Global Challenge

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton recently addressed the Center for Global Development on why development in other countries matters to the American people and to our nation’s security and prosperity.

“Development was once the province of humanitarians, charities, and governments looking to gain allies in global struggles,” she said.  “Today it is a strategic, economic, and moral imperative – as central to advancing American interests and solving global problems as diplomacy and defense.”

With the backdrop of ongoing reviews of the nation’s development policy, Secretary Clinton outlined six steps that are being taken immediately to ensure that development “delivers lasting results for people at home and abroad.”

1.  Adopting a model based on partnership–”True partnership is based on shared responsibility,” she said.  This is more akin to investment, rather than aid.  Partnerships involve not only the countries in which we work, but other countries and governments working there, multilateral organizations like World Bank, nonprofits, foundations, universities and private companies.

2.  Elevating development and integrating it more closely with defense and diplomacy

3.  Improving coordination across all federal agencies

4.  Concentrating on “areas of convergence,” or sectors–and targeting investment toward developing technical expertise in a few key areas to achieve broad, sustainable change.

5.  Increasing U.S. investment in innovation–”exploring venture funds, credit guarantees, and other tools to encourage private companies to develop and market products and services that improve the lives of the poor.”

6.  Focusing more on investing in women and girls–one of the world’s “greatest untapped resources,” she said.

Read the entire transcript of the speech here.