (MCT), has welcomed the announcement by the United States Government of USD$200,000 in funding support towards the development of the Bloody Ridge National Historical Park (BRNHP).
The funding was announced by US Deputy Secretary of State, Christopher Landau, during the commemoration of the 84th anniversary of the Guadalcanal Campaign of the Second World War, held at Bloody Ridge National Historical Park yesterday.
Speaking at the ceremony, Deputy Secretary Landau announced that the US State Department will provide US$200,000 under the US Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation to support the improvement of the historical site.
The funding will specifically support improvements to the park, including the provision of interpretive guidance and the enhancement of the site as an attractive and educational destination for visitors and tourists.
Deputy Secretary Landau said the support will contribute to the development of this significant historical site, where the bond between the United States and Solomon Islands was forged during the Guadalcanal campaign.
Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism said that “the announcement of the funding support is a welcoming news that will go a long way to the ongoing development of the park.”
Minister for Culture and Tourism, Hon. James Bonuga, said that since the declaration of Bloody Ridge as a National Historical Park in 2017, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism has remained committed to its development.
“However, the journey has not been easy. There have been financial, logistical, infrastructure and capacity challenges,” Minister Bonuga said.
Despite these challenges, he said government’s commitment to the development of the park has not diminished. Instead, it reinforced the importance of working together, because development of BRNHP is not the responsibility of one ministry or one level of government alone,” he said.
The US$200,000 funding support reflects the joint commitment of the Solomon Islands Government and the United States Government towards developing the national historical park.
MCT Tourism Technical Advisor, Mr Bjorn Svensson, also expressed appreciation to the US State Department for the funding support.
He also acknowledged other development partners for their contributions and support towards the development of Bloody Ridge National Historical Park.
Mr Svensson said the Ministry has ambitious plans for improving the park and that the latest funding would contribute significantly towards achieving some of those plans.
“We have big plans for the improvement of the park, and this funding support will contribute immensely towards fulfilling some of those plans,” he said.
The Ministry of Culture and Tourism said the support represents an important step towards improving Bloody Ridge National Historical Park as a place of historical significance, education and tourism, while strengthening the longstanding relationship between Solomon Islands and the United States.
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