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This is an archived USAID document retained on this web site as a matter of public record.
Remarks of Acting Administrator Donald L. Pressley
to the E&E Implementing Partners Conference
January 30, 2001
Good morning, thank you, and welcome to the annual E&E Implementing Partners Conference. It's a pleasure to have you here.
As some of you know, I've been wearing a new hat for the past week-so I suddenly find myself being briefed on events from Latin America to Asia.
But of course, I save a special spot in my heart for the E&E region, so I am pleased to see all of you here today and I am pleased to see this conference convene around such important themes.
As I now try to take the broader perspective, I am also pleased to see that, while there are diversities among the many regions we serve, the dedication and commitment to helping others improve their lives remains a hallmark of our assistance.
At the start of a new age and a new Administration, it is perhaps appropriate for us to take one look back-at how far we've come-and to take one forward, to see where it is we're headed.
For over a decade now, Central and Eastern Europe and Eurasia have been undergoing an extraordinary transformation.
In fact, as former Deputy Secretary of State Talbott has said, this region is undergoing three transformations in one: from a dictatorship to an open society, from a command economy to a free market, and from part of a totalitarian empire to a "normal, modern state," integrated into the international community.
It has been quite a ride, and one which, along with many of you, I have been privileged to be a part.
My first assignment in this region was Poland, and I still remember the start of our first programs there:
I remember the excitement and the enthusiasm of Americans from every walk of life wanting to help-wanting to get involved.
Our task then was to find a way to organize and channel that energy. So we learned and adapted. We sped up our programs. We proved that we could be flexible and creative.
And the lessons we learned then are today the models for our activities across the entire region.
How far we have come since those halcyon days!
Over the past ten years USAID has funded over half a million vaccinations for children in the countries of Central Asia alone, preventing potentially fatal epidemics.
We have trained over 7,500 judges, academics, and legal professionals all across the region.
And we have funded micro-loans-over half of which went to women-that were responsible for creating over 40,000 jobs.
But of course you know all this, because you-all of you-were there with us every step of the way.
And we are grateful, because we rely on you just as much as you rely on us.
I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that USAID's success depends in large part on the success of our partnership-and whatever changes this Agency may undergo in the coming years, I know this will always be true.
So let me thank all of you here today, and your colleagues that are out in the field, for all your hard work and dedication.
As we look to the future, though, it is clear that despite all the progress we've made, the fact remains that the challenges of the 21st century are enormous.
At home, I believe USAID faces the following three challenges: relevance, relative priorities, and our relation to foreign policy.
The Cold War motivation for foreign assistance is now well over, and the world is without a doubt more prosperous and more democratic than it was just ten years ago.
So there are many who argue that foreign assistance is no longer relevant to our national interests.
But the truth is that while we might have won the Cold War, we have yet to win the peace.
I think everyone in this room has struggled, in one way or another, with showing the results we achieved as well as with showing how those results have made a difference at every level.
But we all know what great work we do, and I say it's time to stop being modest.
Everyone in this room has wonderful stories of lives changed, lives transformed, and lives saved as a result of our work. We must make these stories a part of our lexicon-because if we don't spread the word, who will?
We need to better articulate and illustrate how important our work is-to demonstrate that it is relevant to today's world and to tomorrow's promise.
We also have the challenge of balancing competing priorities: not only is our task to tackle problems and to take on the ills and the woes of the world, but we also want to create opportunities-opportunities abroad that open doors for people here at home.
Selecting tasks where we can have the greatest impact-that is a tremendous and never-ending challenge that will require constant effort, communication, and sound judgement.
A sub-set, actually, of the relevance question is the issue of the relation of foreign assistance to foreign policy-another open-ended debate that has gone on for decades.
The question is not whether foreign assistance is a part of U.S. foreign policy, the question is how integrated foreign assistance is into the foreign policy apparatus of this government-and this Administration.
I've been very pleased to have had the opportunity to start working closely with Secretary of State Powell and I'm impressed with his plans for managing the State Department and with his plans to make foreign affairs operations the front lines of defending U.S. national interests.
In fact, I believe that the Bush Administration will take a good look at our objectives, our operations, and our impact before they make any decisions about where foreign assistance fits into the foreign policy puzzle.
So I believe those are some of the issues we will have to deal with at home.
When I look abroad, I see three additional challenges: disaster, disease, and development.
Unfortunately, disasters continue to be a part of life-from earthquakes in El Salvador and India to famines in Ethiopia.
Improving our response to natural as well as man-made disasters, and to do so while coordinating with other U.S. agencies and organizations, is one major challenge.
Alternative ways of implementing our disaster relief programs have been proposed-I believe they should be examined.
We need to explain what already works well and build upon it while at the same time being open to new ideas and new ways of getting the job done in the best possible way.
Global threats, like infectious diseases, have been identified by many as a critical challenge to the well being of the United States as well as to the developing world.
HIV/AIDS is currently receiving the most attention-as it should. AIDS has already ravaged sub-Saharan Africa, and, if it continues to spread, will soon threaten the fabric of societies from India to Russia.
AIDS is truly a horrific example of a global problem that knows no boundaries, and we at USAID should engage this threat-as well as others, like TB and diphtheria.
Finally, the goal of overall development remains a very serious challenge. In the E&E region, this goal has yet to be completely fulfilled.
Despite the success of Central Europe, many of the countries of Eastern Europe and Eurasia are today still struggling with the issues they faced in the first moments after freedom: how to build a foundation of respect for civil rights and the rule of law, how to fuel the economy, and, in the absence of the state, how to provide for their people.
So, while the freedom of democracy is appealing, too many people are starting to wonder if the sacrifices are worth it.
And that, frankly, is dangerous.
But let me not end on a down note.
Ultimately, development is an act of political will-of leaders making tough choices for the long-term good of the country, often in the face of stiff opposition. And we should give credit where credit is due.
The developing and transitioning countries of the world have faced tremendous hardship, but for the most part, the will of the people, like the needle on a compass, continues to point toward democracy--last year's democratic revolution in Serbia is only further proof of this.
Our challenge in the coming years is to ensure that the needle does not waver now.
I am confident that working together, we can meet this challenge, too.
I'd like to switch gears now and end on a personal note, if I may.
I don't know how long the transition will last or whether there is an appropriate role for me in the next Administration.
But whatever the future may bring, to reiterate my opening words-our partnership and, I hope, our friendship, has been a key ingredient to whatever we've achieved over the past few years.
By now, I hope you've had a chance to look over our latest publication-"A Decade of Change."
Unfortunately we were not able to include stories from every one of you, but I think we did capture the essence of what it is we all do for a living-and why.
Personally, I think it is a remarkable story, and a remarkable transformation-I hope you are as proud of your part in it as I am of mine.
Thank you for everything-and have a great conference.
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Last Updated on: January 02, 2009 |
