MCC result will help modernize Nepal’s energy and transportation sectors: U.S. Ambassador

Kathmandu / April 29: US Ambassador to Nepal, Randy W. Berry, has said that the result of the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Nepal Compact will help modernize Nepal’s energy and transportation sectors.

Issuing a statement on the occasion of the 75th Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations between the United States of America and Nepal, the ambassador said the compact will assist more than 23 million Nepalis.

In February of this year, the Government of Nepal ratified the compact.

This year marks the 75th year of diplomatic relations between the United States and Nepal. Throughout these 75 years – and through the decades of change that have occurred in both of our countries – the United States and Nepal have stood with one another.

“Americans know Nepalis as the people who make laudable advances in medicine and science, reach nearly impossible heights as mountaineers, honourably and bravely serve as UN peacekeepers, and enrich the world’s heritage through a vast diversity of arts and culture,” said Ambassador Berry in the statement.

According to the U.S. Embassy, the US’ historic support for Nepal’s health sector reflects the powerful results of the partnership. In the 1950s, malaria afflicted nearly 25 per cent of the population. The U.S. government through USAID supported the Malaria Control Program and by 1968, malaria cases dropped from more than 2 million to 2,468 cases nationwide.

In the last two years since the beginning of the pandemic, the United States has donated nearly 3.8 million COVID-19 vaccine doses to Nepal to date and given over $124.8 million in COVID assistance.

The Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation helps preserve cultural heritage around the world. In nearly 20 years, this program has supported 25 cultural preservation projects in Nepal, investing more than $3.8 million. One result of this program includes Kathmandu’s beautiful Gaddi Baithak, he said.

The foundation of this multi-generational U.S. – Nepal relationship is people-to-people connections, sovereignty, and democratic values. Today, we need each other more than ever to tackle difficult issues like addressing the climate crisis and protecting democracy in the face of rising authoritarianism. We look forward to doing this together, giving us the results that this friendship has given us for generations, said the US ambassador to Nepal.