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MR. FOX: Can I have your attention, please? Can you hear me in the back? Good afternoon, my name is Ed Fox. I'm the Assistant Administrator for Legislative and Public Affairs. I'd like to welcome you here this afternoon for this "All Hands Meeting." First, I'd like to remind you that all personal communication devices, hopefully, you have left them behind. And if you would now turn them off so we don't have to be interrupted cell phones, PDAs. Thank you for the reminder. If you could do that, we'd certainly appreciate it. I'd also like to let you know that we are, as we have done in the past, we are taping, video taping this meeting today. And it will be shown via the State Department Satellite Network around the world to our missions who will have access to it on multiple bases. First, later today, we hope to have it up on the air. And it will be repeated several times tomorrow. So you can tell your friends and colleagues if they have an interest to plug in that way. For those of you here in Washington, as soon as possible, we will have the transcript, as well as the video, available through our website perhaps later today on a good part of that. So I appreciate that. And with that behind us, I have the distinct honor and pleasure to introduce to you the New Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, Ambassador Randall Tobias, please. AMBASSADOR TOBIAS: Thank you all very much for that very warm welcome and for being here this afternoon. Let me begin by, perhaps, stating the obvious and telling you how pleased and proud I am to stand before you as the official confirmed and sworn in 14th Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development. The last time you were gathered in a town hall meeting like this was more than two months ago when Secretary Rice came over to talk about a new direction for foreign assistance. That was occasioned by President Bush's announcement earlier that day of his intent to name me as the Nation's first Director of the United States Foreign Assistance and to nominate me to serve concurrently as your new Administrator. I am sorry that the protocol of the confirmation process did not permit me to be here on that day with Secretary Rice. But I hope you will take it as a signal of my plan to communicate with you regularly that my very first act after being confirmed by the Senate and sworn in late Friday afternoon is to meet with you here in this way on this day, those of you gathered here in Washington, as well as those USAID and State Department and Foreign Service national personnel who are watching around the world. As many of you know, Deputy Administrator Fred Scheck is attending the Paris Ministerial meeting of the OECD Development Assistance coordinating group in my behalf. Although he is not here in person, I want to recognize Fred's stewardship of USAID these past couple of months as Acting Administrator and thank him for his dedication and his service during this period. And I also want to recognize the strong leadership of my good friend and former administrator Andrew Natsios and to thank him for his support and encouragement and several hours of private briefings that he has given me during this period. There are many of you that I also want to thank for the support and assistance you have provided throughout the confirmation process. I have had nearly 40 briefing sessions over the past ten weeks which beyond preparing me for the confirmation, have given me an opportunity to meet with many of you face-to-face. Those briefings have served to confirm strongly what I already knew from my tenure as the United States Global Aid Coordinator, and that is that the people of the USAID are capable and creative experts in the fields, passionate about what they do and committed to making a difference. With USAID's help, America has contributed much to development successes around the world. Successes achieved in partnership with local governments, local communities, and at the field level. Let's consider the following: In 1950, 55 percent of the world population was living on a dollar a day or less. Only 20 percent are so impoverished today. Life expectancy is longer. Mostly because infant mortality fell from 158 per thousand in 1970 to 63 per thousand in 1999. And it is still on the decline. USAID's aggressive use of oral rehydration salts has saved literally millions of lives, helping to lower infant deaths from diarrheal disease. Barely 35 years ago, 12 to 15 million people worldwide were infected with small pox. And 2 million of them died this year. Today, because of the work of USAID, and perhaps because of several of you who may well be in this room, working in partnership with other international organizations, small pox has been largely eradicated. People are eating more and better. The share of people below nutritional adequacy has fallen from 57 percent to 7 percent since 1961. USAID's support of the Green Revolution in India, for example, has helped achieve this success. More boys and girls are in school. In 1950 there were about 100 million. Today, there are about a billion. This means that literacy and numeracy are no longer reserved solely for the elite. USAID initiatives are helping to empower young girls in Afghanistan to enter schools for the first time so that they have a chance to lead productive, meaningful lives where their hopes can be achieved. And most important of all, I think, in the 1960s there were around 90 countries were development efforts were focused. Now, about 25 of those 90 countries have graduated. And another 15, or so, are at or near middle income country level and close to graduation. Many of those who have graduated have robust development programs supported by USAID or one of its predecessor agencies. And so despite the enormous challenges faced today by so many in the developing world, we should not forget that much has already been accomplished thanks, in large part, to the dedicated work of men and women of USAID. During the two and-a-half years that I've had the privilege of serving as the United States Global AIDS Coordinator, I have had and seen firsthand the contributions USAID professionals are making to the fight against HIV AIDS. In places as varied as Lesotho and China, Haiti and Kenya. A critical element of the success of the emergency plan has been the sincere desire of everyone involved to make a difference and to adapt to change in whatever ways were necessary to get the job done. Above all else, the people of the multiple agencies who came together to launch and lead the emergency plan were committed to fighting AIDS, period. They saw an enormous opportunity in the President's commitment to this effort. And although it has required working in new and different ways with the rest of the U.S. Government, they embrace that change and the opportunity it presented in order to make it work on behalf of the people worldwide infected and affected by HIV and AIDs. They famously left their uniforms and didn't expect, didn't expend a lot of energy worrying about the parochial interests of their own various government agencies. I think what we have all learned from that experience is that when the U.S. Government works as a team, our effort is worth much more than simply the sum of its parts. But no agency has been no important to the success of our fight against HIV AIDS than the people of USAID. I have worked with leaders here in Washington like Connie Carina and Roxanna Rogers [ph.] and, of course, Kent Hill, and people in the field like Buck Buckingham [ph.]. USAID veteran Michelle Maloney-Kitts leads a critical division in my former office. And legions of other USAID employees contribute their expertise in various ways. These people have been among the heros of the emergency plan, without whom our current success simply would not have been possible. As I told the members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee during my confirmation hearing USAID, has a long and proud history tracing its origins to the reconstruction of Europe after the devastation of World War II through the Marshal Plan, which interestingly enough, was signed into law by President Truman exactly 58 years ago this very day. And it is to this agency, USAID, that we must continue to look to find the reservoir of experience and expertise that is crucial to meeting the unprecedented development challenges of this century. A time which sees the world at once ripe with democratic promise and menaced by global terrorism. In bringing hope to people around the world, USAID reflects the values of all Americans. We cannot turn our backs on the millions of children who succumb to starvation and disease each day when the ability to address it is in our hands. We cannot turn our backs on citizens who toil under oppressive poverty seeking their family's daily survival but with little opportunity to secure their future. In that hearing, I vowed that if confirmed I would do all I could to support the men and women of USAID in strengthening both these core commitments and the human capabilities that will enable their achievement. And, indeed, I want to reaffirm that commitment to you here today. Our USAID predecessors did an extraordinary job of responding to the challenges of their time. Our task is to write a next chapter for this agency that will be equally noble. I believe so doing will require adaptation to the needs of our time. The demands of dealing with complex emergencies in multiple areas of the developing world have always been among the challenges facing USAID. But many of the problems we face today are different. Many did not exist even a generation ago. I think of AIDS and the threat of Avian Flu. I think of the explosion of local conflicts that followed the fall of the Berlin Wall. I also think, of course, of the rise of new enemies who exploit poverty, oppression, injustice, and state indifference in order to destroy hope and thereby provide haven for criminals and the planning of criminal acts. As we begin our journey together, whether your first day at USAID, like mine, is today, or whether you started 30 years ago, let us each ask ourselves why am I here. Each of us who works at USAID, on some level, must surely believe that peaceful societies where healthy and well-educated people are free to provide for themselves and their families are aspirations of human beings regardless of ethnicity, religion or geographic location. And we also must surely believe the people of the United States can and should play a role in helping people around the world strive for and achieve those aspirations both because it is the right thing to do and because it is in our interest as a Nation to do. This core belief in human potential is the cause I believe that draws us all together. But what is the appropriate role of the U.S. Government in advancing that cause? Empowering human potential requires more than short term charity. America's approach to international development requires a paradigm that is also focused on long term sustainability. And with that, a paradigm focused ultimately on local ownership. While well-intended, some of what the donor community has done historically under the rubric of international development, has too often left lasting traces beyond the immediate impact of short term programs. The sad fact is that one cannot visit the developing world without seeing often, in a literal sense, the debris of past development assistance that did not also bring with it lasting change. That did not put much emphasis on the development part of development assistance. To be sure, charity has its place, especially when it is charity in response to urgent emergencies. And, yet, it is important to distinguish between the kind of charitable humanitarian assistance and support for a nation's development and transformation. As the President has said, development must engender lasting economic, social, and political process through a transformation of institutions, economic structures, and human capacity so that nations can evolve to sustaining further progress on their own. The primary responsibility for achieving this transformation rests with the leadership and the citizens of the developing nations themselves. But the assistance and policies of the United States can and must play a vital and catalytic role. To really make a difference, our resources must be focused on transformational initiatives that are owned over time by the developing nations themselves. My friend, Dr. Peter Mugyenyi is the leader of the Joint Clinical Research Center in his home country of Uganda. He is one of the most inspiring, creative, and effective leaders in the global fight against HIV AIDS on the African continent. Nearly a year ago, at a meeting in Africa, Dr. Mugyenyi made a comment that really struck me. To paraphrase he said that it is neither practical nor moral for the people of Africa to expect that the rest of the world will take care of their problems forever. He explained that it is not practical because it means that their own destiny will be at the mercy of changing political priorities in nations far beyond their own control. And it is not moral, he said, because the people of his continent have many of the tools they need to meet their own needs. And those that they do not, they can and must over time develop. When he made that assertion, to my surprise, there was an instant murmur of agreement among the African leadership in that audience. Dr. Mugyenyi has made incredible progress through his own organization in making drug treatment available in Uganda. In one largely rural district, his organization has now succeeded in providing access to anti retro viral therapy to 100 percent of those who need it with a locally designed strategy that they can sustain in the future. Now, to be clear, for now, Dr. Mugyenyi is working in close partnership with the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS relief. Utilizing extensive financial support that we are providing. And at this point, our support is indispensable. But he is already developing capabilities and resources so that a time will come when he will no longer be dependent on us. And that is the model that we must all embrace. Graduation is, indeed, the ultimate objective. As we recommit ourselves to the cause, each one of us must always remember that it is not about us. It is about them. It is about empowering them, supporting their ideas, and providing the right tools and the appropriate incentives to support their leadership and responsibility to sustain further progress on their own. This, I believe, is what United States foreign assistance must be all about. From the highest levels, this Administration has made an enormous commitment to development and transformation. President Bush has made and is keeping the commitment. In fact, total official development assistance, or ODA, provided by the United States for 2005 came to 27.5 billion dollars, a near tripling of ODA since 2001. But these vastly increased resources have also come with new responsibilities to focus on performance, results, and ultimately to define success as the ability of a nation to graduate from aid and become a full partner in international peace and prosperity. Two weeks ago, the White House released the 2006 United States National Security Strategy. I don't know how many of you have read the strategy. But one need not look too far beyond the headlines to know that USAID will play a crucial role in its success. Now, some have observed, with concern, that USAID is not often mentioned by name in the strategy. There is good reason. It is no longer about one agency or another, if it ever was. It is about the entire United States Government with the support of the American people becoming aligned and committed to advancing that National Security Strategy including its core foreign assistance components. There was once a time when outside of USAID and a few people on the Hill and a hand full of others, not many in the government really cared very much about foreign assistance. The good news is, foreign assistance is now a mainstream commitment of the United States Government, elevated to a national priority as a core part of the National Security Strategy and receiving large increases in resources. The bad news is for some, I fear, that foreign assistance is now a mainstream commitment of the United States Government. And therefore, in this new world, there is competition for ideas, approaches, resources, and positions of leadership in the control and implementation of foreign assistance resources and programs. USAID is no longer the only agency working in international development assistance. The simple fact is that with that change our historic entitlement to sit at the head of the table every time development is discussed is no longer automatic. The important question is, what are we going to do about it? I have often said that one thing in life that is continuous change. But change can be a lot like fire. Manage it, turn it to your advantage and you can bask in the warmth of its glow. Ignore it or manage it poorly and you will get burned. If someone is sitting in a canoe pointed upstream in the Potomac River with the objective of simply staying in the same spot, it is still necessary to paddle, otherwise the current will move the canoe backward down the river. If that person wants to move forward to make progress, then obviously they will have to paddle even harder. And I think this river metaphor describes quite clearly the context in which we currently find ourselves as an agency. Standing still, clinging to the way we have always done it, will not be an effective strategy. In our current environment, we must embrace change or risk being rendered less relevant by the forces of change. There is no going back, but there is clearly a very positive and exciting and energizing way forward. We, at USAID, have a vital contribution to make characterized by our unparalleled expertise and experience. And because of what we do, we will have a seat at the table. But instead of owning the realm as was once the case when no one else much cared, the current environment and proliferation of actors in international development demand that we earn a leadership role on the basis of our competence, our creativity, and our commitment to shared goals and not merely on the basis of our history. Our leadership role will not be the result of our entitlement. It will be the result of our performance. Questions have been raised as to whether the President and the Secretary's foreign assistance reform initiative is, in effect, simply a disguised takeover of USAID by the Department of State. Secretary Rice, herself, told you when she last visited, such an objective has never been on her table, nor is it part of some hidden agenda. Rather, our future as an agency is in our own hands. The question is, what will we do to shape that future? I believe strongly that success in the United States efforts to promote an international community of peace and prosperity is simply not possible without a vibrant USAID. If I did not believe that, let me assure you, I would not be standing here today. But we must continue to earn our leadership role every day by the continual demonstration of the value that we add to the achievement of what has become a core priority of our entire government. And we have an enormous opportunity. For one thing, I would remind you that under this new arrangement, the person who is concurrently administrator of USAID has a significantly strengthened role from that of past administrators, one that extends well beyond this agency. It is a role that includes a seat the broader foreign policy and foreign assistance table as the Director of Foreign Assistance with the rank of Deputy Secretary of State. And as the Director of Foreign Assistance, it will be my responsibility to help ensure that U.S. Government agencies delivering foreign assistance are not working at cross purposes. That, in fact, we are taking advantage of every agency's comparative strengths to create a U.S. Government program that is effective and makes the most efficient use of taxpayer dollars. Strengthening the U.S. Government's commitment to long term results oriented development will require changes and the unique talents of state and USAID and the MCC and the Office of the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator and all the rest. Coherent, comprehensive plans must replace fragmented programs. And the United States must and will promote greater ownership and greater responsibility on the part of host nations and their citizens. One of the most important lessons learned by me over the course of my tenure at the emergency plan was the incredible impact that the U.S. Government can have when it does speak with one voice. On a country level the fact that U.S. Government agencies speak from the same page, implement one strategy and monitor results in the same way, vastly increases responsiveness from both government and non governmental partners and thereby vastly increases effectiveness. That success was never about suppressing one U.S. Government agency over another, but about better aligning all of our efforts so that none could divide and conquer among us by taking advantage of our own U.S. Government fragmentation to get out from under the need to perform. USAID's voice and influence are critical to the success of American foreign policy in the era that lies before us. And as we move forward, that is where our focus must remain on the future, not on the past. Together, we can strengthen this organization. Again, if I did not believe that, I would not have taken this job. But the challenges that remain are not mine alone to address. They are ours to solve together. One of the things I admired most about Andrew Natsios' leadership was that he was and is a champion of the agency and an advocate for what USAID does best. I, too, will be a champion of this agency. But my effectiveness in that role will depend on large part on what we can achieve together. The time when only a hand full of people recognized the value of development has long passed. From world leaders to rock stars to elementary school children, people are aware, like never before, of the challenges facing the developing world and the way those challenges affect not just those suffering but the entire global economy and security and prosperity that we seek. Some may choose to put their energies into resisting the changes that have brought development into the mainstream of American foreign policy and the consequences that have resulted. That is not a path that holds any interest for me. And I hope it does not for you. Rather, let us put our energies into finding new and more effective ways to work together in a strategic way, and not just with one another and the traditional development community, but with all of those who share our vision of development that brings about lasting change. If we do, the uncommon results we attain will be USAID's enduring legacy of our time. Thank you very much. [Applause.] AMBASSADOR TOBIAS: And now I will be happy to take your questions. Let me just remind everyone logistically that because we are both televising and taping this, it's very important that you wait until you get the microphone because even if I can hear you people out there, around the world, are not going to hear your question. I get paid by the question, so-- [Laughter.] [Applause.] MR. KURTZ: Brian Kurtz, I'm the MCA Secretary to the PPC. I would just, I hope it's not too flippant, but I would just ask you if you saw a moose on the table of AID as you take over your current responsibilities, how would you describe it? AMBASSADOR TOBIAS: Well, I do see one or two. I tried to put a couple on the table there in my comments. But I think, quite frankly, one of the things that I have sensed from the 40 or so briefings I have had, but beyond that from my broader contact with USAID people over the last two and-a-half years is that for reasons that I understand I think most, if not all of you, understand, this is an agency that culturally behaves as if it's on the defensive. This is an agency that needs to get on the offensive. I don't think people have a clue what this agency has accomplished. And I'm not talking about over its decades of history. I'm talking about in recent time, the things that are going on around the world today from the response to the tsunami and the earthquake to the things that I'm very familiar with HIV AIDS to education and women's rights and economic development and agriculture and all across the spectrum. And I think somehow we have to find a better way of telling that story. But I think one of the reasons people seem to act like that feel defensive is because there seem to be so many in comings from a variety of directions. We need to believe in ourselves and we need to believe in what we can achieve. I believe in you. I hope you will believe in me. And I hope, together, we can really demonstrate what this agency is capable of doing. [Applause.] MS. GRIGSBY: Carol Grigsby, Bureau for Africa. Ambassador Tobias, you referred to your broader role as Director of Foreign Assistance. And I'm sure a lot of us here are curious about some of the ways that you see yourself implementing that role beyond your role as Aid Administrator. Thank you. AMBASSADOR TOBIAS: Thank you. One of the things that I will begin to do in the weeks ahead is to begin to put together the Office of the Director of Foreign Assistance. We've begun the process of notifying the Congress. It's very important to work very closely with the Congress. People on the Hill have lots of interest and lots of ideas and a number of people who care very deeply about foreign assistance. And I want to reach out and partner with them as we think about the ways in which we will be going forward. But my intent is to bring together a group of people from, initially from both USAID and from State who are the people who are currently in those two organizations working on issues of policy, planning, budgeting, and monitoring and evaluation but doing those things separately. USAID and State represent approximately 80 percent of the foreign assistance dollars appropriated by the Congress. And we need to get those activities more closely aligned. And I think the way to start doing that is to put a common process together. And then, I have in mind putting together a new approach to the way we do the planning and the budgeting so that we're setting strategic direction on a country-by-country or region-by-region basis, and in some cases it will be both because there are parts of the world where regional relationship may, kind of, trump country situations. But that we will put together a clear picture of why do we want to be involved with foreign assistance in that country. What are the United States objectives in working with that country from a foreign assistance point of view. And then, if we can identify what those objectives are, what are the ways in which foreign assistance can help advance those objectives. So that we are certain that the things that we are actually doing on the ground are, in fact, driven by our strategic objectives. And, again, I want to share this in a very open and transparent way, not only with those in State and USAID who are involved, but with the Hill and with others in the Administration who have an interest in this. So that we are all together with a common point of view about where we are trying to go. We are deeply at work in trying to define exactly how that will all work. But that is the direction we are heading. Now, I want to make another point that I think is very important for everybody to understand. When I was asked during the confirmation hearings how many people I thought would be in the staff of the Director of Foreign Assistance, I said that I doubted that if we were talking about new positions it would exceed half a dozen. I still believe that's probably about the right number. But the total staff is probably going to total something in the range of 80 to 100 people. But these are 80 to 100 people or positions who are currently doing these kinds of things but doing them in fragmented ways that if we can bring them together, I think we can really have a much more coherent approach to what we're doing. Dennis? MR. CARROLL: Dennis Carroll, from the Bureau For Global Health. Not to undercut your salary options, exactly the same question. So I'm not going to have one to offer. MS. WRIGHT: Hello, I'm Susan Wright [ph.] from Global Health. And I guess mine is a follow-up question as well. I'm interested in your perception of the role of mission directors and mission teams in shaping that strategy and devising the program. Thank you. AMBASSADOR TOBIAS: Well, I think, I think mission directors and mission teams will have a critical role in this, very much as they have had in the President's Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief. I do think it is important, however, that we provide the tools and the mechanisms to allow us all to think more strategically than perhaps we have. And a strategy has to be something more than simply adding up the pieces and whatever they add up to is our strategy. Again, we need to decide what is it we are trying to achieve. And then we need to say to our people on the ground in the various countries where we are working, okay, this is the left side of the road and this is the right side of the road and this is where we're going. Now, you may wish this wasn't where we're going. I mean, maybe you'd like for us to be going over here or over here, but this is where we're going. Now, within those boundaries and with expectations of budgets that we think we will be able to make available to you, what is the best way in your country to get these things accomplished. Because the people on the ground are the ones that not only have the best local knowledge of what's going to work and what's not going to work and how to do it, it's very important to always keep in mind that it's not about us. It's about them. And the people on the ground are the people who are working with the host countries. And it has to be their strategy because ultimately they're going to own it. So I think that the role of mission directors and others on the ground is critically important in the way in which we will go forward. MS. SCHNENCK-YGLESIAS: Catherine Schnenck-Yglesias in the Office of HIV AIDS. Do you consider the way that strategic information and results reporting for the President's Emergency Plan has been successful and would that be a model for U.S. AID in general? AMBASSADOR TOBIAS: Well, I think, again, one of the things that I have observed over the past two and-a-half years and has come out repeatedly in the briefings and in my conversations with a number of you who have become my friends over time, I think one of the real shortcomings of the agency is our capability in information--in the ability to have at our hands the information that we need not only for our own use, but to make available to people who have a perfect right to know what we're doing and how we are doing it. And I have heard too many anecdotal stories about instances where someone from the Hill, or elsewhere, had a question that required information from what one would hope would be a database that required seeking that information, you know, kind of one at a time from the field and processing it here and so forth. And that's enormously time consuming and enormously expensive. And so when I talk about monitoring and evaluation, I'm really talking more broadly about having fulsome tools in place that will enable us to do that. Now, that's at a time when money is in short supply, when there are lots of other pressures. So, you know, nobody ever said any of this is going to be easy. But I think we are in something of a catch 22 here in that in order to gain the confidence of those upon whom we must depend for financial resources, we need to be more responsive to the information needs. And I'm talking not only about the Congress, I'm talking about support from the American public. But I'm talking, in this instance, importantly about the Congress. But we also need that information in order to effectively be able to make informed decisions. So I think that has to be a very high priority. MR. SPIELER: Ambassador Tobias, this is Jeff Spieler from the Bureau for Global Health. And it looks like the Bureau for Global Health is asking a lot of questions. I have a few practical questions to ask you. As you pointed out, this is the first time we have an administrator who has a much broader mandate than our previous administrators. So can you tell us a little bit about how you're going to spend your time when you are in Washington? Will you be spending time in the Aid office or will you be mostly at State? Secretary Rice told us that she is still--whoever will replace you as the global coordinator will be reporting to her, but given that you're managing all foreign assistance in HIV AIDS funding as foreign assistance, will you be managing that office? Another practical question relates to research. I've been somewhat disappointed that research has a minimal role, if any, within the emergency plan. And I can understand some of the reasons for that. But I'd love to get your views on research to solve global problems. And finally, I'd love to get your view on gender balance in your administration. [Laughter.] AMBASSADOR TOBIAS: My views on what? I assume that you, too, are being paid by the question. [Laughter.] AMBASSADOR TOBIAS: Well, it's a very good question and one that is going to take a little time to sort out. But let me tell you kind of what I have in mind. I expect to be, on those days that I am in Washington, and I expect to spend a lot of time not in Washington, but on those days that I am in Washington, I expect to begin my days at the State Department as Andrew did on Monday, Wednesdays and Fridays, at least, because Secretary Rice has a staff meeting in one form or another first thing in the mornings. I then expect to stay at the State Department for some period of time in the mornings to do whatever I need to do with that hat on. And then I expect to come over here and be over here for the balance of the day. And my only reason for doing it in that order is because I just think it's more efficient use of time to not start here, go over there, and come back over here. Someone asked me a question this morning along these same lines and made the observation I thought quite accurately that when you are responsible for leading large groups of people, if they don't see you, you don't exist. I think that's right. And I hope you will take it as a signal of my intent that I am here today, having been sworn in on Friday afternoon. I hope that signals what I believe to be the appropriate priority of communicating with the people in this organization. Andrew had a number of vehicles that he used from periodic town hall meetings to brown bag lunches to a variety of things. I intend to continue most, if not all of those, and try to find more. You will also probably find me wandering around the halls because I have always believed in managing by wandering around because I just think it makes a more informal opportunity to talk to people about the things that they are doing. I've run lots of organizations large and small. And one thing that has been a constant in all of them, they are only as good and only as effective as the people who make them up. If you're in the private sector and you can find a way to attract and retain people who are better than your competitor's people, you will win. If you can't, you will lose. And I believe that is true about what we are doing here except winning and losing is measured in lives and progress in the kinds of objectives we have in the field. And so you're not going to find any more ardent supporter of all of you than the administrator because that's the only way we're going to get done and make progress the things that we need to do. I've forgotten what your follow-on question is? MR. SPIELER: Gender. AMBASSADOR TOBIAS: Gender. I'm not exactly sure what your question is. I will tell you that in putting together-- [Laughter.] MR. SPIELER: One lady on the stage. [Laughter.] AMBASSADOR TOBIAS: I can tell you that in putting my, the initial staff together in the Office of Director of Foreign Assistance, I walked into a conference room last week to find eight people sitting there. And I felt compelled to make the comment that I really believe in gender diversity and I was the only male in the room. So I am a big believer in diversity of all kinds, gender diversity. And the reason is, if we all look alike and think alike and act alike, we are likely to have the same viewpoints on the issues of the day. And the best way to get the most wholesome exchange of ideas is the degree to which we don't, we aren't that way. And I-- [Laughter.] AMBASSADOR TOBIAS: And I take your point. [Applause.] AMBASSADOR TOBIAS: The reason that was a little slow for me. See, I'm looking at you and you're looking up here. MR. WILLIAMS: Ambassador Tobias, my name is Lawrence Williams. I am the President of American Federation of Government Employees--I'm sorry, the Union here at USAID. And my question actually as stolen now because my question was on diversity. As a member of Blacks in Government and as a 35 year career employee in this agency, I'd asked to become part of the diversity team that was set up under the previous administrator, myself, the AFGE and [inaudible], we were told that we couldn't be a part of the team. And I thought it was very important. And I know we sort of laughed when the gentleman asked about gender. But it's something very serious. I mean, you can see from the group up on the stage that it is a very serious issue in the agency. And I really think and would like for your opinions on how serious you are about making some changes around here so that group is more reflective of the group that you see sitting out here? AMBASSADOR TOBIAS: Well, I'm not interested in standing in judgment of the group that's here. But I really said what I really believe about diversity of all kinds. If you read my bio, you'll see some facts. There is a fact that I'm very proud of that I want to point out. In one of my private sector experiences in the same year I was recognized by Business Week Magazine for something that had more to do with the measurable bottom line success of the enterprise I was running. But what was really important to me, and I think was very related to the first point, is that in that very same year I was named as CEO of the year by Working Mother Magazine because I had done a number of things to try to address how do we get, at that point in time, how do we attract working women into the work force by addressing the needs that people have in their entire lives. Now, you know, I don't want to dwell on that. I just want to make the point that this organization, again, is only going to be as good as the people that we have here and the diversity that organization represents is one of those components. So that is something I am very interested in. And besides that, it's the right thing to do. [Applause.] MS. SAMBUNARIS: My name is Georgia Sambunaris. I'm in the Office of Economic Growth. And Mr. Ambassador, thank you for an excellent speech and welcome. I was wondering, given the severity of the programs and the human condition in many of the countries that we are targeting to work in, whether you feel that human rights will be a growing area of emphasis within AID, and also the role of the--I would like your views on the role of the private sector and how you feel about corporate social responsibility in helping us to treat the human condition. AMBASSADOR TOBIAS: Well, an important part of the President's agenda is the promotion of freedom and democracy. And human rights is a very important element of all of that. So I think it is very high on the list. I think we need to engage the private sector in a variety of ways, whether it relates to what they may be doing in their activities on the ground in countries where we are working, as well as the role that the private sector can play as countries move through the spectrum of progress and get to the point where the kinds of things that we do in traditional development grants are really, maybe at a point where things that we can do to encourage private investment may offer a broader opportunity. I also think that the reality is that foreign assistance budgets have increased dramatically in the last few years and are not likely, or I don't think we should bet on the fact that they're going to continue to grow. So I think we need to get real creative about how we can accomplish our objectives using other peoples' money. So to the degree that we can reach out in all kinds of partnering ways to leverage other peoples' activities and other peoples' money are important. I can give you one very brief example of co-investment that we have done in the HIV AIDS program where, for example, a company in South Africa has built a clinic for purposes of taking care of the HIV AIDS positive employees that they have and the families of those employees and to do testing and treatment and so forth. Okay. Using that as the starting point, by partnering with them and investing some amount of money, in order to expand those facilities and then agreeing that we would then be able to utilize those facilities to treat and take care of the community at large, is a lot cheaper on a per person basis than if we had started from a blank sheet of paper, so to speak. So I think there are a lot of things that are being done and can be done. I think it's a very important to pursue. MS. BOSTIC: I'm Ebony Bostic, and I am the India desk officer. I'd like to say that I'm very happy that you made it through the confirmation process. My question is about earmarks. As you probably know, our budget is heavily earmarked. And I was wondering if you could speak a little bit about your thoughts on the earmark system and if you have any plans to adjust them? AMBASSADOR TOBIAS: Well, there are earmarks and then there are earmarks. I think that we do ourselves and the Congress a disservice by simply permitting ourselves to think, as it's easy to do, that if money that we would spend on some program if left to our own devices is good, but that same money being spent because it's an earmark is bad. So I think we need to sort through those things that are earmarked and determine what are the things that really don't make sense. I think we also need to understand the people who were responsible for putting those earmarks in place, what was their motivation. Why did they feel the need to do that? And what are the things that we can, perhaps, do to work more effectively with Congress going forward to explain the benefits to all involved to have greater flexibility. But I take the view that we have to earn that and that through our performance I believe that we can. And I believe that people on the Hill, for the most part, are very anxious and willing to work with us in doing that. And, again, it ties back to some earlier discussion we had about having the data to be able to promptly and accurately answer questions and to do everything that we can do as transparently as possible. Well, again, let me simply repeat how honored I am to be here today and to be here in this role. I recently had my 64th birthday. I have nine grandchildren. I have lots of things in life that I could be doing at this stage in my life, but that's not what I want to be doing. And I am here because I want to be here with you and the President and Secretary asked me to do this. And it is the honor of a lifetime, because I think we have an enormous opportunity here to take what has been built here over a long period of time by a lot of hard working people, including the 69 names that are down in the lobby of this building who have given their lives over time for what this agency stands for. I think we have an enormous opportunity here where a lot of things are in alignment, including the fact that the administrator has a bigger seat at the table than has ever been the case before. But with all of that goes a lot of responsibility and accountability. But if we all work together and we're all willing to do the things that are necessary, I think that we can write a very, very noble important next chapter. And I every much look forward to working with all of you. Thank you very much. |
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