The U.S. Agency for International Development announced $17 million
On the morning of October 23, 2024, Cambodian Prime Minister Khon Manay received Samantha Power, Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), at the Peace Building to discuss relevant work. Samantha Power announced that USAID will continue to support Cambodia and expand development cooperation with the country.
In a Facebook post on October 24, Cambodian Prime Minister Khon Manay announced that Samantha Power will provide Cambodia with a total of $17 million in aid packages to contribute to Cambodia's socio-economic development and improve people's lives.
According to the Khmer Times, Samantha Power first announced plans to allocate $4 million to the Community Mobilization to End Tuberculosis 2 (COMMIT 2) program. The five-year project is implemented by the Cambodian Coalition of HIV/AIDS Non-Governmental Organizations (KHANA). Through this project, USAID will work with Cambodia to focus on strengthening case screening in local communities, increasing screening and diagnostic capacity, improving digital case reporting systems, and expanding access to preventive treatment, ultimately reducing TB transmission and mortality.
Second, Samantha Power announced a partnership with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the Royal Government of Cambodia, pledging more than $1 million in financial support. The project aims to conduct the first national survey to assess the levels of lead, arsenic and other heavy metals in children and pregnant women, in the environment and in products, in order to fully understand the levels of exposure to these heavy metals. Through this survey, the Cambodian government will be able to develop policies, standards and regulations based on reliable data to reduce the threat of heavy metals to people's health and enable Cambodians to live healthier lives.
Finally, Samantha Power said $12 million will be used to support a range of demining activities, including mine clearance and risk education for local communities. To date, U.S. partners have removed more than 1.5 million mines and unexploded ordnance from approximately 230,000 acres of land in Cambodia, and continuing this work will help save lives and create a safer, healthier Cambodia.
"Improving health security in Cambodia is an important part of the U.S. Indo-Pacific strategy," Power said. "Reducing the prevalence of infectious diseases like tuberculosis improves overall health, and when all people have equitable access to health care, the health and stability of the entire society improves." Usaid is committed to continuing to help Cambodia meet its development goals, including eliminating the threat of tuberculosis by 2030, preventing lead poisoning from mothers and children, and building capacity to respond to public health threats.