United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Assistant Administrator of the Bureau for Asia, Michael Schiffer, as part of an interagency United States Government delegation to Papua New Guinea (PNG), announced on the 16th of July that the United States, through USAID, is providing $3.5 million (PGK13,098,750.00) to support disaster preparedness in PNG. The United States Government delegation to PNG who arrived in in the country on Sunday 14th July was led by Admiral Samuel Paparo, Commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) and included representatives from the White House National Security Council, the State Department, the Department of Defence, and USAID. During the trip, U.S. Government officials also toured the Papua New Guinea National Disaster Center and met with PNG government officials and discussed U.S.–PNG relations, including disaster preparedness and response efforts. It is understood that PNG frequently faces extreme weather events and natural hazards, including earthquakes, floods, storms, and volcanic eruptions; therefore, this funding will support USAID partner the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to build local government capacity to conduct rapid disaster assessments, implement disaster management strategies. The K13,098,750.00 funding will also go towards addressing gender-based violence in emergency contexts and expanding community-driven disaster preparedness for more effective disaster response. The funding will also enable IOM to preposition relief commodities for immediate distribution when disasters strike. Pre-positioned relief commodities have facilitated accelerated USAID relief efforts during previous disasters in Papua New Guinea, including flood and earthquake relief in March and April of 2024. The United States appreciates close collaboration with regional partners, including Australia, India, Japan, New Zealand, and the Republic of Korea, in response to the recent landslide in Enga Province that affected nearly 8, 000 people. Other donors have also been urged to join in supporting the long-term resilience of the people of Papua New Guinea.