WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the U.S. and Panamanian governments are celebrating the scheduled September close out of the USAID office in Panama. Panama is joining Chile, Costa Rica, South Korea and Poland as countries that have successfully reached the point at which they can propel their own development without the need for significant U.S. assistance.

Closing the USAID office signals that the means, capacity and commitment to development is strong enough in Panama for us to devote precious resources elsewhere.

USAID employees work every day to help countries get to a point at which they can steer their own future. As President Obama has said, the purpose of development is to create the conditions where foreign assistance is no longer necessary. That is what our USAID Forward reforms are all about – strengthening local capacity, expanding our network of local partners, and focusing on results. USAID is proud of what we have accomplished in partnership with Panama and we strive for more transitions in our own hemisphere and around the world.