HONOLULU, HAWAII – February 22, 2026 – Her Excellency President Hilda C. Heine, at the margins of the Pacific Agenda Summit, met with Scott Morris, Vice President of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), and Emma Veve, Director General of ADB’s Pacific Department, to discuss strengthening development cooperation.
The meeting reaffirmed the strong partnership between the Marshall Islands and ADB, which spans more than three decades and focuses on sustainable development, economic resilience, and climate adaptation. Discussions highlighted the breadth of ADB’s support across key sectors including energy, education, urban resilience, public financial management, and health.
President Heine highlighted key priorities within the current partnership, including major infrastructure development and ongoing reforms to strengthen governance and enhance long-term fiscal sustainability. President Heine also invited ADB to deepen its engagement in private sector development initiatives and welcomed consideration of closer collaboration through a finance aggregation mechanism to expand access to finance for local businesses.
President Heine expressed appreciation for ADB’s continued partnership and reaffirmed the Republic of the Marshall Islands’ commitment to working closely with ADB to advance sustainable development and resilience in the North Pacific.
