Aid co-operation

I would like to call your atten tion to an error in the article “US Hints at Separate Tuna Deal” (July PIM p 25).

The article includes a report of a United States Agency for International Development (USAID) sponsored South Pacific fisheries development conference in Honolulu on May 10-12.

That conference was de signed to bring together Pacific island nations’ fisheries and de velopment planning officials to participate in the design and implementation of a new USAID-funded fisheries deve lopment project for the region.

The report, on balance, is quite accurate. However, on page 26 1 am quoted as saying that “...it might be possible (for USAID) to co-operate with other donors in the region on some projects, though USAID normally preferred to go it

alone.”

What I actually said was that USAID would welcome co operation with other donors in the region on some projects, but that “some other donors preferred to go it alone.”

USAID takes pride in its past and current efforts to negotiate jointly funded development assistance projects throughout the South Pacific. Over the past several years, the major donor countries in the region have experienced severe budgetary problems and it consequently makes good sense to leverage aid assistance by co-operating with each other and by seeking joint funding opportunities.

For example, during the past year USAID has jointly funded with New Zealand Aid a much needed Computer Sciences Training Centre at USP. USAID has also co-operated with Norwegain Aid administered by SPEC to provide funding for an important water supply project in the Cook Islands.

I am grateful for the opportunity to clarify this issue since we believe that co-opera tion among donors is an impor tant effort to bring about maxi mum benefit to the people of the South Pacific island nations whom we are dedicated to serve.

William E. Paupe,

Regional Director,

Usaid,

Suva.