THE AMCHAM POST MARCH 24- 2022

Ambassador Katherine Tai and the Office of the United States Trade Representative today delivered President Biden’s 2022 Trade Policy Agenda and 2021 Annual Report to Congress.
This report details USTR’s work to implement the Biden Administration’s trade priorities and advance a worker-centered trade policy.

“President Biden believes that America is at its best when we are leading on the world stage to deliver economic prosperity and growth to our citizens and communities,” Ambassador Tai said.
“The 2022 Trade Policy Agenda and 2021 Annual Report provide a detailed look at some of the key accomplishments in the first year of the Biden Administration, and how we intend to build on this progress. I look forward to continuing to lead this office and working with my colleagues across the administration to deliver on President Biden’s vision for trade that is equitable, fair, and lasting.”

Over the last year, USTR has pursued a new approach to trade policy that empowers workers, defends their rights, and encourages a race to the top. By reaching new and historic agreements with our allies, Ambassador Tai and USTR have revitalized important global partnerships and built coalitions around shared priorities and values.

To advance a worker-centered trade policy, Ambassador Tai and USTR have consulted extensively with Congress and a wide range of key stakeholders to develop a comprehensive agenda that ensures the benefits of trade reaches everyone, rather than a select few.

The 2022 Trade Policy Agenda and 2021 Annual Report highlight several notable accomplishments over the last year, including USTR’s work to promote sustainable environmental practices in trade policy, enforce existing agreements, improve the resilience of global supply chains, and combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
It also details how USTR and the Biden Administration have re-aligned the United States-China bilateral trade relationship in order to defend the rights of American workers, farmers, producers, and businesses and ensure they can fairly compete on a level playing field.

In 2022, USTR will continue to implement President Biden’s trade priorities as the United States recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic and builds back better. Ambassador Tai and USTR look forward to releasing additional details in the near future on the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, a key part of the Administration’s Indo-Pacific Strategy that will strengthen the United States’ ties to an important and dynamic region.
Additionally, USTR will continue to support the Biden Administration’s work to coordinate with our allies on shared priorities, while exploring new partnerships around the world.

The 2022 Trade Policy Agenda and 2021 Annual Report of the President of the United States on the Trade Agreements Program are submitted to the Congress pursuant to Section 163 of the Trade Act of 1974, as amended.

Source United States Trade Representative (USTR)

COVID-19
The United States Donates 336,000 More Johnson&Johnson COVID-19 Vaccine Doses to Madagascar
Bringing the total number of doses provided by the United States to Madagascar to more than 2.1 million.

ANTANANARIVO – More than 336,000 additional doses of the safe and effectiveJohnson&Johnson COVID-19 vaccine arrived in Madagascar today through the African VaccineAcquisition Trust (AVAT) mechanism, the African Union’s vaccine procurement and distributioneffort. Purchased and donated by the U.S. government, these vaccines are part of the BidenAdministration’s global effort to rapidly increase vaccine coverage. This effort now marks a majormilestone: 500 million vaccine doses shared by theUnited States with the world, includingMadagascar.

“Nearly three years into the COVID-19 pandemic, global suffering continues despite heroic effortsby our healthcare workers, private citizens, institutions, organizations, countries, and economies.

Throughout, it has remained a fact that no one country acting alone can stop the virus. As PresidentBiden has made clear since the September 2021 Global COVID-19 Summit, vaccinating the world,saving livesnow, and building back better require concerted global action. Together, theinternational community can end the acute phase of the pandemic,” said U.S. Secretary of StateAnthony Blinken in a February 14, 2022 statement.

In addition to the more than 500 million COVID-19 vaccine doses that the United States has sharedglobally, it has also contributed $4 billion to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, in support of COVAX, theglobal initiative to equitably distribute safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines worldwide. The UnitedStates remains the largest donor of COVID-19 vaccines to Madagascar, having donated more than2.1 million doses including more than 1.3 million Johnson&Johnson doses and more than 800,000Pfizer doses since July 2021.

“With these new doses, in addition to those donated previously by the United States, we can helpensure that Malagasy people from all walks of life and in every part of the country can have reliable,free, and equitable access to vaccines,” said U.S. Chargé d’Affaires Amy J. Hyatt.

The U.S. government is working alongside the Government of Madagascar like “mpirahalahymianala”to ensure that communities across the nation have the resources they need to make vaccinesavailablebroadly. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) supportsMadagascar’s COVID-19 response by assisting with disease surveillance, prevention and control ofthe disease, supply chain management, public awareness, and vaccinations through the USAIDACCESS and IMPACT programs.

People can get vaccinated against COVID-19 at hundreds of locations across the country includingCentres de Santé de Base (CSBs), hospitals, dedicated vaccinodromes, and mobile vaccine clinics.For information about where to get vaccinated, visit https://vaksiny.gov.mg/.

The U.S. government will continue to work closely with the Government of Madagascar andgovernments around the world to protect public health and build a world that is safer and moresecure against the threat of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases.

Source: Press Release by U.S. Embassy Antananarivo / USAID Madagascar