USAID, AMCHAM join hands to address India's development challenges

The US Agency for International Development (USAID) and American Chamber of Commerce in India today said they have inked an agreement to address India's development needs.

The announcement comes on the day of launch of the high-level Indo-Pacific Business Forum in Washington DC.

The forum will bring together US cabinet secretaries and senior leaders from government and business to discuss how official tools and policies can facilitate private sector partnerships to unleash the full potential of the Indo-Pacific region, including supporting India's rise as an important power.

In a statement, USAID and AMCHAM India said they will collaborate to combine US government and American private sector resources to address India's development challenges in the following sectors: maternal and child health; tuberculosis; HIV/AIDS; energy/environment and forestry; water and sanitation; gender and women's empowerment; and issues concerning youth.

"This MoU is a natural progression of our relationship and will undoubtedly ensure the continuation of our work in achieving the Government of India's and USAID's development objectives. Including enterprise-based development to our portfolio not only ensures board participation but also bodes well for sustainable impacts," Mark Anthony White, USAID Mission Director to India, said.

As agreed under the partnership, USAID will identify and share innovations that benefit the base of India's population pyramid, while AMCHAM India will explore integrating its member companies' corporate social responsibility funding with USAID/India's programmes. A total of 312 US companies are members of AMCHAM India.

"By establishing effective relationships such as with USAID, we hope to establish a new phase of public-private partnerships that better enable our member companies to promote sustainable development," Ranjana Khanna, Director General CEO, AMCHAM India, said.