Boosting Long-term U.S. Engagement in the Pacific Act or the BLUE Pacific Act
This bill requires and authorizes activities related to U.S. foreign policy in the Pacific Islands, which includes the Cook Islands, Fiji, the Marshall Islands, Papua New Guinea, and Vanuatu.
The bill authorizes various activities in the Pacific Islands, including to
- assist the Pacific Islands to improve public health outcomes and build public health capacity;
- assist efforts to promote the dissemination of free and accurate information;
- promote educational and professional development for young adult leaders and professionals;
- provide assistance to promote sustainable and quality basic education in the Pacific Islands;
- build the capacity of local civilian and national security institutions;
- expand trade capacity and promote regional development;
- help enhance preparedness for and resilience to natural disasters and other emergencies, including by improving critical infrastructure;
- support sustainable fisheries policies and marine biodiversity conservation;
- support efforts to expand access to broadband and improve telecommunications infrastructure; and
- help improve cybersecurity, including by providing assistance to develop and implement incident response plans and risk management frameworks.
The bill also requires (1) the Department of State to help Pacific Island countries access development support from international organizations, (2) the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation to seek to enter into investment incentive agreements with Pacific Islands countries, and (3) the Department of Commerce to expand the presence of the U.S. Commercial Service and increase the number foreign commercial officers in the Pacific Islands.