Richard Butler | Exclusive Report by US DEPARTMENT OF STATE | 30TH AUGUST 2024
Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell travelled to Vanuatu on August 29 to dedicate U.S. Embassy Port Vila. His visit highlighted important shared priorities and bilateral initiatives, including efforts in support of climate resiliency, healthcare, and cultural heritage preservation.
On August 29, Deputy Secretary Campbell participated in the dedication ceremony for the opening of Embassy Port Vila, the United States’ newest embassy. Senior ni-Vanuatu government officials, local alumni of U.S. government exchange programs, and the diplomatic corps joined the ceremony.
Deputy Secretary Campbell also visited the Port Vila Central Hospital in Vanuatu to tour the new Intensive Care Unit (ICU), which opened in July 2024, thanks to a $210,000 Peace Corps contribution and joint efforts by the governments of the United States, Vanuatu, Japan, and Australia. Deputy Secretary Campbell also met with Peace Corps Volunteers at the hospital, who returned to Vanuatu in July 2024 for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic.
At the Vanuatu Cultural Center, Deputy Secretary Campbell participated in an Artifacts Repatriation Ceremony, commemorating the repatriation of Vanuatu cultural artifacts made possible by coordination between the Department of State, FBI, and U.S. Coast Guard, and FedEx.
Deputy Secretary Campbell’s visit further strengthened the U.S.-Vanuatu relationship by building on the momentum and goodwill established by the September 2023 U.S.-Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Summit in Washington, D.C, the opening of the U.S. Embassy in Vanuatu in July 2024, and Deputy Secretary Campbell’s participation in the 53rd Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Leaders Meeting on August 28 in in Nuku‘alofa, Tonga.
