Washington and New Delhi renew agreement for triangular development cooperation in Asia, Africa

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The United States and India renewed their agreement to work jointly to bring about development in Asia and Africa March 29 in New Delhi.

According to a press release from the Ministry of External Affairs, the two sides signed the First Amendment to the Statement of Guiding Principles (SGP) on Triangular Cooperation for Global Development.

The Amendment was signed by Joint Secretary, Devyani Khobragade, Ph.D. of the Development Partnership Administration -II Division, at MEA, and Mission Director for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in India. Mark Anthony White.
The SGP Agreement, signed in November 2014, “provides a framework for promoting cooperation between the two countries to meet the developmental aspirations of partner countries, particularly in Asia and Africa,” the press release said.

Under the Agreement, India and U.S. aim to continue to offer capacity building assistance to partner countries in multiple sectors, focusing primarily on agriculture, regional connectivity, trade and investments, nutrition, health, clean and renewable energy, women’s empowerment, disaster preparedness, water, sanitation, education and institution building.

The First Amendment to the SGP Agreement, signed March 29, extends the validity of the SGP Agreement till the year 2021. It expands the scope of capacity building activities undertaken jointly by India and the United States under this framework and also provides a consultative mechanism for joint biannual monitoring and review of activities undertaken under the SGP, the MEA said.