Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo,
Ambassador Tai,
Hon. Mohammed Azmin Ali, Minister for International Trade and Industry,
Representative of The Asia Foundation,
Representatives of the Partners Companies,
Representatives of the media,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Bula Vinaka and a very good afternoon to you all.
At the outset, I would like to acknowledge the wonderful Upskilling Initiative of the
United States (US) Government. This is a significant commitment by the US, and
superstar US firms. The completion of the draft Ministerial Statement for the IPEF is the
perfect time to launch this initiative and a great indication of the innovative initiatives
that the IPEF will bring forth.

The US, through this initiative, is aiming to promote sustainable and inclusive economic
growth whilst advancing the competitiveness of the Indo-Pacific region. The emerging
countries of the region stand to benefit from the training opportunities offered by many
of the biggest and technologically sophisticated American companies.
This initiative, we hope, is an indication of bigger things that will be achieved under the
IPEF. And, provides an example of the innovative approaches to regional integration
and cooperation we are pursuing through IPEF.

Ladies and Gentlemen,
The initiative is unique, certainly in Fiji, in its scale – aim is to provide millions of training
and education opportunities, especially for women and girls, through digital tools. The
commitment by the 14 companies to provide 7 million opportunities. And is an
indication of the US companies genuinely wanting to share the knowledge and technology around the world – and of the opportunities that the IPEF region has to offer businesses.