This legal clinic will promote environmental justice and enforcement of environmental laws in the Menabe region.
MORONDAVA – Today, Ambassador Amy Hyatt, United States Chargé d’Affaires for Madagascar and the Comoros, cut the ribbon to officially open the U.S. Government-supported Environmental Legal Clinic in Morondava. This legal clinic is an independent entity that provides communities in the Menabe region with access to free legal services, resources, and advice to promote adherence to and enforcement of environmental laws and regulations. The clinic is an initiative of the civil society organization Alliance Voahary Gasy (AVG) and is supported financially by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Hay Tao project. The Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development, regional leaders, and other civil society organizations also collaborated on the development of the legal clinic with the Minister of Environment Baomiavotse Vahinala Raharinirina; Président of Alliance Voahary Gasy (AVG) Ndranto Razakamanarina; the Governor of Menabe Serge Lucky Randriantsoa; and other local officials and ministerial representatives joining the opening ceremonies.
Promoting good governance and supporting transparency are key U.S. government priorities. In her remarks during the ceremony, Ambassador Hyatt emphasized the U.S. government’s continued commitment to support the Government of Madagascar in its efforts to reduce corruption, improve the enforcement of environmental laws, and increase prosecution rates of those committing environmental crimes.
Ambassador Hyatt also highlighted the urgent need for this environmental legal clinic given the high level of deforestation and illegal cultivation of crops in the Menabe Antimena Protected Area. “Now is the time to increase transparency and to utilize these legal resources available through the clinic, to improve the lives of communities and protect the precious natural environment in Menabe.
Without transparency, without good governance, and without the knowledge and will to protect the environment - sustainable development will be difficult to achieve,” declared Ambassador Hyatt. Legal clinics like the Environmental Legal Clinic help local community members better understand the laws in order to protect both themselves and the environment, ultimately increasing adherence to the law. With support from the USAID Hay Tao project, a similar environmental legal clinic was opened by AVG in Maroantsetra in 2019. To date, that clinic has served nearly 300 community members seeking legal support on environmental and land tenure laws and regulations.
These legal clinics are one part of the U.S. government’s efforts to work side-by-side with the Government of Madagascar and the Malagasy people like “mpirahalahy mianala” to secure the nation’s natural resources and biodiversity from illegal and unsustainable practices that threaten its environmental heritage and economic future. Madagascar’s unparalleled biodiversity is significant globally, and its natural resources play a critical role in the nation’s economic and human development. Since 2013, the U.S. government has committed more than $55 million for environment programs that promote sustainability, improve livelihoods for local communities, bolster governance of natural resources, and protect thousands of hectares from illegal and unsustainable exploitation.
Press Release by U.S. Embassy Antananarivo / USAID Madagascar
Supported by the U.S. government, the Menabe Sustainable Agriculture Forum is convening government officials, local leaders, and foreign ambassador from September 23-25.
MORONDAVA – U.S. Chargé d’Affaires Amy J. Hyatt is participating in a three-day agriculture forum in Morondava aimed at finding sustainable solutions to the Menabe region’s environmental problems. The American people, through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), provided organizational and financial support to the event through both the USAID Mikajy and USAID Hay Tao projects, and in collaboration with the Minister of Agriculture and Livestock and the Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development.
When asked about the significance of the forum, Chargé Hyatt said, "Addressing the sustainable development challenges [in Menabe] will require commitment and collaboration from leaders at the national, regional, and local levels. It will require all of us here at the forum to play our part to identify, develop, and implement transparent and attainable solutions to the security, corruption and economic challenges.”
Through the USAID Mikajy and USAID Hay Tao projects, the U.S. government is working at both the local and national levels to address Menabe’s economic and environmental challenges. Deforestation, persistent corruption, slash-and-burn agricultural practices that degrade soil, and regional insecurity have grown significantly over the last few years. Supporting sustainable solutions that protect Menabe from further corruption and degradation is a priority for the U.S. government.
The forum seeks to promote sustainable agriculture, effectively integrate development activities with ongoing land use planning, mobilize technical and financial resources to scale up sustainable practices, and attract the private sector to bolster the local economy. Yesterday’s participants included Government of Madagascar officials, business and civil society leaders, and foreign ambassadors. The forum will conclude with participants’ agreed-upon immediate and long-term actions to counter the current challenges and advance sustainable agriculture and economic development in Menabe.
Madagascar’s unparalleled biodiversity is significant globally, and its natural resources play a critical role in the nation’s economic and human development. The U.S. government works side-by-side with the Government of Madagascar and the Malagasy people like “mpirahalahy mianala” to secure the nation’s natural resources and biodiversity from illegal and unsustainable practices that threaten its environmental heritage and economic future.
Press release by U.S. Embassy Antananarivo / USAID Madagascar
ANTANANARIVO – The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) on behalf of the American people has provided an additional $5.1 million in assistance for Madagascar’s COVID-19 response. This funding, which supports national and community level primary health care facilities, will accelerate widespread and equitable access to COVID-19 vaccination and reduce morbidity and mortality from COVID-19.
Through this assistance, Madagascar can enhance its planning, preparedness, and response to the pandemic, particularly ensuring the necessary infrastructure is in place to make vaccines available to the people of Madagascar. For example, these funds will help support disease monitoring and surveillance to detect outbreaks of the virus; vaccine and medical supply delivery; protective equipment and training for Madagascar’s health workers; laboratory testing upgrades and expansion, and public information on COVID-19 protection.
Four USAID projects, working in collaboration with other key actors, are undertaking these activities in support of the Government of Madagascar’s COVID-19 response: RISE, implemented by the Institut Pasteur de Madagascar; USAID IMPACT, implemented by Population Services International; USAID ACCESS, implemented by Management Sciences for Health; and Infection Disease Detection and Surveillance, implemented by ICF International.
This assistance is part of the U.S. government’s $720 million global effort to expand and intensify the fight against COVID-19 abroad, respond to humanitarian crises exacerbated by COVID-19, and support a global recovery while preparing for future pandemic threats.
The U.S. Government has been a leading partner to Madagascar, standing side-by-side like “mpirahalahy mianala” in responding to outbreaks of plague, measles, malaria, and COVID-19, and remains the largest single-country donor to Madagascar's health sector, providing $74.5 million in 2020 alone to strengthen the country’s health system.
Source: Press Release by USAID Madagascar / U.S. Embassy Madagascar
ANTANANARIVO – Today, the United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Health Office Director, Sophia Brewer, and a Representative from the Ministry of Public Health officially closed out a collaborative project focused on improving access to quality healthcare services, primarily through private-sector engagement. The project, Sustaining Health Outcomes through the Private Sector otherwise known as SHOPS Plus, has been implemented by ABT Associates since 2015.
On behalf of the American people, USAID has funded SHOPS Plus with more than $10 million over six years. During this time, the project established public-private partnerships, reduced financial barriers by improving private providers’ access to health financing, and enhanced healthcare services by creating and deploying sustainable healthcare and health management training.
Major Achievements of SHOPS Plus:
Government's health commodity distribution and logistics system strengthened by identifying public-private partnership opportunities.
This partnership is an excellent example of how the United States and Madagascar are working together like “mpirahalahy mianala” to improve health outcomes through the delivery of family planning and reproductive health, maternal and child health, and malaria treatment that is accessible to all at any time.
The U.S. government is the largest single-country donor to Madagascar's health sector, providing $74.5 million in 2020 alone to fund USAID’s health projects. These projects reduce Madagascar's maternal and child mortality, provide access to potable water and sanitation, protect communities from malaria, improve access to family planning, ensure a reliable supply chain of vital health care supplies and medication, and reinforce the national community health policy.
Source: Presse Release by USAID Madagascar - U.S. Embassy Antananarivo
This donation is part of the U.S. government’s partnership with the Ministry of Public Health to improve the quality of health services for the Malagasy people.
MAHAJANGA – The American people, through our development agency the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), have donated 200 beds and mattresses and other medical materials and equipment to health centers in the Boeny and Sofia regions of northwestern Madagascar. The donation was implemented by the USAID ACCESS health project, in partnership with Project C.U.R.E., a U.S. non-governmental organization that supplies medical equipment to developing countries. This equipment, worth $1.5 million, also includes diagnostic tools, birthing kits, intravenous solution stands, and scales that will be dispatched to 13 districts in the regions. The donation is part of the U.S. government’s effort to provide needed health equipment and supplies to help improve the quality of health services in Madagascar. Previous donations were made to the Atsinanana, Analanjirofo, Vatovavy Fitovinany and Atsimo Andrefana regions.
Improving the quality of health services is a priority for the ACCESS health project, and providing medical materials and equipment is a key to improving health quality. Rural people will particularly benefit from today’s donation, and they will have greater trust in their health centers’ capacity to deliver health care.
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The donation included 200 beds and mattresses. (Photo by USAID Madagascar)
Focused on the most vulnerable, underserved, and poorest people in 13 of Madagascar’s 22 regions, the USAID ACCESS project aims to improve the health of the Malagasy people. The project also supports the Ministry of Public Health in its COVID-19 response activities at national and regional levels, including infection prevention and control, surveillance, and awareness-raising efforts, strengthening national coordination, and support to vaccine roll-out.
The U.S. government and the Government of Madagascar are working together like “mpirahalahy mianala” to improve the capacity and quality of health care in Madagascar. The U.S. government remains the largest single-country donor to Madagascar's health sector, providing $74.5 million in 2020 alone to fund USAID’s health projects. These projects reduce Madagascar's maternal and child mortality, provide access to potable water and sanitation, protect communities from malaria, improve access to family planning, ensure a reliable supply chain of vital health care supplies and medication, and reinforce the national community health policy.
Source: Press release by U.S. Embassy Antananarivo / USAID Madagascar
ANTANANARIVO – Rigorous, modern methods for teaching English should also be interactive, communicative, and fun. That is the main lesson that thirty experienced or emerging teacher- trainers from Antananarivo learned through the U.S. Embassy’s American English Training-of-Trainers (AE TOT) workshop from September 2-4.
During the three-day training, participants explored the U.S. Department of State’s American English teaching and learning materials (AmericanEnglish.state.gov). This extensive library of free, copyright-free, downloaded resources have been developed by U.S. and international English teaching experts over three decades for use in low-tech, non-native English-speaking classrooms around the world. The American English materials, which include lesson plans, literature, audio books, video content, online courses, and printable games and activities, are designed to help teachers transform their English classrooms into interactive, communicative environments that stimulate student-centered, active, and effective learning.
Following the three-day seminar, each AE TOT participant will, in turn, lead workshops in their own school districts that show English teachers how to use the American English resources in their classrooms. In total, 250 English teachers will benefit from this project implemented by the non-profit association Lanja Omena Vokatra hAharitra (LOVA) through a grant from the U.S. Embassy.
Improving the teaching and learning of English in Madagascar is a major initiative of the U.S. Embassy, shaped by the belief that English, as the world’s most widely spoken language, can open a vast range of local and global opportunities for Malagasy students and professionals to pursue their studies and advance their careers. The AE TOT workshop builds upon the U.S. government’s ongoing efforts to strengthen English education in Madagascar, particularly its collaboration with the Ministry of Education to update the lycée English curriculum and our programs to build the capacity of English clubs, as well as the long history of Peace Corps Volunteers teaching English in classrooms around the country, prior to the pandemic.
Press Release by the U.S. Embassy Antananarivo
AMBOVOMBE – U.S. Chargé d’Affaires Amy J. Hyatt donated nearly 300,000 pre-packed humanitarian meals from the U.S. Department of Defense to the regional office of the Bureau National de Gestion des Risques et Catastrophes (BNGRC) and Catholic Relief Services in an official handover ceremony on August 25.
“This $2.1 million contribution by the U.S. Department of Defense is part of the U.S. government’s unwavering support for the Malagasy people facing food insecurity in the South and the Government of Madagascar’s response to the crisis,” Chargé Hyatt said. These pre-packed humanitarian meals are designed to meet daily nutritional needs, delivering no fewer than 2,200 calories per meal. The amount donated today could feed an estimated 2,100 people, in both Beloha and Tsihombe, for 90 days.
The donation was made possible by the U.S. Department of Defense’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), which supplied the humanitarian daily rations valued at $1.6 million, and U.S. Africa Command (USAFRICOM), which provided $520,000 of humanitarian assistance funding to ship the rations to Madagascar. Catholic Relief Services will implement the project in coordination with BNGRC, and the Sisters of Charity in Ambovombe will ultimately distribute the meals at their canteens.
According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), 1.35 million people in southern Madagascar are projected to be food insecure or worse this lean season. The U.S. government will continue to support Madagascar’s efforts to provide essential human services to vulnerable populations. Since 2015, the U.S. government has been the leading provider of assistance to the south, committing more than $236 million through USAID to respond to the urgent needs of families in hunger and provide long-term solutions to food insecurity.
Following the handover ceremony, Chargé Hyatt visited the drought-affected regions of Androy and Anosy, and interacted with beneficiaries of ongoing U.S. government emergency food security and development assistance programs.
Source: Press Release by U.S. Embassy Antananarivo
ANTANANARIVO – The U.S. government, through the United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Rural Access to New Opportunities in Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (RANO WASH) project, has donated equipment and supplies to the Ministry of Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene to support Madagascar’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
USAID provided the ministry with 60 disinfectant sprayers, 400 handwashing devices, 34 cartons of soap, and 60 twenty-liter containers. These supplies will be used to improve sanitation and hygiene in six regions of the country - Alaotra Mangoro, Amoron'i Mania, Atsinanana, Haute Matsiatra, Vakinankaratra, and Vatovavy Fitovinany.
This support is part of a series of donations in response to COVID-19 from USAID to the Ministry of Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene through the RANO WASH project, and is the latest iteration of the U.S. government’s ongoing collaboration with the Government of Madagascar. The two countries are working together like “mpirahalahy mianala” to ensure the health and protection of the Malagasy people from COVID-19.
To end the global pandemic, the United States is taking bold action, as the largest contributor to COVAX and by committing billions of dollars to more than 120 countries. In Madagascar alone, the United States recently donated 302,750 Johnson and Johnson vaccine doses in addition to our ongoing support for the shipment of COVAX vaccines, donated “head-to-toe” personal protective equipment to front line health care workers in 13 regions of Madagascar hard hit by COVID-19, contributed $5 million to the Tosika Fameno cash transfer program that ensured vulnerable families in the most affected cities had enough to eat, and provided $2.5 million in emergency funding to support the Government of Madagascar’s COVID-19 response.
Speaking on the occasion, Voahary Rakotovelomanantsoa, Minister of Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene, stated that the materials would be critical in limiting COVID-19 cases. RANO WASH is USAID’s largest water and sanitation project in Madagascar. Over a five-year period, USAID is investing $30 million to improve access to water for hundreds of thousands of people in 250 rural communes in six regions of Madagascar that face chronic shortages of drinking water. In 2020, USAID’s assistance to Madagascar totaled $133.5 million, including $74.5 million for the health sector, where the United States is the largest single-country donor.
Source: Press Release by U.S. Embassy Antananarivo - USAID Madagascar
The U.S. Department of State’s Johannesburg Media Hub hosted Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Africa at the National Security Council Dana L. Banks for a digital press briefing on how the U.S. government is working to increase U.S.-Africa trade and investment through Prosper Africa. In the meantime, the virtual U.S.- Africa Business Summit was also held in late July.
Africa must address some pressing issues.
Dana Banks reiterated how committed the Biden-Harris administration is to rebuilding partnerships with countries all over the world. The United States renews its readiness to partner with African nations as well as with African civil society and African youth. However, in order for the vision for Africa to be achieved, many issues have to be addressed: violent extremism, climate change, undue foreign influence, conflicts and humanitarian crisis. Resolving such pressing problems is a key condition to a fast-growing Africa, and the United States will support the continent in the process.
Prosper Africa Build Together Campaign
During last week’s U.S. – Africa Business Summit, the U.S. administration kicked off the Prosper Africa Build Together Campaign with a requested additional funding of 80 million dollars. The aim of the campaign is to “substantially increase two-way trade and investment between the United States and Africa by connecting U.S. and African businesses and investors with tangible deal opportunities.”
Prosper Africa will identify new opportunities for U.S. and Africa businesses to increase trade and investment as drivers of economic growth and job creations. Focus will be given to identified key sectors and the green economy.
In practical terms, the U.S. Development Finance Corporation (DFC) has engaged a total of two million dollars and another half million in financing Africa-based projects this year. The Millennium Challenge Corporation has agreed to support the energy sector in the West Africa region. Other agencies among the 17, including the USAID, the Department of Commerce, the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) have facilitated other agreements towards key economic sectors such as healthcare, agriculture, and power. If the funding of 80 million dollars is approved by the Congress, it is expected to support, for example, infrastructure building and matchmaking for businesses and American investors. The Build Together Campaign will also help small businesses run by the African diaspora across the United States.
A continuation to AGOA?
When asked about the upcoming expiration of the African Growth Opportunity Act (AGOA) in 2025, Dana Banks explained that the sunsetting of AGOA is not necessarily a bad thing. AGOA has been more beneficial to some countries than to others. The United States will look at a mutually beneficial trade relationship both with individual countries and the African continent as a bloc. That is why the U.S. administration is seeking to engage more in the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). Even though discussions with the U.S. Trade Representative’s office are being held, no conclusion can be drawn regarding another round of AGOA coming up.
Nevertheless, Prosper Africa, through USAID and other agencies, will continue to provide the necessary advising services for local businesses in terms of U.S. market access. Africa and its products are “à la mode” and there is a great potential for smaller businesses – including woman-led businesses – to explore the U.S. market if they are provided the appropriate information and support.
As a reminder, Prosper Africa is an initiative launched by former president Donald Trump back in 2018. The Biden-Harris administration is seeking to “re-imagine” and revive the initiative then considered “the centerpiece of U.S. economic and commercial engagement with Africa”.
Source: U.S. Department of State / Agoa.info
ANTANANARIVO – The U.S. government donated 302,750 doses of the single-shot Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine to Madagascar as part of the Administration’s global effort to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. The vaccines are part of the U.S. pledge to provide at least 25 million of 80 million doses globally to Africa. The U.S. government coordinated closely with the African Union, Africa CDC, and COVAX on the country allocations. COVAX supported delivery of these vaccine doses, which arrived in Antananarivo on July 27, 2021.
“Sharing these vaccines will not only help protect the Malagasy people from COVID-19, but also begin reducing barriers to building back the Malagasy economy,” Amy Hyatt, U.S. Chargé d’Affaires to the Republic of Madagascar and the Union of the Comoros, said.
These 302,750 doses are part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to share U.S. vaccine supply with the world. As we continue to fight the COVID-19 pandemic at home and work to end the pandemic worldwide, President Biden has promised that the United States will be an arsenal of vaccines for the world.
“From the beginning of my presidency, we have been clear-eyed that we need to attack this virus globally as well. This is about our responsibility — our humanitarian obligation to save as many lives as we can — and our responsibility to our values. We’re going to help lead the world out of this pandemic, working alongside our global partners,” President Biden said.
Throughout the pandemic, the United States has worked closely with the Government of Madagascar to protect public health and strengthen the response to COVID-19. The United States has provided $2.5 million in emergency funding to support the Government of Madagascar’s COVID-19 response, supported the delivery and rollout of vaccines, and contributed $5 million to the Tosika Fameno cash transfer program to ensure vulnerable families in the most affected cities had enough to eat.
Press Release by the U.S. Embassy Antananarivo
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