2008 annual report - US Trade and Development Agency

South and Southeast
USTDA completed a strong year in South and Southeast
Asia supporting activities in several essential sectors, in
line with U.S. strategic trade goals, led by a substantially
expanded India program and a diverse set of new
investments in Southeast Asian partner countries.
Energy, aviation, and ICT were
priorities in South and Southeast
Asia. In the energy sector, security
and clean energy investments
were key, demonstrated by important
projects in Cambodia, India,
the Philippines, and Vietnam.
The Agency’s aviation activities
targeted safety initiatives, infrastructure
needs, traffic growth,
and planning for the adoption of
new air traffic management technologies
by Asia-Pacific Economic
Cooperation (APEC) economies.
In ICT, investments addressed
diverse, yet common needs in
e-government, port logistics, water
supply, environmental management,
and disaster preparedness.
This thematic diversity was complemented
by training programs,
trade missions, and technical
workshops that played an important
role in the Agency’s regional
portfolio. Topics included: e-government
systems and customs
modernization in Southeast Asia;
cold chain infrastructure development,
air navigation and management,
agricultural biotechnology,
and patent examination in India;
refinery modernization in Pakistan;
14 U.S. Trade and Development Agency
and standards development and
civil nuclear power infrastructure
in Vietnam.
USTDA’s India portfolio expanded
significantly in FY 2008 and
included oil refinery safety
and modernization activities,
an offshore oil and gas safety
program, and an oil and gas
regulatory capacity building
program. Under the U.S.-India
Aviation Cooperation Program,
the Agency supported programs
to address capacity challenges,
improve safety management,
and transition to new air traffic
management technologies. In
addition, USTDA committed
funding to a U.S.-India cooperation
program to develop a more
transparent standards system
based on market-driven, private
sector-led approaches. The
Agency also saw significant
results from ongoing technical
cooperation initiatives in coal bed
methane development.
In Southeast Asia, USTDA’s programs
were led by diverse commitments
in the Philippines and
Vietnam, reflecting their economic
momentum. In the Philippines,
opportunities included water
supply management, packaged
effluent treatment, ICT modernization,
oil spill response, and
financing of rural electrification. In
Vietnam, commitments included
activities in aviation safety, ICT
planning for port logistics, and
stock market system modernization.
These countries, along with
Indonesia and Thailand, are traditionally
strong partners, where
U.S. companies play a role promoting
trade, development, and
modernization gains.
USTDA supported a senior-level
policy dialogue between U.S.
and Southeast Asian customs
officials from the Philippines,
Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia
as part of the Agency’s Global
Customs Initiative, a $4 million
program launched in 2007 to
address critical customs training
requirements by incorporating
private sector-driven approaches
to customs-related needs.
USTDA will continue to emphasize
shared modernization priorities
and technical assistance objectives
in South and Souteast Asia in
the energy, transportation, finance,
environment, and trade capacity
areas. Addressing these priorities
through the use of USTDA
program and assistance tools will
facilitate the application of U.S.
solutions to development needs,
while directly supporting U.S. foreign
policy goals with key partners
in the region.