Transcripts For CSPAN U.S. 20240703

Diplomacy with the Pacific Islands at an event in washington, d. C. She talks about increasing u. S. Engagement to build longterm relationships with Pacific Island nations. And how the United Nations in congress can support programs in the region. This is 50 minutes. Just a word of introduction, but charlie is going to do that, really. Im glad to see all of you here. When i was talking with charlie i thought having a program on a monday afternoon that is about the Pacific Islands will we get anybody to come . He said, yeah, people are interested, and im most impressed that you, ambassador, are so interested. A welcome to every are enrolled for the assistant commandant for response policy for a by rear admiral for the city, not for response policy. Mario i hope i didnt pronounce that improperly. Charged a affairs for papa new guinea. The assistant Deputy Assistant ustr for Southeast Asia. And the staff director for the House Foreign Affairs committee. Thank you all for coming. I just have to share a little story. I was talking with ambassador thomasgreenfield, and she said something that i think is both true and an insight into her character. She said when im on the floor the general simply, im representing the United States, but everyone else sitting there is my equal. That is a testament to how she views her mission. She views them as equals, there is no superiority think in her mind. And that is very refreshing. I cant say that is typical among american foreignpolicy elites, but it is welcome, and its a testament to your character. I think it comes from 35 really distinguish years in the foreign service, becoming a master to liberia becoming ambassador to liberia. I dont know how the president talk to out of public life to go back and now you are representative to the u. N. That is the only ambassador that gets invited into the embassy outside of the secretary of state. Only the ambassador to the you and you to the u. N. Gets invited. Its a testament to her character. Let me turn to dr. Charles edel, who will build a formal introduction foot you will do the formal introduction. I didnt want to miss the opportunity to greet you and thank you for coming. Charlie. [applause] charles thank you very much, dr. Hamre, and thank you especially, ambassador thomasgreenfield, for joining us today. Im charles edel, australia chair at csis. Given the ambassadors wide range of experience in Foreign Policy and National Security, it hardly comes as a surprise that the president asked her to go to the Pacific Islands forum this past fall to represent the United States there and have presence for the United States in the pacific. Look, i should say that on the one hand, there is absolutely nothing new about that. For most of american history, the United States has been deeply engaged in the pacific. I wont give you too much of a history lesson, but starting in the 1780s, american commercial ships were plowing through and across the pacific. By the time you got to the 19th century, wed expended that commercial presence to include diplomatic and naval engagement across the pacific, and it hardly needs saying that americas presence and engagement in the pacific was felled deeply throughout the 20th century. But, and there is a but here, over the last several decades american focus on and attention to the pacific has atrophied. You can see signs that this is clearly changing. The Biden Administration believes its firstever pacific partner strategy. The white house has hosted leaders from all the Pacific Islands at the white house not once, but twice in 2022 and 2023. We are in the process of opening new u. S. Embassies across the pacific. We have pushed out the firstever u. S. Ambassador to the Pacific Island forum. Were seeing an increase in both coast guard and peace corps presence in the pacific where they had not been the previous several decades. And perhaps most significant, congress has no fund now fun ded are compacted for Free Association with the Marshall Islands and the federated states of micronesia. However, and this is the most important one, this is just the start. And to discuss the importance of u. S. Efforts, to walk us through what we should expect to come next, im thrilled to welcome ambassador thomasgreenfield to csis. The ambassador will offer initial comments come after which my colleague kathryn paik, senior fellow with the australia chair and former director of the pacific in Southeast Asia at nsc, will run her through a conversation, after which point we will open the conversation up. Ambassador, we know how extraordinarily busy your schedule is, and really want to think you not only thank you not only for taking the time to come to csis, but for taking the time to talk about an extremely vital and important part of the world. Ambassador . [applause] amb. Thomasgreenfield good afternoon, everyone. Its really great to be here with you. Let me start by thanking john and charlie for the warm welcome , and thank you to everyone at csis, the whole team for having me here today. Last november i had the privilege of leading a high level interagency delegation to the Pacific Islands meeting in the cook islands. I will admit here that i had to look at where the cook islands was on the map. I have a huge map in my office and it was actually off the map, because it is so far. But i learned that the largest and most populous of the islands, no building can be taller than a coconut tree. And that is a true fact. I gained a new appreciation of the vastness and the isolation of the pacific and the Important Message it sends when we take the time and make the effort to actually show up. Most of all, i learned of the stories of so many extraordinary Pacific Islanders, leaders and Community Members who like all of us want to build better lives for their children and benefit from Sustainable Development in the region. Who are worried about clement change in how i Climate Change and how it might wreak havoc on their livelihoods and their childrens futures. And you have already felt the effects of this exit and who have already felt the effects of this existential global challenge. Im proud i was able to tell them facetoface that the United States is standing with them, we are standing for them, and that we have their backs. My visit was the first of its kind since the u. S. Established diplomatic relationships with the cook islands and recognized them as a sovereign, independent states. During my time there i was able to reaffirm the United States plan for empowering communities like the ones i met with and the 2. 3 million Pacific Islanders in the region. After all, the United States is a pacific nation as well. We share unique, longstanding history with the Pacific Islands. We have robust peopletopeople ties that span generations. In our Economic Prosperity and nationals equity are inextricably linked. And our economic asperity and National Security are inextricably linked. The Biden Administration realizes we cannot take these vital relationships for granted. Since day one we have worked to strengthen the ties that bind us. That includes passage of the context of Free Association amendment act. This amendment will fully fund 7. 1 billion in new assistants over the next two decades, helping the nations to provide essential Government Services like health care, education, infrastructure, and Capacity Building. We will continue to make good on our commitment to strengthen our relationships in the pacific and invest in the people. Of course, cofa is one aspect of a broader approach. We also developed the first ever u. S. Strategy for the Pacific Islands and continued to strengthen our support for the regions priorities outlined in the Pacific Islands Forum Strategy for the blue pacific continent. We are extending our diplomatic and developing presence in the region with new embassies, expanded usaid footprint, and the return of peace corps volunteers to a number of islands in the region. In fact, when i took my trip, the head of peace corps and a usaid representative for part of my delegation. We are deepening highlevel engagements including with President Biden himself we are bolstering the pacific regional architecture and deepening our cooperation with the Pacific Island forum, because we know this region is strongest when it is united for. And we are working closely with likeminded partners to enhance digital connectivity in the region. Since the first summit, the u. S. Has announced more than 8 billion u. S. Dollars in new funding for the Pacific Islands, and robust new programs to address Climate Change, maritime security, gender equity, and more. Together these actions reflect incredible progress we have made together, deepening our diplomatic relationships, development of partnerships, and Security Cooperation with the pacific. And they paint a picture for the future of the u. S. Pacific relationship. Over the next year our goal is to continue implementing and delivering on the commitments we have made in the past three years, to demonstrate through our words and action are Enduring Partnership with the region and its people, and our commitment to elevating the voices of the pacific as we address share challenges. Meeting this moment takes a Robust Network of partners, and i am proud of the network we have created to that end. Later this month i will headed to east asia to meet with stakeholders in person, where we will discuss among other things our shared priorities around nuclear nonproliferation, closing digital divides, and our work in the Security Council including to support the region. We also look forward to supporting Pacific Island countries throughout preparations and through our preparations and bit his omission fourth conference on small developing island states at the end of may. This will be a once in a decade opportunity to bring together diverse stakeholders, to build partnerships, and make new commitments. In the meantime im excited to have the opportunity to sit down with all of you, with kathryn today, and talk about where we have been, where we are going, and how we get there together. I think you offer your attention, and i look forward to our conversation i thank you all for your attention, and i look forward to our conversation. [applause] kathryn thank you, ambassador, for your work. As a reminder for our audience here and online, you can continue to submit questions via the submit questions now button on our event webpage, csis. Org under the australia chair on the event page. Ambassador, thank you so much for talking through some of the major muscle movements that have been made over the last couple years under this administration. As dr. Edel said, there has been a ramp up in u. S. Engagement in the pacific. Part of this rampup has been a plethora promises from this administration, new embassies, as you said, banking, investment, Climate Change. Having been out to the pacific and heard from the pacific leaders and talked to them, where do you think the u. S. Should be prioritizing as we look ahead . Amb. Thomasgreenfield thats an excellent question, and the question i was asked by the Pacific Islanders when i was there, because what they said to me as we are used to you guys showing up once. We are used to you paying a moment of attention to us. But what we need to know is is this is this a commitment . Are we going to see you again . Is it more than just showing up . Are you going to honor all of the commitments that you have made . I was able to assure them that we were, that our intention was for a longterm relationship. The cofa funding is i think the first indication of that, because its funding for two decades. That was just passed through congress, and for members of congress and staff who are in the audience, i want to thank you for that, because that was an extraordinary commitment that actually showed the Pacific Island nations that we are in this for the longterm. Kathryn absolutely. One of the key tenets of the strategy mentioned is to amplify pacific voices on the international stage, something you are uniquely positioned to see. The Pacific Island nations are very vocal at the United Nations, promoting issues that are very critical to them, such as maintaining maritime boundaries with Sea Level Rise damage due to Climate Change. Can you give us a little of your thoughts on where those subjects lie in the u. S. System, and how we can best work through the u. N. To amplify those voices . Amb. Thomasgreenfield its a high priority for us and its a high priority at the highest levels of the was government. The president has been engaging on pacific and issues during his administration, i think is a clear representation of how committed we are to amplifying their voices. In new york, i have a very unique purge, because i can meet unique perch, because i can meet with all of these countries all at once. Ive had several meetings with groupings of the Pacific Island countries. Ive met with other groupings where we have committed as a group to meet with Pacific Island countries. We have the quad that includes japan, australia, and india. We met recently and agreed that it was important that as a group we also engage, because they are equally engaged on these issues. And i think this is a commitment that will be reflected in all of the work that we do in the future. We recognize it is about their sovereignty as sea levels rise, that they will still exist as a nation regardless of what happens to their islands because of Climate Change. Weve made a commitment to the 1. 5 celsius increase, and they have heard us and they are holding us to that commitment, and we are continuing to maintain our commitments to all of them. So, we have a long way to go, but we have gone a long way already, and i think that that commitment is showing in the efforts we are making right now. Kathryn one of the concerns that the United States and likeminded partners often express is that chinese efforts in the pacific are going against many of Pacific Island equities that they may have. Of course, u. S. Interests in the pacific is not just because of global competition, but that is a factor that the Pacific Islands are very aware of. Im curious your thoughts from the u. N. Perspective, what you see on the ground in terms of chinese and other efforts to countermand the international rulesbased order that benefit the pacific, and how you work with the Pacific Island and other countries to combat that. Amb. Thomasgreenfield its a huge problem that we have encountered specifically in new york, but i think its a global problem as well, where the chinese have made a very concerted, forceful effort to kind of rewrite the rules of the road to reflect its own vision of what they see as the future, and including putting in inserting in u. N. Documents issues that go against the core values that we have and the core values that many of these countries have. But what we have been clear on, and i made that statement as well when i was in the cook islands, is that we are not trying to force countries to choose between us and china. What were are doing is giving them a choice to make. Many countries will say we are forced into these relationships because we dont have other choices. We are giving them those other choices, and those other choices mean having the u. S. Have their backs, having the u. S. Standing with them sidebyside as they address the challenges that china is forcing upon them. Kathryn thank you. I would like to go to some of our audience questions that have come in. People can continue to submit those during the conversation. Jessica stone from voa news asks , some Pacific Island leaders would say there is a trusted deficit when it comes to the United States in terms of attention to the region. How are you using your role at the u. N. To improve relationships between washington and the Pacific Islands and to prepare u. S. Diplomats who are heading to the region to understand the priorities of the region . Amb. Thomasgreenfield you know, thats, again, a question i was asked by leaders when i met with them. Our commitment is really an ironclad commitment, and we know that there have been times when we were there for a day, there for a meeting, i didnt show up again. I regularly meet with my Pacific Island counterparts in new york. I go to them. I dont always ask them to come to me. I mentioned when we were speaking before that with one country i made an appointment and went to that countrys mission, and they told me that theyd never had a visit by a u. S. Permanent representative in the history of their time in the United Nations. And i dont just call on them when i need them. I called them regularly and show them the respect that they deserve as a sovereign country. And i think that has gone an extraordinarily long way in showing our commitment in developing the relationships in the engagements that we have. When you are the ustr, your schedule is out of control. You dont have you dont always have control over your schedule. But one thing i have controlled in my schedule is to say that every country is equal, and that i will have courtesy calls with every single country. There are 193. I will tell you, three years ive only gone through 157. Many have changed. There are some countries im seeing over and over again and made courtesy calls. My goal is to hit every one of them. And i think at this point i may have gotten all of the Pacific Island countries either oneonone or in groupings. Kathryn thats fantastic. Im curious your thoughts on another tenant of the indepth tenet of the Indo Pacific Strategy of this nations partnerships with partners and allies. We have wonderful partners in the pacific, but we also have strong partners and allies that are trying to also work with the pacific japan, australia, new zealand. What are your thoughts on how we are working with our partners and allies in the pacific and how we might do better and how we might collaborate . Amb. Thomasgreenfield this is something, again, that came up during my visit, and i did meet with partners when i was there. I met with the new zealand nowspeaker. I met with australian counterpart. I met with indonesia. So there were a number of countries, larger countries from the region that we had the opportunity to talk about how we can Work Together. We are working, for example, with australia. I think it is 65 billion correct me if im million . Million sounds better. [laughter] 65 million to address digital issues. Were working with countries on Youth Programs and education programs, because we know we cant do it alone, and the countries in the region know the region even better than we know the region. Im not going to say i know the cook islands better than new zealand when i was told by the new zealand minister when he was there that there are more cook islands or is living in more cook islander livings in new zealand than on the islands. So they clearly know these countries well. I think we have to take advantage of what they bring to the table, littles they bring to the table, s the tools they bring to the table, so we can work on common interests. And i would add one thing that i came away from my visit with, and that is people want to be heard. They dont want to just be talked to and spoken to. They want us to hear what their priorities are. What they are dealing with, what the issue what they are dealing with with the issues of Climate Change, how they are dealing with Youth Programs. We announced a to support the Pacific Island leadership as well. How they are dealing with gender issues, how they are dealing with the private sector and how we can engage with the private sector to help them address some of their needs. So they want to be heard, and i did a lot of listening when i was there. I did less talking and more listening. Kathryn sounds like the right approach. Like to go to a former u. S. Ambassador to fiji, tonga, to volute, who asks, the success of u. S. Partnership with Pacific Island countries will depend on the ability to help address the top security threat, Climate Change, through forms of assistance. Yet followthrough will depend on congress appropriating the necessary funds. Do you see about forward . I will add do you see a path forward . I will add a little bit onto this dish is there a role for the u. N. In making climate finance more accessible on a global level . Amb. Thomasgreenfield first on our engagements with congress. The fact that we got the cofa through sends a very strong message. And we continue to engage with congress on other programs that we want in the Pacific Islands. And i think they understand and appreciate the importance of us engaging with Pacific Island nations. At the u. N. , that is an easy one. We have the sdgs, we have the summit of the future. We are dealing with a whole host of issues that are very specific to the priorities of Pacific Island countries. And working with those countries at the u. N. To address those issues are key to us. Looking at how we deal with oceans and the importance of addressing all of the sdgs, whether it is education, gender equity, dealing with infrastructure issues. All of these are issues that we address on a regular basis at the u. N. And i will mention that we were very, very pleased last week that we got the resolution on ai through the u. N. , through a consensus vote well, no vote, it was consensus that we got this resolution through. And the important thing in that resolution for many developing countries was bridging the digital divide, and that is something that Pacific Island countries will definitely benefit from. Kathryn as you mentioned, there is such a tyranny of distance between them and the conductivity so essential connectivity is so essential, whether it is health or just being able to connect with the rest of the world. You mentioned the u. S. Being a pacific country, which we definitely are. Ive heard 2 million u. S. Citizens lived in the pacific, whether it is in the territories or hawaii. The Australian Strategic Policy Institute asks an interesting 1 leaders in American Samoa and guam have expressed desires to participate in the new zealand countries and french territories. What is the administrations position on native american desires via all the Pacific Islanders more generally and the possibility of the u. S. As a pacific country joining . Amb. Thomasgreenfield i think right now we are partner with them. That means all of the territories are partners. They are engaging on a regular basis. I stopped in hawaii on the way to the forum and heard from the governor that he was very actively engaged. And i was encouraged samoa and other u. S. Territories to be actively engaged. And part of what we are doing as the United States on dealing with Pacific Island countries, i think there is a commitment for all of these territories, hawaii, and others to be directly engaged in what is happening in the Pacific Islands. They also have the same challenges. They should know that we are absolutely working to ensure that their concerns are being brought to the table as well. Kathryn absolutely. Do you think there is ways that we as a nation could use our territories and leaders in the pacific better to engage . Or should be doing this from d c . Amb. Thomasgreenfield no no, absolutely they should be part of it. That is why i stopped in hawaii. They have their own connections, their own relationships, their own voices. I absolutely support them having their own voices. They are part of us. It is not just us going out there and representing them, but it is us in joining with them to ensure that their issues are on the table as well. Yes, it probably makes more sense when you send a delegation you have a cabinet official do it. I think the Pacific Island nations appreciate that a member of President Bidens cabinet was there. But in no way does my presence diminish the important voices that the Pacific Island territories of the u. S. In hawaii would have in addressing these issues. Kathryn absolutely. Cleo pascal asked a similar question, wondering if you are engaging at all with the congress men and women from our territories such as American Samoa, guam, on some of these issues, who may have brought her expertise. Broader expertise. Amb. Thomasgreenfield i have had engagements with them. A group of them came to new york before i went off on a visit, and i met with them. When i returned, i met with individual Congress Members to share what i learned on that visit. But also it is my belief that we have to always engage with members of congress on a regular basis. I am on the hill and i answer their calls. I answer their letters. And i actually proactively engage with members from that region as well as other regions of the world. Kathryn based on what you are hearing from pacific leaders at the leader summit, obviously we have been ramping up engagements and going on, as you said. Where are we still falling short, the u. S. , and where should we be doubling down our efforts . Amb. Thomasgreenfield i think we have to double down our efforts at the high level my visit cannot be a oneoff. We have had other members go, and we need to ensure that we have other cabinet members go on a regular basis. As i said, it is isolating. You have to make an effort to do it. Encouraging other members of the cabinet to make that effort to get out there and ensure that they see us on a regular basis. That is where we have to double down. The second one is again, you mentioned congress, engaging with congress to ensure we get the funding that we need. We have a request in now for funding for the Pacific Island Young Leaders program. I want to see that funding come to fruition. I work with the Young African leaders initiative, and i saw the importance of that initiative in terms of bringing the voices of young people forward. And i want to see that happen in the Pacific Islands as well, that we can actually promote and mentor and encourage young voices to address the issues of today as well as the issues of the future. Third, on peace corps, i traveled with the head peace corps out there, and there are a number of countries with asked for pea you have asked for peace corps to return, and having that happen is going to require funding for peace corps. Im a great fan of peace corps. I was never a peace corps volunteer, the biggest regret of my life that i was not a peace corps volunteer. But i think it is one of the greatest programs we have, because they are on the front lines of american diplomacy in terms of getting young people out into communities to meet with communities and developing those longterm relationships, because they live in communities. Getting the funding to get peace corps. And then for a diplomatic presence. Weve opened two new diplomatic entities in cook islands. We need to get our diplomats out there and we need to look at other places where we can have more diplomatic relations. We have to build those embassies so that they see we are serious about that, and get our presence. And then finally, i havent spoken about ambassador reed, who is our special envoy to the Pacific Island forum. Shes amazing, and we have to give her the resources so that her presence can be felt. And she is going to be on the frontlines, really on the frontlines of our diplomacy. I think that sends a very strong signal of how important the relationships are with the Pacific Island countries. Giving her the resources she needs to ensure presence is seen and respected. Kathryn i felt the same on peace corps. It is not uncommon to talk to Pacific Island leader taught by a peace corps volunteer or had a Family Member taught by a peace corps volunteer. Amb. Thomasgreenfield peace corps volunteers never leave. They go away, they go on to new lives, but they never forget their peace corps families, and they always come back. They always connect to their peace corps families. Getting the Peace Corps Program ramped up and more robust will be a key part of answering the call of the Pacific Island countries. Kathryn those peopletopeople ties on the ground. Im not sure you should have any regrets. Amb. Thomasgreenfield i do regret it. Peace corps was always my plan b, and im lucky enough in my life that all my plan as workout. I wish peace corps was in my plan a so i could have had that extremist to add to the many things ive done that experience to add to the many things ive done. Kathryn aaron asks if you could go into more detail about the quad engagement mentioned. Can you comment on what the quad intends to do in the pacific and what commitments you would like to see from india in particular . Amb. Thomasgreenfield look, we are an informal group. Weve developed a lot of informal groups in new york, where we come together to talk about common issues of interest and how we can bring our unified voices together on but they got issue on particular issues. And this group, i mentioned australia, india, and japan. And so one of the things we have discussed is how we can address as a group some of the issues that or the priorities that have been raised by Pacific Island countries. How can we bring our unified voices to supporting their efforts. First and foremost, what we plan to do is start by meeting with them as a group, which we have never done before, and hearing what their priorities are. It is not about going in and telling them what we are going to do. It is about going in as a group in hearing what they need us to do. That is now being planned for the coming weeks and months. Kathryn fantastic. I have a question from kelly cho. This may get a little into the technical nature of the question, but just appreciate whatever you can provide from your perspective at the u. N. Shes curious how the u. S. Is planning to advocate for Sustainable Management of Marine Resources globally and around the Pacific Island nations such as with regard to deepsea mining, commercial fishing, issues of intense concern for the Pacific Islanders who depend so much on maritime resources. Amb. Thomasgreenfield again, that was a subject that was raised with the cook islands prime minister, who showed me little nodules again, more technical than and how important it is to be able to mine this resource without doing damage, ecological damage to the sea. And they want, for example, companies, responsible american companies, or other companies who can come in will take into account their concerns about how this is managed. And they talked to me about how they can engage with those companies. In the u. N. , i think the Important Role there is to give them the technical the Technology Resources to address their concerns, so that when they are negotiating, for example, with companies, with other countries, they can negotiate from a position of knowledge and strength and they dont go into these negotiations without having the foreknowledge to negotiate the best deals for their own countries. Also raised with me was the issue of maritime fishing, and the use of their fishing lanes by countries in particular concerns with china coming in and really taking fishing resources without their permission. And how we can address, for example, helping them to build up their coast guard. I also had a member of the coast guard from the region on my delegation as well who was able to engage with them on Marine Protection and how to protect their coast. These are things that the u. N. Can bring to them in their discussions. So this was a whole lot, and i will tell you, as i said, this was my first time engaging with Pacific Island countries. I came away from those discussions with a deep sense of desire on their part for our active engagement and for us to stay engaged with them. And that is the message i brought back to the president and to other members of the cabinet, that this is a longterm relationship that we have, and its not a oneoff. Hopefully, certainly from my standpoint it is not a oneoff, and hopefully over the course of the next couple decades with cofa they will see it is not a oneoff. Kathryn many of our measures we are taking such as cofa, they are much more in the realm of institutionalizing that, and that has been a real focus, as long as we can follow through. Similar to the last question, another question from georgia eileen from georgetown asks about health and Health Infrastructure. This is something ive heard many times in the pacific, the lack of Health Infrastructure and Health Security is a nationalsecurity issue for these countries, and across cuts Climate Change, it cost cuts Climate Change, food security, so many issues. Are there any discussions at the u. N. On ways to help bolster the Health Infrastructure of these countries . Amb. Thomasgreenfield i think covid, the pandemic really highlighted and amplified the lack of capacity in so many countries to deal with health issues. What we know is this pandemic wont be our last. This pandemic really it encouraged and urged the world to come together and figure out how to support countries, like those countries in the Pacific Islands where there is not a very Strong Health care system. Part of our engagement is to address the Health Infrastructure issues, and to help these countries prepare for the next pandemic. The who has been actively engaged with these countries as well as other countries around the world to ensure that they do have the wherewithal to withstand the impact of a pandemic. It is not just the Health Impact they experienced. The Economic Impact was intense. The impact on the education system, immense. Their economies are still trying to come out of this. We all have a lot of work to do, and it is not going to be done by the United States alone. This is what the u. N. Is for. We have to Work Together in the u. N. As well to address these issues. Kathryn for many of these countries, covid as a health issue was less of a problem than the economic issue, which ended up being such a major part of their economy. Another question from Sister Cities International im not sure this is a new initiative started to connect cities in the u. S. With cities across the Pacific Islands but more generally, he asks, how are these peopletopeople partnerships impacting Global Security . Amb. Thomasgreenfield it is peopletopeople relationships that make a difference. We diplomats can do everything in our toolkit, but ultimately it is about people and these relationships are truly important. I saw the citytocity relationships in africa and what that meant to countries in africa and cities in the United States, how it developed those peopletopeople relationships. I think it is important that we see those relationships develop in the Pacific Islands. I was not aware of this program, but im delighted to hear that we do have the citytocity relationships. Kathryn and it is just getting going. I was in when we got it started. Alan from Georgetown University asks us, what can the u. S. Duke via the u. N. Do via the u. N. To advocate for Development Funding . Back to the idea of accessing finance, which is such a critical problem for so many Pacific Island countries, and they often voice that the bureaucracy of multilateral banks or other International Financing is complicated for smaller countries to deal with. What can the u. S. Do to support greater access both through undp or the various Multilateral Development banks . Amb. Thomasgreenfield in new york through undp, other agencies, we are on those boards. We are on the board of undp, unicef, world food program. We do have a say in how those organizations address issues that developing countries bring to the table. Our voices clearly a voice that is very powerful, because we in almost all cases are the largest donors to these organizations. Certainly to the humanitarian ones, but i think even at undp. So we can speak for and promote the interests of developing countries in a way that i think is important, and it is something that i know that we do on a regular basis. And thats certainly the case with the International Financial institutes as well. We do think there is room for an time for reform. Its not going to happen in new york. Its going to happen through the Bretton Woods process. And how we address what we do with those institutions in the future. And it also means addressing the impact that china has through i ts own financing, which is in the past and even i can say even now to put these countries into deathtrap. We have to figure out how to help them get out of that deathtrap, but also how to address more reliable funding and easytoaccess funding. With one country i spoke to, we dont have the people to fill out all these forms and to answer all the questions that come in, so we can to take advantage of this Development Funding we cant take advantage of this Development Funding because we dont have the people resources to do it. So we can help from that standpoint as well, helping to build capacity that they have on the ground and add to that capacity by giving them the people resources to help them access this funding in a more equitable way. Kathryn Capacity Building can be so important. Thank you, ambassador, for this extremely rich conversation today, and thank you for joining us. I know you have a very busy schedule. If i could have the room join me in a round of applause. [applause] amb. Thomasgreenfield well, thank you very much. It was really a pleasure being here with you, and its really great to see all of you who are engaged on Pacific Island issues. That sends a message as well, that we have not forgotten this region. And it takes more than just the u. S. Government to do it. It is those peopletopeople relationships, it is your engaging with us that we continue our commitment. You engaging with members of congress to say we need your help as well. You play a Critical Role in staying wellinformed and continuing to be engaged, so i thank you for your presence today. Kathryn if i could ask everyone to remain seated while we whisk her out, shes on a tight timeline. Amb. Thomasgreenfield thank you very much. [applause] [captions Copyright National cable satellite corp. 2024] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. Visit ncicap. Org] tonight and all this week, we hear recent Supreme Court decisions and talk about legal issues each night at 9 30 eastern on cspan. Here is the schedule. Tonight, we begin with two cases that could resolve in the weakening of federal agencies willing and process and ability to interpret and implement law. Tuesday, the oral argument, challenging the constitutionality of a trumpet era tax law. Wednesday, 2018 ban on bump stocks. Thursday, another Second Amendment case, on whether people under Domestic Violence protective orders can legally own firearms. Friday, cases on social media content and state ability to regulate content. Watch the Supreme Court oral arguments all week begetting tonight at 9 30 eastern on cspan. You can also find all Supreme Court coverage on cspan. Org. Tuesday, 20 24 republican president ial candidate donald trump speaks with voters in wisconsin. Watch starting at 6 00 p. M. Eastern on cspan, cspan now, or cspan. Org. President biden and dr. Jill biden hosted the annual White House Easter Egg Roll with about 40,000 people in attendance. He offered remarks and participated in the egg and the first lady read to a group of children from the white house south lawn. This is just over 20 minutes