Press Release from the U.S. Trade and Development Agency, July 1, 2011Footnote 1
In support of the Obama Administration's Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas, the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) this week committed $2,092,000 in funding for five clean energy feasibility studies in Mexico, Brazil, and Colombia. The studies will generate opportunities for U.S. providers of wind, solar, landfill gas, and waste-to-energy technologies and services.
The projects in Mexico include the proposed supply of 100 MW in wind power to the State Government of Baja California, a proposed 70 MW wind power generation project in the Municipality of Zacatecas, and a proposed 3 MW landfill gas collection and power generation pilot project in the Municipality of Zacatecas. The USTDA-funded feasibility studies will enable the State Government of Baja California and the Municipality of Zacatecas to assess available renewable resources, verify power demand profiles, and draft legal documents related to project implementation.
The grant agreement in Brazil was signed with the Santo André Municipal Environmental Sanitation Service for a feasibility study on a proposed waste-to-energy and landfill gas recovery facility for the Municipality of Santo André, located in the state of Sao Paulo. The proposed project seeks to address the need for landfill alternatives and additional base load power in this key economic hub. USTDA's grant in Colombia will fund a feasibility study on a proposed 20 MW grid-connected hybrid solar and wind park near the country's Caribbean coast.
“We are delighted by these opportunities to work with our partners in Latin America on projects that help diversify their energy infrastructure,” stated USTDA Director Leocadia I. Zak. “These grants demonstrate USTDA's strong commitment to help deploy U.S. clean energy technologies in key international markets.”
The opportunities to conduct the USTDA-funded feasibility studies will be competed on the Federal Business Opportunities (FBO) website. A link to the FBO announcements will be posted to USTDA's website at www.ustda.gov. Interested U.S. firms should submit proposals according to the instructions in the FBO announcement. The grantees will select the U.S. contractors that will complete the respective feasibility studies.
Press Release from the U.S. Agency for International Development, July 7, 2011Footnote 2
In the wake of the worst drought in the Horn of Africa since the 1950s, more than 10 million people—primarily in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia—are in need of emergency assistance. In response to this urgent need, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is standing up a Nairobi-based Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) to help expedite additional U.S. Government humanitarian aid to the Horn.
The United States is one of the largest donors of emergency assistance to the eastern Horn of Africa, providing $366 million to date this fiscal year. The DART, which is comprised of regional disaster and food experts across Ethiopia and Kenya, is working to assure that needs are being met as efficiently and effectively as possible. U.S. assistance to the eastern Horn of Africa provides life-saving nutrition, health care, clean water, proper sanitation, and hygiene education and supplies to help more than 4.1 million people.
“We are very concerned about the sky-high malnutrition rates we are seeing in the Horn, especially in Somali refugees arriving in camps in Kenya and Ethiopia,” said Nancy Lindborg, USAID's Assistant Administrator of Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance. “One out of every two Somalis now arriving in Ethiopia is acutely malnourished, and one out of three arriving in Kenya is acutely malnourished.”
The USAID-funded Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) began warning of the pending crisis in the Horn of Africa in August 2010. In response to these early indicators, USAID began pre-positioning food stocks in the region last year and began ramping up emergency programs that provide assistance including water and life-saving nutrition in January 2011.
Press Release from the U.S. Trade and Development Agency, July 7, 2011Footnote 3
Today, the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) continues its support of and relationship with the Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL) by signing a $600,000 grant to develop the construction design specifications and tender documents for the refurbishment of the passenger terminal at Kotoka International Airport in Accra. This grant builds upon past USTDA support to advance this priority development project and supports the final steps necessary before construction can begin.
Ghana has experienced notable economic growth in the past several years, which has led to a considerable increase in air traffic. This increase in air traffic has placed pressure on the Kotoka International Airport in Accra, the country's primary international airport. When completed, the refurbished passenger terminal will facilitate higher volumes of passenger traffic at the airport, reduce congestion, and greatly improve the efficiency of airport operations.
“Our relationship with the Ghana Airports Company has already yielded great results, and we are excited to continue our support,” stated USTDA Director Leocadia I. Zak. “Expanding aviation infrastructure is a priority in Ghana, as well as a strong opportunity for U.S. businesses interested in working there.”
The grant was signed at the U.S. Embassy in Accra by Ambassador Donald G. Teitelbaum on behalf of the United States Government and Mrs. Doreen Owusu Fianko, Managing Director of Ghana Airports Company Limited. The technical assistance will be carried out by The LPA Group Incorporated.
Press Release from the U.S. Trade and Development Agency, July 7, 2011Footnote 4
On June 30, USTDA awarded a $675,000 grant to the Rio de Janeiro IT Company (PRODERJ) for a feasibility study to develop an implementation plan for a new data center in the state of Rio de Janeiro.
The data center will facilitate communication between Rio's state government agencies and improve their services. Additionally, the feasibility study will review the state's overall IT strategy, providing recommendations and standards to ensure that all future systems coordinate with the new data center. E-government initiatives, such as this, will optimize efficiency and strengthen the state's capacity to promote growth in the region.
“This project is a high priority to the state of Rio de Janeiro and we are proud to support it,” stated USTDA Director Leocadia I. Zak. “The United States is a world leader in e-government technologies and we are excited to work together with PRODERJ to help develop their systems.”
The grant was signed by PRODERJ President Paulo Cesar Coelho Ferreira and by Ms. Gabrielle Mandel, Country Manager for Latin America at USTDA.
U.S. companies are very competitive on the international market for ICT and e-government technologies, and the implementation of the new data center will provide many opportunities for U.S. companies to get involved and generate exports. The opportunity to conduct the USTDA-funded feasibility study will be competed on the Federal Business Opportunities (FBO) website. A link to the FBO announcement will be posted to USTDA's website at www.ustda.gov. Interested U.S. firms should submit proposals according to the instructions in the FBO announcement. The PRODERJ will select the U.S. contractor that will complete the feasibility study.
Press Release from the U.S. Trade and Development Agency, July 7, 2011Footnote 5
On June 30, 2011, USTDA awarded a $283,000 grant to Energy Allied Egypt (EAE), an Egyptian firm that focuses on development of energy projects in North and West Africa. The grant will support a feasibility study evaluation for 10 bio-digester units in six key locations throughout Egypt utilizing agricultural, animal and organic solid waste.
The grant was signed by Mr. Tamer Nassar, Vice President of EAE, who was in Houston as a delegate to the Egypt:
Forward Forum. The Forum brought together Egyptian public and private sector officials to the United States to meet with U.S. business leaders to discuss opportunities for collaboration and enhanced trade.
“In the past six months, USTDA has worked quickly to support Egypt's transformative changes,” stated USTDA Director Leocadia I. Zak. “This grant represents the beginning of a strengthening trade relationship with Egypt that we look forward to supporting.”
Egypt produces millions of tons of agricultural waste on an annual basis, much of which is not disposed of in environmentally responsible ways. This project will help to address the problem of waste disposal by supporting the development of 10 bio-digester units to produce energy from the waste. U.S. businesses are very competitive in advanced anaerobic bio-digester technologies and this study will provide information to EAE on potential technologies U.S. companies have to offer.
The opportunity to conduct the USTDA-funded feasibility study will be competed on the Federal Business Opportunities (FBO) website. A link to the FBO announcement will be posted to USTDA's website at www.ustda.gov. Interested U.S. firms should submit proposals according to the instructions in the FBO announcement. Energy Allied Egypt will select the U.S. contractor that will complete the feasibility study.
Press Release from the U.S. Agency for International Development, July 11, 2011Footnote 6
It took the human race until the year 1804 to reach a world population of 1 billion. A mere 207 years later, 7 billion people will inhabit the planet we call home. This year, World Population Day allows us to focus attention on the effects growing populations have on the environment, the availability of natural resources and perhaps most importantly, the health of women and children.
USAID conducted studies across 29 countries and concluded that investments in family planning multiply the impact of the US foreign assistance budget and a country's own development spending. For example, in Zambia, every one dollar invested in family planning saves four dollars in other development areas including education, water sanitation, malaria, immunization and maternal and child health.
“Investing in family planning is cost-effective and essential to solving many health and development issues,” said USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah. “When an individual or a couple has the ability to choose the timing and spacing of their children, they are better equipped to provide for their family's well-being.”
As the largest international bilateral donor in family planning, USAID commemorates World Population Day by celebrating its more than 45 years as a world leader in supporting voluntary family planning programs in developing countries. US funding for international family planning programs is integral to achieving President Obama's Global Health Initiative goals. USAID collaborates with other U.S. government agencies to reach the target of preventing 54 million unintended pregnancies. Enabling young women to avoid early pregnancy allows many to attend school longer, and as fertility falls, join the labor force. Increased family income means more money is available to spend on children's education and nutrition, launching a cycle of opportunity and breaking from a cycle of poverty.
Press Release from the U.S. Agency for International Development, July 11, 2011Footnote 7
In response to the unfolding drought in the Horn of Africa, the United States Government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), will contribute approximately 19,000 metric tons (MT) of food to assist Somalis in need. This food was already strategically prepositioned in regional warehouses to ensure rapid delivery and distribution to women and children in Somalia.
The drought currently plaguing the region is considered to be the worst since the 1960s, devastating crops and livestock. At the same time, prices at local markets are too high for most to be able to buy what they need to feed their families. Malnutrition in the region is spiraling upward, especially among women and children; roughly half of Somali refugees arriving in Kenya and Ethiopia are acutely malnourished.
U.S. food aid is distributed by the United Nations World food Program (WFP). With USAID's contribution, WFP is able to target approximately 1.2 million drought- and conflict-affected people in northern Somalia and accessible areas in central Somalia and Mogadishu. This new contribution, valued at approximately US$21 million, complements an earlier 2011 USAID contribution of US$14.5 million to facilitate the transport of 65,000 MT of food donated by the Government of Brazil. U.S. Government humanitarian support to Somalia in fiscal year 2011 totals US$43 million to date.
Larry Meserve, USAID East Africa Regional Mission Director, said, “This new contribution will go a long way to help meet the needs of millions of Somalis who have been hit hard by this natural disaster. It is also a statement from the U.S. Government to the people of Somalia that we stand by them and will continue to help mitigate further suffering.”
USAID's emergency assistance works in coordination with its development programs, which support Somalis in Somalia through ongoing health, education, democracy and economic growth programs. USAID also supports approximately 350,000 Somali refugees who are based in Kenya, with food and other health and educational assistance.
Press Release from the U.S. Agency for International Development, July 11, 2011Footnote 8
To support promising new approaches in the Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) sector, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), with co-funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is announcing WASH for Life. Over the next four years, the $17 million partnership will use USAID's Development Innovation Ventures (DIV) program to identify, test, and help scale evidence-based approaches for cost-effective and sustained services in developing countries. WASH for Life is particularly interested in interventions that operate in Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Ghana, Haiti, India, Kenya, and Nigeria; address issues in the sanitation and hygiene sectors in particular; and target beneficiaries earning under $2 a day.
DIV seeks promising projects with the potential to significantly improve development outcomes. DIV supports innovators by creating partnerships, providing staged financing, rigorously testing and refining new approaches, and transitioning to scale successful innovations.
Press Release from the U.S. Trade and Development Agency, July 21, 2011Footnote 9
USTDA announced its support for the continued modernization of the oil and gas sector in Iraq with a $502,798 grant to the South Refineries Company for a feasibility study on the rehabilitation of its Basra refinery. This grant marks a deepening relationship with Iraq to support its long-term economic development by signing the first grant the agency has ever provided directly to an Iraqi grantee.
“USTDA has been developing a relationship with the Iraqi public and private sectors over the past several years, and we are excited to take this next important step,” stated USTDA Director Leocadia I. Zak. “The oil and gas sector holds great potential for partnership with the United States, and serves as a source of economic benefit for the people of Iraq.”
The grant to the South Refineries Company is an example of the U.S. Government's continued support for Iraq's economic development under the auspices of the Strategic Framework Agreement. The Agreement, which is based on a mutual desire for cooperation, includes a commitment to promote the development of the Iraqi oil sector, including the rehabilitation of vital facilities.
To help facilitate South Refineries Company's major modernization of its Basra refinery, the study will assess the current condition of the refinery and outline the necessary engineering, equipment supply and construction efforts required to substantially modernize the refinery's operation. This rehabilitation will allow the country to realize greater economic benefit from its oil reserves, while supporting the Iraq Ministry of Oil's goal to reach a capacity of 12 million barrels per day production by 2020.
This grant complements past cooperation between USTDA and Iraq's oil and gas sector. Previously, USTDA supported the Iraq Oil Training Program, which brought together the U.S. public and private sectors to deliver the training to over 600 Iraqis on oil sector management and operations. Going forward, USTDA is continuing to support Iraq's economic development through the organization of a reverse trade mission that will bring Iraqi oil and gas sector representatives to the U.S. to explore state-of-the-art U.S. technologies and services that can assist Iraq to further increase its production capacity.
The feasibility study will be carried out by Louisiana-based Shaw Energy and Chemicals, Inc.
Press Release from the U.S. Agency for International Development, July 27, 2011Footnote 10
Today, at an American Foundation for AIDS Research (AmFAR) conference, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Rajiv Shah announced a new initiative that could use USAID's Development Credit Authority (DCA) and the Department of State's Office of the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator to leverage private sector financing for health facilities in Ethiopia focused on delivering quality services for people living with HIV/AIDS. Currently, HIV/AIDS is a major development challenge for Ethiopia. National projections estimate approximately 1.1 million Ethiopians are living with HIV/AIDS.
“This agreement is a historic initiative and an outstanding example of U.S. Government cooperation that could produce meaningful results in the fight against HIV/AIDS,” said USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah. “By validating the strength of borrowers in the health sector, private financial institutions can make smart investments that could ultimately save more lives while sustaining country-led development and innovation” Dr. Shah added.
DCA allows USAID to mobilize local financing through partial credit guarantees. The access to additional financing is expected to enable health care providers to expand services for people living with HIV/AIDS and TB. Under this new initiative, $2.3 million of the Department of State's AIDS funding could be used to support guarantees to local banks, unleashing up to $13.5 million in private capital for AIDS relief in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia's private health sector is small but growing. Very few providers currently offer HIV/AIDS and TB services. In recent years, there have been increased investments in private clinics, hospitals and laboratories but lack of access to land and finance has constrained expansion. This partnership represents an innovative approach to sustainable development by inspiring banking confidence in the health sector.
Press Release from the U.S. Agency for International Development, July 29, 2011Footnote 11
The 19 nominees for award with the most promising solutions that address the causes of maternal and newborn deaths in rural areas of the developing world, were announced at the Saving Lives at Birth Development Exchange. The nominees will now enter into final negotiations before awards can be issued.
In March, the Saving Lives at Birth: A Grand Challenge for Development partnership submitted a call to the global community for new technologies, new service delivery models and new ways to stimulate demand for healthcare services at the time of birth. The call elicited more than 600 submissions from around the world.
From July 26-28, the 77 finalists travelled to Washington, D.C. to compete in the final stage of this competition, display their ideas to the public in an open market place and establish connections with a community of innovators dedicated to a single cause: ensuring every mother delivers safely and every newborn has a healthy start to life.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton joined the Saving Lives at Birth partners—USAID, the Government of Norway, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Grand Challenges Canada, and The World Bank—to congratulate the nominees for award.
Press Release from the U.S. Trade and Development Agency, July 29, 2011Footnote 12
To achieve the goals of the U.S.-Indonesia Geothermal Development Initiative, a reverse trade mission (RTM) sponsored by USTDA was recently concluded that brought Indonesian officials to the United States to learn about U.S. geothermal power development and best practices. In an effort to expand Indonesia's ability to take advantage of its geothermal power potential, seven delegates from provincial governments, three from the private sector and two from the central government's Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources and the Indonesian Institute for Clean Energy joined in a ten day visit to the United States to better understand how the United States is producing power from its geothermal resources.
Between July 10 and July 20 the delegation participated in 22 site visits and business meetings, including: visiting geothermal power plants and the companies that developed and operate them and meetings with state energy regulators and public utilities and direct service and technology providers for project development.
Highlighting the importance of the visit, USTDA Deputy Director Peggy Philbin stated, “We believe that by sharing our best practices in policy, pricing, technologies, expertise, and education, we can forge a strong partnership for increased geothermal development in Indonesia that will benefit not just our two countries, but also the global environment through the development of a plentiful source of clean energy.”
USTDA's support for the trade mission is the most recent project to be part of the U.S.–Indonesia Geothermal Development Initiative. Since the Initiative's launch in March 2010, USTDA has invested over $2.3 million to support geothermal power development in Indonesia. Working with PT Star Energy Geothermal Halmahera and PT Indonesia Power, USTDA is funding analyses on adding hundreds of megawatts of new geothermal resources to Indonesia's power grid.
Indonesia is estimated to account for 40 percent of the world's geothermal reserves. To take advantage of these resources, the government of Indonesia has mandated that geothermal energy provide at least 5 percent of the nation's electricity by 2025. To accomplish this goal Indonesia is looking to develop 4000 MW of new geothermal power by 2015, issuing development rights for over 26 new geothermal blocks. This means considerable opportunity to scale up power production for the country's producers, such as Pertamina Geothermal Energy, which is seeking to increase its current installed capacity from 292 MW to 1322 MW by 2015. Based on current projections, this production increase would require an estimated $2 billion in investment.
Press Release from the U.S. Trade and Development Agency, August 12, 2011Footnote 13
USTDA awards a $496,000 grant to the Ghana Interbank Payments and Settlement Systems Limited (GhIPPS) to help it determine the technical, operational, and business requirements to expand participation in Ghana's financial sector. The grant will fund technical assistance to evaluate the extension of branchless banking services, including electronic payment systems and other financial services, to underserved segments of Ghana's population.
Through this grant agreement, the project is expected to create more than $16 million in business opportunities for U.S. companies in the supply of biometrically enabled ATMs, point of sale machines, and network hardware and software to support financial transactions.
“We are excited to work with GhIPPS in developing Ghana's financial sector by making banking services accessible and affordable throughout the country,” stated USTDA Director Leocadia I. Zak. “USTDA's support for this assistance will be of mutual economic benefit to the United States and Ghana by serving to facilitate trade and strengthen our countries’ economic ties.”
In recent years, GhIPPS has led the implementation of the e-Zwitch system in Ghana, a biometrically enabled smart-card to facilitate electronic payments between businesses and individuals. This technology has brought thousands of Ghanaians into the formal banking sector and made electronic payments possible in rural areas without access to bank branches or ICT services.
The grant was signed by Mr. Frederick France, Chief Executive Officer of Ghana Interbank Payments and Settlement Systems Limited and Ms. Julie Furuta-Toy, the Chargé d'Affairs at the U.S. Embassy on behalf of USTDA.
Press Release from the U.S. Agency for International Development, August 17, 2011Footnote 14
The U.S. Government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), announced the expansion of its Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS) program. IRS is the application of safe insecticides to the indoor walls and ceilings of a home or structure in order to interrupt the spread of malaria by killing mosquitoes that carry the malaria parasite. Malaria is the number one killer in Africa.
Through the new IRS contract, the President's Malaria Initiative, led by USAID and implemented together with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), will provide technical and financial support to the Ministries of Health and National Malaria Control Programs in African countries to build country-level capacity for malaria prevention activities. The $189 million, there-year contract awarded by USAID to Abt. Associates will cover the implementation of IRS activities in Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, Liberia, Madagascar, Mali, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, with the possibility of expansion based on malaria control needs and availability of resources.
Activities include assessing the environment to ensure safe and effective use of insecticides, evaluating mosquito abundance and susceptibility to the insecticides, educating residents about IRS and how they should prepare their house for spraying, training spray teams, procuring insecticide and equipment, and monitoring and evaluating spraying activities.
“Here in Washington, a mosquito bite is a fleeting nuisance. But in all too many places, that sudden sting and scratch can be a death sentence. In a world being bound ever closer together, those places do not seem so far away,” said Rear Adm. (RET) Tim Ziemer, U.S. Malaria Coordinator. “Preventing and treating malaria saves lives, contributes to a reduction in all-cause under-five mortality, improves the health of children in malaria-burdened regions, and contributes to socioeconomic development in areas most affected by malaria.”
The United States is focusing on building capacity within host countries by training people to manage, deliver, and support the delivery of health services, which will be critical for sustained successes against infectious diseases like malaria. PMI continues to introduce and expand four proven and highly effective interventions in each of the target countries. Scale-up of the four interventions is complemented by a strong focus on extending expanding access in rural and underserved communities and further expanding community engagement for malaria prevention and control.
According to the World Health Organization, the estimated number of global malaria deaths has fallen from about 985,000 in 2000 to about 781,000 in 2009. In spite of this progress, malaria remains one of the major public health problems in sub-Saharan Africa, where malaria is the leading cause of death for children under five. Because malaria is a global emergency that affects mostly poor women and children, malaria perpetuates a vicious cycle of poverty in the developing world. Malaria-related illnesses and mortality cost Africa's economy alone $12 billion per year.
Press Release from the U.S. Agency for International Development, August 31, 2011Footnote 15
The Partnerships for Enhanced Engagement in Research (PEER) program is now accepting proposals aimed at enhancing scientific capacity in the developing world.
Announced on July 7, 2011 as a partnership between the U.S. Agency for International Development and the National Science Foundation (NSF), PEER aims to build scientific collaborations between the United States and developing nations.
PEER is being implemented by the National Academies, which will manage the proposal review process and disburse and monitor grants awarded. In addition to the current program cycle, it is expected that solicitations for PEER will be issued at least annually, with details to be posted at http://www.nationalacademies.org/peer.
“PEER will help create and reinforce scientific networks that will last long after funding ends,” Dr. Alex Dehgan, Science and Technology Adviser to the Administrator said. “These networks can respond to new challenges that fail to respect political boundaries and threaten the security of all nations.”
PEER will allow scientists and engineers in developing countries to apply for funds to support research and capacity-building activities with their NSF-funded collaborators on topics of importance to the developing world and to the United States. The program will focus on food security, agricultural development, global health, climate change, disaster mitigation, clean water, renewable energy and other areas.
Statement by Secretary of State Clinton, September 13, 2011Footnote 16
Secretary Hillary Clinton made this statement in Washington, DC
Secretary Clinton. Good afternoon, everyone. I am absolutely delighted and honored to join President Bush and Laura Bush today. I want to thank President Bush for his remarks and for his commitment to this important health program. And I want to thank Laura and Barbara Bush for getting him to do it. Because what we see here is a continuation of the Bush family's commitment to global health and especially to women, and in particular women in Africa.
We have a lot of great partners for this important initiative: Ambassador Brinker and the Susan G. Komen Foundation, UNAIDS, and of course, the Executive Director Sidibe. I also want to recognize Ambassador Dybul, who formerly served in the Bush Administration as the head of PEPFAR, and Ambassador Eric Goosby, who currently serves as the head of PEP-FAR; Ambassador Melanne Verveer, who is leading up our efforts on behalf of women worldwide. And I'm not sure that USAID Administrator Shah is here, but if he is, I want to acknowledge you USAID's role in this, and also the CDC.
And the partnership that is exemplified by the corporate partners working with the Bush Center and with the other nonprofit partners is called the Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon Partnership. And I am delighted that we are bringing a public-private sector commitment to this fight.
All of us here have some reason why we find ourselves in the Mellon Auditorium on this beautiful September afternoon. But what we have in common, of course, is a passion about saving lives and improving health around the world. And we have to ask ourselves: What can we do that will have the largest impact? And as President Bush said, what can we do that we actually can measure and point to outcomes that change and save lives?
I think this partnership helps to answer that question. Because without a doubt, one of the most powerful and effective ways of saving lives is by improving women's and particularly mothers’ health.
We have a wealth of data, and we saw personal testimonials in that wonderful video. But if we want to make progress on some of the toughest challenges we face in global health—fighting HIV, preventing childhood deaths, improving nutrition, stopping malaria, and more—then investing in women must be at the top of the agenda.
It starts with the central role that women play in the family and in the community. I'm often struck by how hard women in the developing world work every single day. It's a woman who is responsible for fetching water and fuel. It's a woman who is the majority of the farmers who provide the subsistence, back-breaking labor for growing and harvesting food. It's women who have to figure out how to clothe their children, provide those school fees, and yes, make sure that health is taken care of. It's women who walk with a sick child miles to the nearest medical clinic. And if that woman herself gets sick or dies, then the family support system breaks down, and everyone who relies on her also suffers.
Studies show too that if a mother dies, the newborn is far more likely to die as well. But if a mother can stay healthy, then the converse is true: her children are likely to be healthy, and they will stay in school longer and they will earn a higher income when they grow up. An analysis published in the Lancet found that half the reduction in child mortality between 1970 and 1990 can be attributed to higher rates of education for women.
So the conclusion is clear that if we want to make a difference when it comes to investing in health, then we must invest in women. And historically, women's health has been chronically underfunded, so that means that we have the opportunity to tap a resource that we've been missing out on. And it's why in the Global Health Initiative that President Obama launched in 2009 we've placed a very high priority on women's health.
We're building on the efforts of the Bush Administration and PEPFAR and the Malaria Initiative. We're stepping up our efforts on maternal and child health by increasing the number of trained and equipped caregivers; strengthening obstetric facilities; providing nutrition, antenatal care, vaccines, access to family planning; and investing in innovative technologies.
And in particular with respect to HIV, we recognize HIV/AIDS has become a woman's disease. In the developing world, our prevention efforts therefore have to focus on women. And our innovations in prevention and treatment have to also give women the tools to protect themselves.
We're increasing our investments to help pregnant women living with HIV avoid passing the virus on to their unborn children. And we're taking on the related issue of gender-based violence. It is a cause of transmission that gets, I think, far too little attention.
Women are on the front lines in our efforts to provide greater nutrition to their children. The 1,000 days from pregnancy to birth are critical in making sure a child is healthy. That's why the essential nutrients, the vitamins, the fortified foods to pregnant women and babies in some of the most remote areas of the world will pay off.
As we emphasize women's health, then we have to make sure that we make it as easy as possible for women to access these services. And I appreciate President Bush mentioning that we've invested—the American people have invested—in a terrific system. The PEPFAR clinics are there. They're a reminder that the American people care about the health of the people of Africa and elsewhere.
But we want to make sure that when a person, particularly a woman, goes to that clinic, she can get other services as well. She might need prenatal care. She might need vaccines for her children. And it used to be very difficult to do that because the way that we had set up our system made it more likely than not that you would go for HIV treatment one place and then you'd have to go somewhere else for prenatal care. That's just not practical in many places. So part of what this new initiative will do is to emphasize the importance of trying to create one-stop shops, so to speak—clinics that offer a range of services under one roof.
And so PEPFAR and the State Department are very excited about joining this Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon Partnership. And as we aim at the goal of reducing cervical cancer deaths among women, we hope that we will see results very quickly. As President Bush said, we see results from the President's Initiative on Malaria. We want to see results equally from this effort to reduce deaths from cervical cancer.
Our partners from both the public and the private sector will help us raise awareness about breast cancer and cervical cancer, will help make screening more available, HPV vaccines more available and affordable, and advocate for effective policies within the countries that we serve.
I am delighted that the first lady of Rwanda is here, because Rwanda has been a great example of how to do this. And we appreciate the opportunity to continue to work with you and others.
So let me again thank the Bush family and the Bush Center and all who work with you in order to create this new partnership. And I am pleased to announce today that as our contribution to the Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon Partnership, we are committing an additional $10 million, for a total of $30 million over five years.
The United States already supports screening and treatment of women for cervical cancer at more than 250 clinics in 11 African countries. This funding will help ensure that we can provide screening and treatment to even more women who are at risk.
And I greatly appreciate all the work that we are doing together and what we will be doing in the future. So thank you again, President Bush. Thanks to all of you who are part of this partnership. And I hope that by this time next year, we will be able to point to the results that we hope to achieve; and when we do, we will see more women like the ones who were in this video recognizing that there are opportunities to keep them and their children alive. And they will recognize that the United States of America is, of course, the greatest nation in the world, but in large measure because of the great hearts of the people of our country.
Thank you all very much.
Statement by Secretary of State Clinton, September 16, 2011Footnote 17
Secretary Hillary Clinton made this statement in San Francisco, CA
Secretary Clinton. (In progress) APEC
High-Level Policy Dialogue on Women and the Economy, and it is a great pleasure for me to have the honor of chairing this first ever high-level policy dialogue that focuses on opportunities for women and the ways we can try to create greater economic growth in our nations. It's not often that we can call a meeting historic, but that word does apply today.
In the past, when the members of APEC met at the ministerial level, the role that women play in our economies was often not discussed at all, or if so, only as a minor agenda item. But today, we are focused directly on this critical issue, both because of all the ways that women are already driving economic growth, but because of the possibility that we can do even more by removing the barriers that hold women back and by replacing them with active investment and engagement.
As I said in my remarks a few minutes ago, this idea will require a fundamental transformation in how our governments make and enforce laws and policies, how our businesses invest and operate, and how people make choices in the marketplace. The declaration that we will adopt at the end of this session will set the framework in place and help us move in the right direction. The four areas it identifies go directly to the concerns held by many women in our economies: first, access to capital; second, access to markets; third, opportunities to learn valuable skills; and fourth, to lead in the workplace.
Upon the adoption of this declaration, we will deliver it to the APEC Leaders Meeting in Honolulu this November and work to begin implementing the policies and programs that can turn this declaration into lasting progress. The declaration is just one step toward unleashing the full economic potential of women, but it is an important step. And as I said earlier, I think because of the economic success of the APEC region, many other parts of the world will look to this declaration and be inspired by it and move to replicate it in their own regions as well.
Now, before we get into the discussion of policies including all of you, I'd like to invite U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues Melanne Verveer and Donna James, Chair of the National Women's Business Council to speak about the policy partnership on women and the economy meeting that took place earlier this week.
Excerpts of Remarks by Secretary of State Clinton and Tanzanian President Kikwete, September 19, 2011Footnote 18
Secretary Hillary Clinton and President Jakaya Kikwete made these remarks in New York, NY
Introductory Remarks Omitted
Secretary Clinton. [I]t's a great pleasure for me for the third year in a row to meet during the United Nations General Assembly to focus on an issue that is critical to the global economy, global health, and the prosperity and well-being of billions of people worldwide: agriculture and food security.
I don't need to tell this audience that while we meet here in this beautiful hotel, nearly 1 billion people are suffering from chronic hunger, and in the Horn of Africa we are seeing the devastating impact of acute hunger and starvation.
Now, at the root of the crisis in the Horn of Africa is a man-made problem. And we are all working together to try to alleviate the suffering and to save lives, and we're also as an international community sending a very strong plea to the group al-Shabaab, which is continuing to prevent humanitarian organizations from getting aid to the people who need it, primarily women and children. As a result, the United Nations warns that up to 750,000 people living in famine-stricken areas of Somalia could die in the next 120 days.
Now, all of us—my country, the international community—are supporting organizations that are saving lives, and we're going to continue to do our part and we are going to redouble our efforts to press al-Shabaab to let us help.
Later today, USAID Administrator Raj Shah will outline ways that the international community and people all over the world can get involved in supporting those who are suffering in the Horn of Africa.
As we respond to this and other immediate crises, it is imperative that we stay focused on the long-term goal of strengthening global agriculture in order to produce more food, more nutritious food, and reduce hunger. The United Nations estimates that we need to increase global food production by 70 percent by the year 2050 in order to meet growing demand. That is a very serious challenge.
So what are we going to do to meet it? Well, one way that we know would yield significant results is investing more in women. This comes down to a simple matter of numbers. Women make up the majority of the agricultural workforce in many developing countries. They're involved in every aspect of agricultural production, from planting seeds to weeding fields to harvesting crops. Yet women farmers are 30 percent less productive than male farmers, for one reason: they have access to fewer resources. They certainly work as hard and they, like farmers everywhere, are at the mercy of nature. But these women have less fertilizer, fewer tools, poorer quality seeds, less access to training and the ownership of land.
As a result, they grow fewer crops, which means less food is available at markets, more people go hungry, farmers earn less money, and we're back in to that vicious cycle. The production gap between men and women farmers disappears when that resource gap is closed. If all farmers, men and women, had access to the same resources, we could increase agricultural output by 20 to 30 percent. That would feed an additional 150 million people every year.
And the incomes of women farmers would increase, which means more financial security for their families and more money circulating in local economies, which in turn will help other businesses grow. Furthermore, because women tend to devote more of their money to the health, education, and nutrition of their children, a rise in their incomes pays off over generations.
In the report provided to you today, you will find several examples of the progress that can be achieved by supporting women farmers. In Ghana, for example, if women and men held equal land rights, and if they both had the ability to use land as collateral to make major investments like irrigation systems or draft animals, women farmers would double their profits from farming. Multiple studies in places from Honduras to Nepal, from the Philippines to Rwanda, South Africa and Zambia, find that when women are involved in the design and field testing of new technologies, those technologies are actually adopted more rapidly, which increases productivity and incomes faster.
It is for reasons like these that the United States has focused on women farmers and our Feed the Future Food Security Initiative, which is a centerpiece of U.S. foreign policy in the Obama Administration. We have worked closely with our partners, including other nations, NGOs, private sector companies, and of course the multilaterals, to help make reaching women farmers a top priority for everyone working on this issue.
Today, I'm pleased to announce that the United States is allocating $5 million this year for a new gender program within Feed the Future. This money will be used to fund innovative approaches to promoting gender equality in agriculture and land use and to integrate gender effectively into agricultural development and food security programs. It will be used to expand our knowledge base. We know that women farmers represent a major untapped resource, but we don't know nearly enough about which approaches will change that. So we need concentrated research about the obstacles facing women farmers worldwide so we know how to remove them, so women can contribute even more.
I would urge everyone here today and everyone working in this critical field around the world to bring us your best research proposals and programs to support women farmers. We are looking for good ideas to support.
Conversations like the one we will have here today make me hopeful that we will succeed. We have with us a distinguished panel of experts who will help us better understand the policies, programs, laws, and societal changes we must make in order to unleash the full productive capacity of women farmers.
I'm very pleased to welcome Nick Kristof as our moderator. As many of you know, he and his wife, the journalist Sheryl WuDunn, have written a book Half the Sky about the role of women in society. And they write, “Women and girls aren't the problem. They're the solution, along with men.” As we will discuss today, and as the short film we are about to watch on the role of women in agriculture will underscore, that's a reality that we need to embrace worldwide.
As I said last week at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit, I believe we are entering the participation age, with political transitions opening opportunities for people to shape their own destinies, and economic transformations creating new platforms for broad-based growth. Every individual, men and women, boys and girls, everyone is poised to be a contributing and valued member of their societies. When we liberate the economic potential of women, we elevate the economic performance of communities, nations, and the world.
So let us now turn our attention to the film—I think that's the next item on the agenda—and then following the film, our moderator, Nick Kristof, will come to the podium or maybe sit here.
Moderator. Secretary Clinton, maybe let me start with you, and you've made the economic case for investing in women to improve agriculture. You also just gave an important speech a couple days ago for APEC on the same thing, but there's still this gulf between this research, the evidence that you cited, the economic case, and the actual investments that happen and what actually happens on farms around the world. So—and also I think that there's—everybody in the room probably frankly agrees with you, but there are an awful lot of skeptics out there who think this is just kind of the latest politically correct fad. So how do we go from bridging that evidence, that economic case into actually having an impact on the ground?
Secretary Clinton. Well, Nick, I think that's the stage we're at, and I'm very pleased we are at that stage because up until now, many of us have been making the case. We've made it on moral grounds, on cultural grounds, on social and political grounds, and we've seen progress, but I think making the case on economic grounds is what finally begins to open minds and change policies. It is clear to us who are in this room—this is like preaching to the choir because I look out and I see so many leaders from around the world who have been working on agricultural and food issues, on gender issues, on poverty issues—it's clear to us that the case now can be made. We didn't even collect data for decades. We had no way of knowing what additional inputs provided to women farmers in Tanzania or Brazil or Bangladesh or anywhere else would actually mean. And therefore, it was a harder case for us to make.
But since we've been gathering such data—and I thank FAO and other organizations that have been leaders in doing this—we can now put this movie together and talk about what happens when you have a leader like President Kikwete, who focuses on agriculture, creates corridors for agricultural productivity, and further focuses on making women more productive. It works. So you'll hear from the champion architect of the Zero Hunger Program in Brazil. It works. So now when we go to heads of state or parliaments or international bodies and we make the case, it's no longer that we're making a case rooted in our sense of equality and justice and morality; we're making an economic case that it's going to raise incomes, it's going to increase productivity, and given the economy in the world and given the severe challenges our food systems face, this is now an argument that can no longer be ignored.
Moderator. You alluded to this a moment ago when you mentioned the $5 million for research, but can you just speak briefly about what the government, what the Administration is planning to do to build that economic case and to make it at home and around the world?
Secretary Clinton. I can. Let me give you a few examples. Let me start with land reform, which is one of the most challenging issues that demands major political commitment. If we do not have land reform that gives women co-ownership rights, gives women inheritance rights, we won't crack the code on greater agricultural productivity because the women need to have more financial security, to be protected in case they're widowed. I mean, really some of the saddest stories that I've encountered in 20-plus years of doing this work are widows who are pushed off the lands that they tilled with their husbands. And if we don't protect against theft and give greater investment incentives, then we won't get the productivity that is promised. So Feed the Future will work on land reform. Feed the Future will also support entrepreneurship development to encourage agricultural growth sector.
For example, in Mali, Feed the Future addresses women's limited access to finance by providing training in financial management and completing loan applications. I mean, it's one thing to go to a woman farmer and say, “Gee, you could get credit.” Well, they've never done that in their lives, and they've got to have support in understanding that. And we know that land reform doesn't have to be complex. Let me just end with this one example.
In Ethiopia, the government is instituting a simple remedy: Joint titles that have room for the names and photos of both husbands and wives. It's these kinds of interventions that we can draw attention to because then a woman's photo, her name, is right there on the land title, and nobody can come and push her off her family land in the event she is widowed.
So there's a lot of ideas, but that's why I'm inviting this very distinguished group to give us more and better ideas, because we are open to making policy investments and research projects that will help us develop a new index to determine women's productivity and access to resources, and to make sure that that's then shared not only within Feed The Future and our own government, but broadly across the international community.
Moderator. President Kikwete, Secretary Clinton alluded to your focus on agriculture. You also spent a lot of time in rural Tanzania listening to people. I wonder to what extent does this make sense to you? In Tanzania, are investments in women and agriculture going to get a better return? What is the situation like in rural Tanzania, for example?
President Kikwete. Well, first, let me thank Secretary Clinton for convening this discussion and for inviting me this time.
Well, the truth of the matter is women are the major labor force for agriculture in Tanzania, I think for the rest of Africa. They do the work of the farm, they till the farms, they take care of the farms, they hold harvest, and the men will take the crops to the market and take the money—and decide how to spend that money.
And for polygamist cultures of ours, the view is that very same money made another wife from the labor—of the one. This is—but of course, the—of course, we are poor, but women are poorer than men in Africa. The majority of us live in rural areas—Tanzania 80 percent. We depend on agriculture, if we have good returns, to make an impact on alleviating poverty, then tackle the agricultural question. Because agriculture is backward, agriculture, little use of science and technology in production. The hand hoe, as you saw in the picture, is the dominant technology, very little mechanization, and because it's the women who are working, then the women shoulder all this burden.
But women don't own property in many of our societies. They don't own the land; the husband owns the land. The women work on the land. So what we really need to do to help the women, one is make sure that women have access to property. And of course, it's cultural, because in our country, for example, there are some societies where the girl child doesn't inherit anything from the father. It's cultural. But anyway, we've got to look into ways of changing some of these cultures. Of course, some of them, we do it through legislation. We make legislations that override the traditional cultures. So if the lady continues to use the traditions, go to the local chiefs, she'll be subjected to the cultures. But if she goes to the national courts of law, then she gets these advantages. So we've been trying to use the legislation to try to help women.
But of course, we need to help women get the inputs, get the high-yielding seeds, get the fertilizers, get the pesticides, the herbicides, but also benefit from mechanization. We cannot continue to leave the women continue to till the land using the hand hoe. Of course, it is a question of government policies on making these inputs available. In our case, we have subsidies, subsidies for seeds, for fertilizers. We have also studied a program of making small tractors available in the rural areas at affordable prices, where the government also subsidizes these prices. But of course, one thing also important is credit systems; make it possible for women to access—to have access to credit so that they can get the input and so on.
Statement by Secretary of State Clinton, September 20, 2011Footnote 19
Secretary Hillary Clinton made this statement in New York, NY
Secretary Clinton. Thank you very much, Special Representative Nabarro, and it is a pleasure to be here with all of you one year after the Scaling Up Nutrition movement began to review the progress we've made and to recommit ourselves to the work that lies ahead. I want especially to thank Secretary General Ban Ki-moon for not only hosting us today but being here to show the highest-level commitment from the United Nations and all of our colleagues. Certainly for me it's a great pleasure, once again, to be working with Canada and Ireland, the World Bank, the United Kingdom, and the European Commission.
This program has become, in a very short time, a model of how to implement successfully the principles that the international community affirmed at the High-Level Forums for Aid Effectiveness in Paris and Accra. Together, this community of countries, international organizations, NGOs, civil society groups, and private sector companies has already achieved meaningful benchmarks in the fight to strengthen global nutrition. From Tanzania, which has created a nutrition-specific line in its national budget and posted nutritionists in every district nationwide, countries such as Guatemala, Uganda, Peru, Mozambique, and Burkina Faso, which have introduced new measures to improve financial accountability and strengthen their country's commitment to nutrition, we are seeing the kinds of highlevel reforms and political leadership needed to reach people on a broad scale.
Now, this is an accomplishment not only for those whose lives are being saved and improved, but also for the people like us in this room who believe passionately in the critical role that nutrition must play in order to produce thriving children, families, and communities. And I think it's also an indicator of our better understanding of what works in development and what it takes to make progress together, because through the SUN movement, we are seeing better results with country-owned leadership. When programs are coordinated and evidence-based, we get better outcomes. When results are measured transparently and are used to improve strategies, and when all parties are held accountable for delivering on their promises, we actually can see the progress being made.
Now, I know that you've covered a lot of this ground already and will continue to do so in the consultations tomorrow and afterwards, so let me simply say this: The United States is firmly committed to our investments in global nutrition, and we believe fervently that improving nutrition for pregnant women and children under two is one of the smartest investments we or anyone can make. The science for this is unassailably clear: When we ensure that women and children receive essential nutrients within the 1,000-day window, we can set youngsters on a better path toward lifelong health. When we miss that window, children can suffer both physical and cognitive damage that cannot be reversed.
That urgency and the potential we all have to make a real difference is why our funding toward global nutrition has increased significantly in the past five years, from $35 million in 2007 to $90 million this year. Even last year, during a very difficult budgetary and financial environment, we increased our spending on nutrition by 20 percent, because we see these investments as both vital and as having a very high impact.
We also have fundamentally changed the way we are doing business by making nutrition a central element of two of our major initiatives, the Global Health Initiative and the Feed the Future Food Security Initiative. That means building clinics that help expectant mothers enrich their diets and those of their babies during life's most critical stages of development, and creating extension programs that help farmers grow heartier crops that will nourish their families, adding micronutrients at various stages along the process, not just filling stomachs but really helping to create healthier people. And by focusing on nutrition, we think we accomplish a lot of our goals.
We are also rethinking how we deliver food aid in times of crisis. Now, the importance of this issue is obviously on our minds because of the emergency taking place in the Horn of Africa. This is not just a food emergency; it is also a nutrition emergency, especially for the large numbers of young children and pregnant women who are most vulnerable. Those who manage to survive the famines and the food shortages may still suffer lifelong damage from the under-nutrition they are living with today.
And we are reminded not only of the importance of delivering food, but delivering nutrient-rich food while also making the long-term investments in food security to try to avoid such crises in the future. (Inaudible) the United States is providing over $600 million in humanitarian assistance to the Horn of Africa, and we are continuing to invest in long-term agricultural development with a focus on nutrition, particularly with our Feed the Future partnerships in Ethiopia and Kenya. Thanks to the progress these governments and their development partners have made in strengthening their peoples’ food security, many more are now resilient in the face of this current drought.
I also must, as I do on every occasion like this, issue yet another appeal to al-Shabaab to permit aid workers access into the most famine-ravaged areas under their control. It does us little good to gather up the money to put our aid groups on notice to get everything organized to save lives if we cannot get access. And just on a personal basis, I don't understand what possible political or ideological benefit comes from allowing women and children to starve in areas you're responsible for.
When we put nutrition at the heart of our investments, we can help communities and countries become not only healthier, but more prosperous. And that's a priority for the United States as well as a personal one for me, so while I enjoyed the partnership that I have with my Irish counterpart, Minister Gilmore, when we launched the 1,000 Day partnership in New York almost a year ago to this day, and why we are so enthusiastic about what has happened since.
We have 636 days left to meet our goal of building a sustainable global movement for nutrition that will last long after this 1,000 day period has passed. And I thank the UN for providing us the leadership, the impetus that this convening represents. We need, though, to get more leadership commitments from partner countries, we need to improve still more coordination among donors, we all need to reach deep to increase our financial commitments, and deliver more effectively the kind of assistance that we know is life-saving and enhancing.
At the end of November, people from around the world will gather in Busan, Korea for the Fourth High-Level Forum for Aid Effectiveness. I'm pleased that I will be attending that forum and representing the United States. And I will join with colleagues there to elevate development on the global agenda and to share our progress and to embrace a model of sustainability, partnership, and investment.
We've made strong progress, but we cannot be complacent. Let's use these remaining days to demonstrate unequivocally to the world why development works. Speaking for my own country, we're having one of our periodic debates about development—I was talking to Secretary Mitchell about that—and those of us who are convinced have to hold ourselves to a higher standard to make the case to our own people, our own governments in a time of budgetary squeezing. But I think we're here today with all else going on during this very busy week because we know it makes a difference.
So let's recommit ourselves to doing all we can to make the case and deliver the results that are needed. Thank you very much.
Press Release from the U.S. Trade and Development Agency, September, 14, 2011Footnote 20
Today, at the 7th Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Transportation Ministerial Meeting, USTDA Director Leocadia I. Zak signed a grant agreement with the Middle Airports Corporation (MAC) to help expand Chu Lai International Airport, the largest airfield in Vietnam. The grant will fund a feasibility study to determine the viability of the Chu Lai Airport becoming a regional cargo hub, thus helping to increase the operations of U.S. cargo carriers in Southeast Asia.
The $538,886 feasibility study will determine the market potential, identify the infrastructure needs, and recommend a public-private investment and financing arrangement for the airport expansion plans. USTDA previously partnered with MAC to fund the Da Nang Airport Passenger Terminal expansion study, which generated more than $4 million in exports for U.S. companies. The new terminal at Da Nang Airport will open in January 2012.
Director Zak's participation in the APEC Transportation Ministerial demonstrates the Agency's commitment to help expand and modernize transportation infrastructure while ensuring U.S. companies continue to play a critical role in this effort in the region. U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood chaired the Ministerial meeting that was attended by Transport Ministers from across APEC region.
Joining Director Zak in signing the grant agreement was General Director of MAC, Le Xuan Tung. The grant signing was witnessed by Secretary LaHood and Vietnam's Vice Minister for Transport Ngo Thinh Duc.
“Vietnam's aviation industry is growing at a remarkable and exciting pace,” said Director Zak. “We're pleased to help introduce U.S. companies to these market opportunities, which will continue to strengthen the valuable U.S.-Vietnam trade relationship.”
“The United States is pleased to sign this important aviation agreement with our friends in Vietnam,” said U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood. “Not only will it help facilitate increased trade and stronger relationships among the people and businesses of our economies, it also demonstrates exactly the kind of cooperation that we'd like to see more of, both within our APEC region and around the globe.”
Vietnam is projected to become one of the fastest growing aviation markets for international and domestic passenger and freight traffic in the region. To accommodate this growth, the Government of Vietnam has identified at least seven key airports throughout the country to be constructed or expanded under public-private partnership arrangements. As a state-owned corporation under the Ministry of Transportation and Civil Aviation Authority, MAC is responsible for the development of Chu Lai Airport located in the central part of the country near significant industrial business operations.
Press Release from the U.S. Trade and Development Agency, September 15, 2011Footnote 21
Today, the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) awarded a grant to PT Kereta Api Indonesia (PT KAI), Indonesia's state owned rail company, to develop a new strategic plan and specific system recommendations for upgrading its rail signaling and telecommunications systems.
The $593,954 grant, signed by U.S. Ambassador Scot Marciel and PT KAI President Director Ignasius Jonan in Bandung, Indonesia, will fund a technical assistance program that includes a review of existing rail transport corridors, recommendations for systems upgrades, and training workshops for capacity building for PT KAI rail operators and managers. The technical assistance is designed to support PT KAI's planned expansion to meet greater rail demand, while ensuring the safety of the rail network.
The grant demonstrates the U.S. government's broad commitment to support Indonesia's efforts to improve its transportation infrastructure. Furthering this goal, this fall USTDA will sponsor a visit by Indonesian aviation safety officials to the United States to visit air traffic operations centers and meet with U.S. companies who provide the technologies used to safely and effectively manage air traffic. These activities will open opportunities for U.S. businesses to become actively involved in Indonesia's dynamic and growing aviation and rail industries.
The United States is pleased to provide the technical assistance support for Indonesia's National Railway Master Plan,” stated Ambassador Marciel. “U.S. companies are eager to work and invest in Indonesia's growing economic market and this grant will assist in facilitating that relationship.”
Press Release from the U.S. Agency for International Development, September 16, 2011Footnote 22
At the 2011 Australia-United States Ministerial in San Francisco, CA, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Australian Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd announced areas of development cooperation between our two countries in several regions around the world, including South East Asia, Central Asia and Africa.
In Indonesia, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is providing $10 million to support an Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) program to supply piped water to low-income families in Indonesia. The U.S. assistance will provide around 38,000 new household water connections in 23 Indonesian cities and districts, benefitting around 190,000 people. The combined USAID-AusAID result from the initiative will benefit some 1.4 million people.
USAID and AusAID also will develop opportunities for collaboration in East Asia, particularly in the lower Mekong region, to advance food security, mitigate HIV and other pandemic diseases, and address the impact of global climate change.
In Tanzania, USAID and AusAID have reached a delegated cooperation agreement to support Tanzanian government (GOT) health programs. AusAID will provide $5.2 million in health funding that USAID will direct and oversee addressing urgent gaps in GOT's measles program and critical shortfalls in GOT's stocks for family planning commodities. The delegated cooperation agreement is designed to take advantage of a development agency's existing capacity and reduce burden on host country governments.
In Afghanistan, Australia will contribute AU$3 million towards two U.S. assistance programs in Uruzgan Province. The programs include supporting community dispute resolution and improving the delivery of essential services.
Australia and the US will also provide joint support to help mitigate conflict in newly independent South Sudan. The Australian Civilian Corps (ACC) seeks to deploy two stabilization advisers to work in the field alongside Civilian Response Corps members from the US Department of State's Office of the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization and USAID.
We reaffirm our shared commitment to addressing global development challenges including gender inequality and violence against women. Empowering and protecting women and girls requires strong, coordinated action by the international community. To this end, Australia and the United States are co-hosting a policy dialogue this year on effective means to combat gender-based violence and promote the empowerment of women across the Pacific region.
These initiatives will be pursued under the strategic partnership on international development between Australia and the United States, which was established last year.
The new cooperative package will improve the effectiveness of development activities to make the best use possible of available resources to enhance the impact of our programs—a key goal of the U.S. Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review and Australia's Independent Review of Aid Effectiveness.
Press Release from the U.S. Trade and Development Agency, September 16, 2011Footnote 23
Today, USTDA announced three grants that will support the Turkish private sector's efforts to develop clean sources of energy and promote energy efficiency. The grants, totaling nearly $1 million, are designed to support over $100 million in new business opportunities in Turkey and demonstrate the U.S. Government's broad commitment to raising the level of economic partnership while expanding trade and investment ties. These grants come in advance of a U.S. Trade Mission to Turkey this December led by Department of Commerce Under Secretary for International Trade Francisco Sánchez, which will consist of 15-20 U.S. companies exploring renewable energy and energy efficiency opportunities.
“Turkey's clean energy sector has enormous potential and plays an important role in Turkey's continued economic development and growth,” stated USTDA Regional Director Carl B. Kress. “We are proud to be supporting its growth, and encouraging U.S. private sector involvement.”
A $201,606 grant to one of Turkey's first privatized distribution companies, Başkent Electricity Distribution (EnerjiSA, Sabanc?-Verbund JV) Company, will fund a feasibility study to explore and develop a smart grid roadmap. The study will propose smart grid solutions, as well as set an example for future smart grid projects to be implemented in Turkey. A $393,927 grant to Zorlu Enerji will fund a feasibility study to evaluate the construction of a geothermal power plant at the Alaşehir geothermal resource site in the Aegean-West Anatolian region of Turkey. The study will be carried out by Veizades & Associates, Inc., based in California. Finally, a $403,640 grant to the Izmir Ataturk Organized Industrial Zone (İAOSB) is part of a U.S. Department of Energy-led effort to support energy efficiency in Turkey and will provide technical assistance and energy efficiency recommendations for ten companies in the Industrial Zone, including an assessment of expansion plans for the Zone's power plant.
USTDA's investments will support clean and efficient energy development in Turkey.
These investments in clean energy build upon USTDA's previous successful partnership with a Turkish private sector geot-hermal company. Based on the results of a USTDA-funded investment analysis, the largest privately owned geothermal facility in Turkey became operational in May 2009. The 47.5 megawatt plant was built in the Aydin-Germencik geothermal field by the Gurmat Energy Investment and Trade Company. Since coming online, Germencik is providing Turkey with an important renewable energy source to further the country's economic growth. Importantly, up to 250 local jobs were associated with the construction and erection works and 37 jobs were generated to operate the plant while utilizing over $23 million in exports of U.S.-manufactured goods and services.
The signings took place at the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, in the presence of U.S. Ambassador Francis J. Ricciardone, U.S. Commerce Under Secretary for International Trade Francisco Sánchez, and Turkish Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources Undersecretary Metin Kilci. USTDA Regional Director Carl B. Kress signed each agreement on behalf of USTDA. Mr. Yetik Mert, CEO of EnerjiSA, signed on behalf of Başkent Electricity Distribution Company; Mr. Murat Sungur Bursa, CEO of Zorlu Energy Group, signed on behalf of Zorlu Enerji; and Mr. Hilmi U?urtaş, Chairman of the Board of Directors of İAOSB, signed on behalf of the İAOSB.
Remarks by U.S. Agency for International Development Administrator Dr. Shah, September 20, 2011Footnote 24
Administrator Dr. Rajiv Shah delivered these remarks at the United Nations in New York, NY
Dr. Shah. It is my honor to join you today to focus on the global challenges of drought, desertification and land degradation.
Right now, these dangerous realities are threatening the lives and livelihoods of over one billion people who live in fragile dryland ecosystems.
They severely limit our collective goals of promoting sustainable development, eradicating poverty and strengthening food security around the world. They also threaten our national security.
Nowhere is this challenge more critical-and the need for action more pressing-than in the Horn of Africa. The devastating consequences of famine are playing out before our eyes-in the stories of women who have to watch their children literally die in their arms.
We know that the Horn of Africa is experiencing the worst drought in 60 years and 13.3 million people-predominately women and children-are in need of assistance.
As the single largest humanitarian and development partner in the region, the United States is supporting life-saving aid for millions of people, including food, water and medical services. And though the American people will always provide aid in times of urgent need, emergency assistance is not the most efficient or lasting solution.
The reality is we must do more to prevent these crises in the first place. That is why President Obama launched a global food security initiative called Feed the Future to help countries develop their own resilient agricultural sectors and food systems so they can feed themselves over the long-term.
Through these partnerships, Kenya has seen a 300% increase in maize yields, while vitamin A enriched sweet potatoes are now reaching malnourished children in Uganda and Mozambique.
These achievements are the result of collective action. African governments, the private sector, civil society and local farmers are increasing their investment in agriculture, adopting new innovations and technologies and measuring results.
The Convention to Combat Desertification
And we believe this new form of partnerships extends through to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification.
The United States strongly supports the convention and its clear mandate to focus on drylands to enable better results.
Addressing desertification through long-term, sustainable land management and agricultural development is one of the most effective tools we have to prevent the crises that result from a lack of available food and nutrition.
In fact, as a nation, we have a long history of grappling with the devastating consequences of soil degradation and severe drought. As we speak, the state of Texas is enduring its worst one-year drought in recorded history.
In the 1930s, a prolonged catastrophe of drought, land degradation and food shortage led to the Dust Bowl, resulting in the migration of two and a half million people.
As a result of our experiences, the United States fundamentally reformed our strategies and methods for dryland management.
We strengthened collaboration between local governments and farmers, invested in agricultural universities to foster innovations in farming practices and water management and embarked on larger-scale efforts to manage our productive lands more sustainably.
An aggressive focus on science and improved technology has been a vital part of our approach. Therefore, the US supports the proposed Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, which will cover dryland ecosystems, as opposed to a separate, redundant science mechanism devoted solely to the convention.
We remain committed to harnessing the power of science and technology to help transform global agriculture.
Delivering results through feed the future
Across the international community, we now have the knowledge to establish stable, productive environments, dramatically improve crop yields, mitigate natural disasters and deliver meaningful results.
In order to meet the challenge of poverty and hunger around the world, we have to invest in long-term solutions through Feed the Future-focusing on connecting smallholder famers to strong markets and harnessing advances in science and technology.
As Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said, “The question is not whether we can end hunger, it's whether we will.”
That is why Feed the Future is driving a new approach to global food security. In Tanzania, we are working in partnership with the government and the private sector. In regions vulnerable to drought-like the Ethiopian highlands-we are particularly focusing on drought resistant crops and improved soil, water and land management.
These efforts build on 40 years of experience the U.S. Government and U.S. Agency for International Development have had in greening the Sahel, where farmer led agroforestry and water management techniques have transformed 50 million hectares threatened by desertification-an area larger than Sweden-into sustainably productive lands.
Conclusion—Global/National Interests
We welcome ongoing collaboration with the global community to help address the crisis in the Horn and continue, in particular, to call on al-Shabaab to allow unfettered humanitarian access in areas it controls.
Responding to the crisis today is not only a moral imperative, it protects our national security.
In regions where we witness scarcity of resources today, we are more prone to face heightened tensions and conflict tomorrow.
By fighting drought and famine in the Horn of Africa today, we fight the despair that can lead people toward violence and terrorism. When we help a nation feed itself through good times and bad, we break the cycle of food riots, famine and food aid that creates instability throughout regions.
When we help a woman farmer use cutting-edge technologies to increase her harvests, we expand her country's economic potential and develop new markets for international trade.
And by providing help in times of desperate need, we express globally shared values of compassion, dignity and equality.
Thank you.
Press Release from the U.S. Agency for International Development, September 21, 2011Footnote 25
At a high profile event during the UN General Assembly in New York, Dr. Rajiv Shah, head of USAID, and Andrew Mitchell, UK Secretary for International Development, highlighted a set of programs as bringing about a significant step towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
The MDGs are a set of internationally agreed targets on reducing global poverty by 2015.
UK Secretary of State for International Development, Andrew Mitchell, said: “These projects are making a real difference toward reducing poverty. We want to hold it up to the world, so others can learn from these successes. It demonstrates that development buys results—it shows that through innovations we can deliver inspirational change to people's lives.”
USAID Administrator Dr. Rajiv Shah said: “To meet the Millennium Development Goals by 2015, we must work more effectively and efficiently to deliver meaningful results for the people we serve. By working directly with country governments and local partners, we can increase transparency and support more innovative projects with the potential to transform development.”
As the international community counts down to 2015, the US and UK are determined to inspire action by celebrating successes and innovations across the MDGs. The event MDG Countdown: Successes and Innovations looked at what has worked and why, how it could work elsewhere and at scale. The first event of this series highlighted programs, policies and partnerships from Brazil, Gambia, Zambia, Peru, Ethiopia, Nepal, Vietnam and from the GAVI Alliance.
Press Release from the U.S. Agency for International Development, September 23, 2011Footnote 26
On September 21, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the U.S. Department of State hosted a half-day conference that brought together 50 representatives from the private, academic, and not-for-profit sectors involved in promoting and spurring entrepreneurship around the world. The event, entitled Successful Approaches to Fostering Entrepreneurship, also served as a platform to launch a new Entrepreneurship Toolkit and provided an opportunity for participants to share experiences, research and best practices in supporting early stage entrepreneurs around the world.
The event and toolkit are part of the State-led Global Entrepreneurship Program (GEP) launched by Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton during the Presidential Summit on Entrepreneurship in April 2010. “Entrepreneurship has always been of great importance for the United States, both domestically and internationally via its impact on innovation, job creation and trade, “said Eric Postel, assistant administrator in USAID's Bureau for Economic Growth, Agriculture and Trade. “This initiative is an important step forward in strengthening the United States’ ability to help in the identification and capacity building of entrepreneurs throughout the world.”
The Entrepreneurship Toolkit, developed jointly by USAID's Business Growth Initiative and the GEP, is intended to help GEP partners design, implement, and monitor successful entrepreneurship development programs. It provides users with information on entrepreneurship best practices, case studies, lessons learned, key questions for program design, links to development partners, as well as additional publications and reference materials. The toolkit is intended to be a “living” document, allowing for periodic revisions to reflect the ever-changing entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Entrepreneurship is now recognized as one of the strongest drivers of global job creation, with an important impact on economic growth and political stability. The United States is uniquely placed to support and assist entrepreneurship overseas because of its expertise and entrepreneurial culture. Assistant Secretary of State for Economic, Energy and Business Affairs Jose Fernandez described as a goal of the program, “We want to share our experience as a society—an experience that has empowered inventors and innovators and enabled them to turn their dreams into new businesses.”
The GEP currently coordinates the efforts and resources of 125 U.S. and foreign partners in six areas of activity essential for effective entrepreneurship development: identifying promising entrepreneurs, training them, connecting them to local and international networks, increasing access to financing, encouraging a supportive regulatory and policy environment, and celebrating the success of entrepreneurs. While the GEP was initially focused on Muslim-majority pilot countries, it is in the process of expanding to become a truly global program.
Press Release from the U.S. Trade and Development Agency, September 23, 2011Footnote 27
Today USTDA awarded a $580,000 grant to Kenya's Ministry of Information and Communications to develop a National Cybersecurity Master Plan. Successful implementation of the cybersecurity plan will improve the safety and security of the Kenyan public's data, and will provide many opportunities for U.S. information and communications technology firms.
Kenya has successfully developed significant telecommunications infrastructure in recent years, and internet use is rising rapidly. However, this improved infrastructure increases Kenya's vulnerability to cyber attacks. The USTDA-funded National Cybersecurity Master Plan will provide a framework for the Government of Kenya to defend and secure its digital infrastructure, as well as recommend minimum cybersecurity standards for the country's private networks. USTDA's assistance will benefit U.S. companies by evaluating technologies while considering concepts such as interoperability, reliability, and life-cycle costing, especially competitive areas for U.S. firms.
The Cybersecurity Master Plan also furthers USTDA's East Africa Broadband Connectivity Initiative (EABCI), a series of projects to advance investments in ICT infrastructure, applications and integration in East Africa. In addition to today's grant, through the EABCI USTDA has supported feasibility studies, a reverse trade mission, and a workshop in the region.
“USTDA is committed to supporting U.S. firms in developing East Africa's telecommunications infrastructure,” stated USTDA's Director Leocadia I. Zak.
Press Release from the U.S. Trade and Development Agency, September 23, 2011Footnote 28
On September 19, 2011, USTDA awarded a $371,508 grant to the Ministry of Water and Irrigation of Kenya, acting through the Athi Water Services Board (AWSB), to assess options to modernize the Kariobangi wastewater treatment facility in Nairobi. Successful redevelopment of the Kariobangi facility will reduce pollution in the Athi River and Indian Ocean, and reduce energy consumption at the waste-water plant.
The study will provide AWSB options for increasing the facility's capacity, compare sludge processing technologies, and also evaluate sludge-to-energy technologies. In addition, the study will also include a detailed description of U.S. technological solutions that are available to modernize the facility.
Given the growing business potential for wastewater treatment technology in Kenya, USTDA assistance for this type of project is integral to positioning U.S. companies to win market share. Already, AWSB representatives have expressed interest in implementing the project using high quality U.S. wastewater products and technologies.
“Modernization of the Kariobangi facility will reduce pollution, provide opportunities for U.S. firms, and create a model for sustainable water infrastructure development throughout Kenya,” said USTDA Director Leocadia I Zak. “This project is a priority for the Government of Kenya and USTDA is proud to support it.”
The feasibility study will be carried out by Coler & Colantonio, Inc. of Norwell, MA.
Press Release from the U.S. Trade and Development Agency, September 23, 2011Footnote 29
The U.S. Trade and Development Agency awarded a grant today to Romania's General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations (GIES) for a study to evaluate technologies deployed during field emergency response operations. The $400,000 grant was signed at the U.S. Embassy in Bucharest by U.S. Deputy Chief of Mission Duane C. Butcher on behalf of USTDA, and General Inspector for Emergency Situations, Colonel Marcel Lucaciu, on behalf of GIES.
“Portable communications technologies are necessary to further improve Romania's emergency response systems, which is a priority for the Romanian government,” stated USTDA Director Leocadia Zak. “The United States is a leader in this field, and this study will demonstrate the value of this partnership.”
Romania, one of the most earthquake-prone countries in Europe, has experienced serious damage resulting from flooding and earthquakes over the last several years. As a result, the Government of Romania has made improvements to the country's emergency management and response system a national priority.
The objective of this study is to demonstrate the feasibility of the following three core technologies through portable deployment: critical information management systems, geographical information systems, and interoperable communications. The study will coordinate the selection and deployment of these technologies, support a field exercise and then evaluate the results of that exercise to recommend future implementation strategies.
While these core technologies have been identified as a solution to the challenges facing Romania's emergency response infrastructure, they have not been fully developed in Romania. Accordingly, the Government of Romania is interested in evaluating and testing the application of U.S. technologies and products, which this study will support. Demonstrating the benefits and advantages of U.S. technologies will encourage increased investment in the projects and may generate tens of millions of dollars in exports from U.S. companies.
Press Release from the Millennium Challenge Corporation, September 29, 2011Footnote 30
The U.S. Government's Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Board of Directors today held its quarterly meeting at the U.S. State Department. At the meeting, the MCC Board selected Tunisia as eligible for a Threshold Program, provided conditional approval of a compact with Indonesia, and enhanced MCC's partner country selection criteria.
Tunisia Eligible for Threshold Program
Upon Board selection of Tunisia as eligible for Threshold Program funding, MCC Chief Executive Officer Daniel Yohannes noted, “Tunisia is at the heart of the Arab Spring. We congratulate the people of Tunisia on their burgeoning democracy. We recognize, however, that Tunisia's ability to sustain its democratic transition is linked to the progress it makes on its economic transition. MCC is looking forward to partnering with the Tunisians on a policy reform-based program to identify and address binding constraints to economic growth.”
Indonesia Compact Conditionally Approved
The Board conditionally approved a $600 million compact with the Republic of Indonesia to support poverty reduction through economic growth. Final compact approval will be subject to the completion of technical negotiations with the Government of Indonesia.
Indonesia is the fourth most populous country in the world, and over 140 million Indonesians live on less than $2 per day. The proposed compact supports Government of Indonesia development priorities and complements other donor activities.
The Government of Indonesia developed the compact's three projects in close consultation with local governments, civil society, and the private sector: The Green Prosperity Project is designed to raise household incomes in some of Indonesia's poorest provinces by supporting low-carbon economic development and protecting the country's natural capital
The Community-Based Nutrition to Prevent Stunting Project is designed to reduce and prevent low birth weight, childhood stunting, and malnourishment of children in project areas, which is expected to increase incomes through cost savings, greater productivity and higher lifetime earnings.
The Procurement Modernization Project is designed to achieve significant savings in government procurements, reduce the incidence of corruption and waste, and improve the delivery of public goods and services.
Mr. Yohannes said, “We look forward to partnering with Indonesia's people and government to create a future of hope and opportunity. The proposed compact is expected to deliver results that will make a lasting difference in the lives of the poorest Indonesians.”
MCC Scorecard Updated and Strengthened
Finally, the Board also approved updates to MCC's selection criteria and methodology. These updates reaffirm and strengthen MCC's unique approach to allocating aid by maintaining a hard line on corruption; highlighting policy performance across the scorecard's three hallmark categories of Ruling Justly, Investment in People, and Economic Freedom; and ensuring that the best available data is used.
MCC has always been a leader in the use of third-party data to drive evidence-based decision making. Based on lessons learned over the last seven years, MCC has updated its scorecard to include new indicators, which measure Freedom of Information, Gender in the Economy, and Access to Credit, and has modified the selection methodology. These changes are the result of extensive research, data analysis, and consultation, and they improve the scorecard's reflection of countries’ policy performance.
Mr. Yohannes explained, “MCC is committed to maintaining its track record of partnering only with countries that demonstrate sound economic and democratic governance. The changes we made to the scorecard today allow us to update and strengthen MCC's selection system. This reinforces MCC's core values of focusing on growth, demanding results, promoting transparency, highlighting policy performance and being disciplined and selective in our partnership decisions.”
At the next MCC Board of Directors meeting in December 2011, the Board will consider countries’ performance on both the existing and updated selection criteria and methodology.
