Skopje, 30 August 2022 (MIA) – An amendment to the Development Partnership Grant Agreement between the United States and North Macedonia is to be signed on Tuesday by Minister of Finance Fatmir Besimi and USAID Director in North Macedonia, Jeri Dible. US Ambassador to North Macedonia, Kate Marie Byrnes, will also be attending the signing. The five-year agreement, signed in May 2021, will provide the means to achieve three development objectives: improved economic competitiveness, increased youth contributions to society and reduced corruption. The US government will partner with the private sector to stimulate economic competitiveness and seek innovative solutions to foster regional integration. Activities are envisaged to support the energy sector in North Macedonia to the end of improving the security, reliability and resilience of its energy system through legal and market-oriented reform and access to Western investment and technology. Increased youth contributions to society will be encouraged through the activities aimed at supporting economic opportunities attractive to youth, as well as activities that will support the government institutions, the private sector, the civil society and the citizens to fight corruption. dk/ba/