The International Trust Fund Agreement between the Governments of Tuvalu, Australia and New Zealand, stated under Article 2, the purpose of the fund is to contribute to the long-term financial viability of Tuvalu by providing an additional source of revenue for recurrent expenses of the Government of Tuvalu in order to:

1. assist the Government to achieve greater autonomy in the management of its recurrent budget;
2. enable the Government to maintain and if possible improve existing social infrastructure and services;
3. enhance the capacity of the Government to receive and effectively utilize external capital development and technical assistance;
4. enable the Government to meet long term maintenance and operating costs of social and economic infrastructure and services; and
5. assist the Government in developing the economy of Tuvalu