Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau delivered keynote remarks at the U.S.-Pacific Islands Business Forum, hosted by the Business Council for International Understanding on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly in New York City.
The forum promoted trade and investment opportunities in the Pacific Islands region and facilitated dialogue between Pacific Island Countries (PICs) and U.S. businesses.
Following through on U.S. commitments, the Deputy Secretary announced that the United States, working with Congress, will soon provide the second $60 million payment to the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency as part of a 10-year Economic Assistance Agreement associated with the South Pacific Tuna Treaty.
The treaty allows U.S.-flagged vessels including those based in American Samoa to fish in the exclusive economic zones of 16 Pacific Island Countries, generating hundreds of millions of dollars annually in gross revenue for the U.S. economy.
