/United States

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is the main office for international cooperation and development assistance of the United States (US). It provides grants to confront five pressing challenges, including 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 (USTDA, which works to enable 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.

Sovereign Cofinancing. The country supports three active trust funds with ADB to date: the Cooperation Fund for Regional Trade and Financial Security Initiative, which focuses on preventing money laundering and terrorist financing activities and supporting port and airport security; the Afghanistan Infrastructure Trust Fund,^* which provides an opportunity for bilateral, multilateral, and individual contributors to partner with ADB in financing infrastructure investments and improving the livelihood of the Afghan^* people; and the Urban Climate Change Resilience Trust Fund, which works to reduce the risks poor and vulnerable people face from floods, storms, or droughts. In 2021, ADB and USAID signed the RDOAG to support energy, economic, and social development in Asia.

Nonsovereign Cofinancing. The Trade and Supply Chain Finance Program (TSCFP) supported over 14,710 transactions valued at $22.4 billion with banks domiciled in the US from inception to December 2022. During the same period, the TSCFP supported over 1,550 American exports and/or imports valued at $1.6 billion. In 2022 alone, the TSCFP supported 1,953 transactions valued at $3 billion with banks domiciled in the USA and supported 235 American exports and/or imports valued at $316.1 million. Exports and/or imports were mainly to/from Viet Nam, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. Underlying goods involved mostly food and agriculture-related goods, raw and non-energy commodities, as well as textiles and apparel.

The US has also been extremely supportive of ADB’s TSCFP and provided $2.2 million to fund supply chain finance capacity development to support small and medium-sized enterprises.

Special funds. The US contributes to ADB special funds where contributions from financing partners are administered with the same level of care as ADB’s own resources. Since becoming a member in 1966, the US has committed a total of $4.9 billion to special funds, of which $4.7 billion went to the Asian Development Fund (ADF). The ADF provides grants to ADB’s low-income developing member countries to promote poverty reduction and improvements in the quality of life.

Knowledge. During the Asian Clean Energy Forum 2022 organized by ADB, a side event explored how the US government can coordinate with and support the private sector to drive Southeast Asia’s clean energy transition. It explored how the business leaders can collaborate with the US government and like-minded partners to rapidly achieve their shared climate and clean energy objectives in the region. Expert speakers from USAID and State Department energy programs active across Southeast Asia were also featured, along with business leaders who will share their perspectives on how partnerships can help power the clean energy transition.