USAID aims to promote growth in SE Asia

The aim is to promote economic opportunity and reduce deforestation.
USAid’s Regional Development Mission for Asia awarded the five-year, US$19 million (Bt635 million) USAid Green Invest Asia programme to Pact, a US-based development organisation.
“Partnerships with the private sector are fundamental to Asia’s long-term development success,” said USAid Regional Development Mission for Asia deputy director Jeffrey Spence. “This new programme brings businesses onboard with investments that help protect forests and the environment across Southeast Asia.”
To date, commercial agriculture investments have been a key driver for the loss and degradation of forests in Southeast Asia.
USAid Green Invest Asia will work to remove barriers to investment in profitable, low-emission businesses. The programme will help businesses and investors identify promising business models and evaluate market conditions that improve regional management of natural capital.
USAid Green Invest Asia will further increase opportunities for US businesses seeking to invest in supply chains that originate in Asia, allowing them to access markets inside and outside the region.
USAid said that, with a broad range of partners, it has actively promoted sustainable land use development programs across Asia. “Through this programme and others, USAid is helping Southeast Asia shift development toward environmentally and socially responsible growth,” the agency said.
In addition to Pact, USAid Green Invest Asia partners include Control Union, Mekong Strategic Partners and Lotus Impact.