Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — The Governor’s Resilience Commission was scheduled to hold a conference call yesterday with the U.S Government Accountability Office (GAO), which has initiated the engagement of addressing climate change risks in the Indo Pacific Region.

Gov. Lemanu P. S Mauga in a Dec. 8 memorandum informed cabinet members about the call with GAO — which is the investigative arm of the U.S Congress.

Lemanu explained that Chairmen of the House Committees on Natural Resources and on Foreign Affairs along with several Representatives including American Samoa’s Uifaatali Amata have tasked the work to begin, as authorized by federal law.

“The engagement will review what assistance the U.S Government has provided to Bangladesh, the Maldives, Pacific Island countries and U.S. Territories in the Pacific; the effectiveness of U.S. assistance; and what additional actions the U.S can take to provide support combatting climate change risks,” Lemanu pointed out

The call was scheduled for late yesterday morning in the Governor's Office Conference Room. Additionally, the Resilience Commission chaired by Lt. Gov. Talauega Eleasalo Ale, would lead the engagement call.

Furthermore, Resilience Commission members are to be present during the call. The governor asked for coordinated efforts to ensure timely response to meet the federal requirements of this GAO notice.

GAO managing director of International and Trade Jason Bair, in a Dec. 1 letter informed the governor about the “new U.S. Government Accountability Office engagement on Indo-Pacific Climate Change Risks—code 106236.”

Additional information included in the Bair letter, summarized “Preliminary Issues(s) under review, Objective(s) and Key questions”. 

The three questions posed by GAO in the letter to the governor are:

•           What, if any, assistance have U.S government departments and agencies provided to assist Bangladesh, the Maldives, Pacific Island countries, and U.S territories in the Pacific in addressing climate risks?

•           What is known about the effectiveness of U.S government assistance to Bangladesh, the Maldives, Pacific Island countries, and U.S territories in the Pacific to address climate risks?

3.         What additional actions can U.S government departments and agencies take to support Bangladesh, the Maldives, Pacific Island countries, and U.S territories in the Pacific in combatting climate change risks?

The GAO is also scheduled to notify the territories of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana and Guam about this work.