Amata joins other Members of Congress at Resilient Pacific Islands Leaders roundtable

Washington, D.C. — Congresswoman Uifa’atali Amata took part last week in a roundtable with 23 rising leaders representing 18 countries from the Pacific Islands Conference of Leaders.

“I appreciated the invite to be among several Members of Congress to speak to the Resilient Pacific Islands Leaders (RPIL) last week,” said Congresswoman Aumua Amata. “Thank you especially to the East-West Center. This US- funded program they hosted is one element of much broader U.S. efforts to be energetically committed as a Pacific region country.”

The event at the East-West Center in Washington, D.C. is part of the Center’s Pacific Islands Development Program. Discussion of the region and best practices for working together spanned topics including diplomacy, security, prosperity, environment, education and more.

The RPIL group was taking part in a six-week certificate program that concluded this week. Their curriculum centered on the 2050 strategies for a Blue Pacific with a theme of Partnerships.

Others that joined them for remarks or to take questions throughout the event included Senator Brian Schatz; Congressman Ed Case; Congresswoman Young Kim; DOI Assistant Secretary Carmen Cantor, and Deputy Assistant Secretary Keone Nakoa; Ambassadors Hersey Kyota, Palau Embassy Washington D.C.; and Charles Paul, RMI Embassy in Washington, D.C.; Deputy Chief of Mission Jackson Soram, Federated States of Micronesia; Dr. James Viernes, PIDP and Paki Ormsby, Aotearoa, New Zealand.