Speeches Shim
From April 11-16, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Mark Green will travel to Lima, Peru to attend the Summit of the Americas.
While in Peru, he will also deliver a keynote address to the Young Americas Business Trust; celebrate an ongoing partnership with the Peruvian National Commission for Development and Life without Drugs (DEVIDA); meet with government officials and civil society representatives from around the hemisphere; and visit USAID alternative-development sites, where coca farmers receive support to shift to licit crops and connect to markets.
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United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Mark Green participated in the Summit of the Americas in Lima, Perú from April 12-14. In Lima, the Administrator joined Vice President Mike Pence in announcing nearly $16 million in humanitarian assistance for Venezuelans who have fled their country. Also in Lima, the Administrator delivered a keynote address at the Young Americans Forum, met with leaders from Venezuelan and Cuban civil society, and signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Peruvian Commission for Development and Life Without Drugs (DEVIDA) and the Peruvian Ministry of Economy and Finance. The Administrator also met with regional organizations to discuss the crisis in Venezuela, joined a Congressional delegation trip focused on coca eradication and promoting the cultivation of cacao as an alternative livelihood, and joined Acting Secretary of State John Sullivan for a meeting with leaders from the Member States of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).
To be clear, the humanitarian assistance that we are announcing today is not about politics. It is about helping the victims of a massive crisis. This aid is based upon need and need alone, because America will always stand with the hungry and the displaced.
Earlier this week, I was unable to attend the Civil Society and Social Actors meeting at the Summit of the Americas, an amazing gathering of representatives from over 30 organizations working to promote democracy, human rights and citizen-responsive governance in Latin America. Their work is important, and I am sorry I was not able to join them. To show my support, I wanted to share the remarks I prepared to deliver to the group.
USAID Administrator Mark Green, US Ambassador in Peru Krishna Urs, Prime Minister César Villanueva, Minister of Economy & Finance (MEF) David Tuesta, and the Executive Director of the National Commission for Drug-free Development and Life (DEVIDA) Carmen Masías, celebrated a “New Era of Partnership” between the United States and Peru in countering narco-trafficking.
Now, I know that among the world's political commentators, we have a number of pessimists these days, who see dark things. They seem to believe that progress is slowing down. They seem to believe that conflict and instability will dominate the world for some time to come, and some of them even suggest that democracy itself is in trouble. These same critics sometimes point to the number of young people today as a problem. There's a cause for concern.
After all, there are 1.8 billion young people in the world today. This is the largest youth population in history. They know that about 90 percent of young people live in developing countries. But you and I know, of course, that where the critics may see challenge, we see opportunity. With each motivated, active, and engaged young mind, we see the seeds of solution, innovation, and hope.
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