USAID Administrator Samantha Power, during her trip to Armenia this week announced $11.9 million in new funding in digital transformation, food security, communication, and risk mitigation.

This follows $65 million in aid to Armenia the United States government pledged last April.

Power and Armenian Minister of High-Tech Industry Mkhitar Hayrapetyan announced a new public-private collaboration with USAID and Amazon Web Services (AWS), for which USAID will provide $5 million to support new business development ventures and strengthen Armenia’s   digital transformation efforts.

$2.4 million will go to foster digital ecosystems in Armenia that are designed to advance democracy and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.

$1 million will be spent to boost Armenia’s domestic food production and reinvigorate the country’s agrarian sector, helping mitigate the effects of disruptions in global food supply chains.

Power also announced $500,000 in additional funding to support disaster risk reduction and community-level emergency preparedness activities.

The Armenian government, following this spring’s flooding in northern Armenia, requested emergency assistance from the international community.