USAID Administrator Samantha Power has engaged in discussions with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to discuss how USAID is responding to the country’s political and economic crises.
Administrator Power expressed her sympathy towards Sri Lankans who were killed or injured in the political unrest earlier this month.
She pledged her support to the people of Sri Lanka and committed that USAID would help the country weather the crisis.
She stressed the need to urgently undertake political and economic reforms to gain the trust of the Sri Lankan people.
Administrator Power underscored that USAID is pivoting its ongoing programs in Sri Lanka to help address the urgent needs of Sri Lanka’s most vulnerable and marginalized communities as they experience the economic shocks, compounded by rising food, fuel and fertilizer prices due to Russia’s unprovoked war against Ukraine.
Administrator Power assured the Prime Minister that USAID would closely work with other donors such as the IMF, the World Bank, G7, and others to support Sri Lanka during this extraordinarily difficult period.
