The US Micronesia Council fosters mutually beneficial economic empowerment initiatives by matching aspirations in the Micronesian Islands to opportunities in North America, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan. The Council recognizes that the most successful economic development partnerships are undertaken by parties with clearly identified shared interests.
The Council’s activities in pursuit of these overarching objectives fall into three main categories.
Economic Empowerment Through Harnessing Technology
Sustainable economic empowerment initiatives deliver benefits at both the societal and individual levels. The council pursues this synthesis by deploying communications technologies to facilitate transnational cooperation and individual participation in the global marketplace. Specific initiatives include:
Training for Remote Work Careers:
The Council provides resources for free online certification in a range of IT disciplines, as well as a network of willing clients seeking the services of certified individuals. With IT Certification, Micronesian islanders will be able to earn a good living through remote work, instead of waiting for industries to bring jobs to them. Critically, the Council will require all companies and agencies providing training to focus on readily transferrable skills, so that trainees retain the power to shape their own futures.
Expanding Opportunities for Artists:
Micronesia boasts a wealth of traditional and contemporary artists across a broad spectrum of disciplines. However, these artists often endure economic hardship due to lack of market access. The Council will help connect Micronesian artists to a diverse pool of art buyers, from interior decorators and set designers to galleries, museums, and collectors across North America and East Asia.
Higher Education Preparation:
The Council provides access to online tools and video lessons to help Micronesian secondary school students with the college admissions process. Resources for students include sortable lists of over 800 U.S. colleges, access to assessments to help determine optimal fields of study, insider tips on how to improve acceptance rates, essay writing strategies, and training to identify and secure scholarship opportunities. All services are provided to eligible students free of charge.
Entrepreneur Coaching:
Through its work creating a transnational online business community, the Council fosters connections between aspiring entrepreneurs in Micronesia, and experienced business leaders in East Asia and North America. This community opens up a vast landscape of new networking opportunities for islanders, while facilitating coaching and business mentorship.
Healthcare:
The US Micronesia Council has initiated conversations with a major healthcare network in Southern California, as well as a network of doctors in Guam, both of which are evaluating ways to expand healthcare resources throughout Micronesia. The initial stage of this collaboration centers on three areas of intense need: cardiology, OB-GYN, and mental healthcare.
American pledges of economic and defense support for Micronesia encompass not only U.S. territories like Guam and the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), but also the Freely Associated States (FAS) of Palau, the Marshall Islands, and the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). While recent White House and Congressional actions have provided positive signs of a renewed commitment to the region, the reality remains that the U.S. has its hands full responding to China’s increasingly aggressive posture.
Stronger economic and cultural ties between Micronesia and the free states of East Asia will serve as a crucial complement to U.S. military strength and resolve. While building broad-based support for the economic empowerment of Micronesian communities, the US Micronesia Council will also be a constant voice for the rule of law and engaged, constructive oversight.
Facilitating Trade and Investment
To ensure enduring economic growth and prosperity, the US Micronesia Council will promote investment in the region, and facilitate cooperation between U.S., Micronesian, and East Asian business leaders and governments. However, unlike NGOs that rely too heavily on unsustainable outside-in approaches, the Council will seek out Micronesian officials and institutions that have identified specific economic objectives and priorities. Mutually beneficial trade and investment will only become possible with firm U.S. policy commitments in place, and a broad array of regional and individual economic empowerment strategies fully deployed.
