The United States government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), recently amended its five-year agreement with the Government of Nepal to increase the total expected amount of the agreement by $111.5 million.

This brings the U.S. Government's total five-year (2009-2014) development assistance in Nepal to $316.5 million, the US embassy in Kathmandu said Tuesday. The funding provided for 2010 is $47.7 million.

In a brief ceremony at the Finance Ministry today, Lal Shanker Ghimire, Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Finance, and Dr. Kevin A. Rushing, Mission Director of USAID/Nepal, signed the agreement on behalf of the two governments.

The additional funds will be used to implement and achieve the objectives of the three new initiatives announced by President Obama, addressing global hunger and food security, health, and climate change. With this focus, USAID anticipates more attention and funding for Nepal, likely to be a partner in all three initiatives. Over the next year, USAID will launch several new activities in support of them, the embassy said.

Other on-going USAID programmes in Nepal: support the peace process; strengthen democratic institutions and processes; improve governance and rule of law; provide training and education for youth employment; support early childhood education; fight trafficking in persons; provide sustainable, accessible, and quality basic health services; and enhance competitiveness in targeted economic sub-sectors and promote inclusive economic growth.

"On behalf of the Government of Nepal, I would like to express my appreciation to the people and the Government of the United States of America for this assistance and also for their continued interest and support in the socio-economic development of Nepal," said Ghimire.

Similarly, Dr. Rushing remarked, "this Agreement reflects the U.S. Government's continued, growing, and evolving commitment to development priorities in Nepal. As we roll out new programs, we will continue to support country-led plans; innovate by focusing on new ideas that build flexible partnerships to leverage resources and foster new kinds of collaborations; focus on women and children; and create local ownership and solutions that can be sustained for years to come.