Speeches Shim
The Rohingya refugees from whom we just heard convey why we’re all here—we know how important it is to meet the needs of the Rohingya. The Government of Bangladesh has been integral to ensuring the safety and well-being of the Rohingya. I can’t overstate our gratitude. And we are thankful for our decades-long friendship with Bangladesh.
The United States will always support the people of Venezuela, and we look forward to celebrating freedom with them when they can finally heal from the nightmare that the Maduro regime has caused. History will judge us by how we act here and now. Which is why, in addition to the humanitarian assistance I’ve already mentioned, we’re also providing $128 million to support civil society, human rights, independent media, and the democratically elected National Assembly.
The Abraham Accords will unleash the full potential of millions of people who have previously not been able to share ideas, visit each other, and build a more hopeful world. The participating nations will be able to prosper together through trade and shared innovation. They will work together to advance developments in water engineering, energy, health care, agriculture and infrastructure. And they will pursue together larger opportunities for regional cooperation and stability. Nations once sworn to Israel’s destruction now accept her as a neighbor and as a friend. We at USAID are eager to help Israel and its new diplomatic partners bring the fruits of peace to emerging markets.
It is my distinct honor to be here today as we launch the Democracy Strengthening in Zambia project. Voter registration, voter education, free and fair elections are not just top line policies to be pursued. They are also very near and dear to my heart. The United States Government applauds both the UNDP in their undertaking of this effort and the Electoral Commission of Zambia for their commitment to openly work with UNDP and other key stakeholders for the betterment of the country as we approach the general elections in 2021.
Trafficking survivors and the interagency are key partners in the fight against human trafficking, from organized crime in places like Libya and Nigeria, to alleged state-sponsored trafficking in Cuba. That is why we are revising our policy on Countering Trafficking in Persons, or C-TIP, to further bring our key partners into our work. With the revised policy coming in January of 2021, USAID will bring trafficking survivors and State Department colleagues into our technical and selection committees, providing survivors with the opportunity to inform policies and programs that directly affect them.
USAID is well-positioned to support and leverage the $75 billion of investment that DFC will catalyze for critical development challenges, including COVID-19 recovery. We establish the architecture for long-term, flourishing investment climates that support economic resilience and enable DFC and private sector investments to thrive. Our programs support local businesses, and we help countries create the conditions for private investment and growth. We strengthen food security among the poorest households, and we broaden economic opportunities for people in their own countries. USAID promotes good governance and accountable institutions as key building blocks for an investment climate that is attractive.
We have seen great progress in our efforts to expand access to sustainable water, sanitation, and hygiene over the years. We are proud of these results. And I had the chance to see some of this progress last November when I visited Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh. I saw how that community is improving its sanitation through educational events that encourage good hygiene practices among all community members. It was terrific to watch some of the children demonstrate in a play what they had learned about handwashing directly from USAID programming.
The US. Agency for International Development – or USAID – works closely with the Ministry of Environment and other partners to protect Cambodia’s natural resources. We address the causes of deforestation, land encroachment, and biodiversity loss in the Eastern Plains landscape in Mondulkiri province and the Prey Lang Landscapes in Preah Vihear, Kampong Thom, Kratie, and Stung Treng provinces. Our work emphasizes the participation of communities, youth, students, civil society organizations, and government officials to effectively manage the country’s natural resources in a sustainable manner. Supporting this event is an important part of USAID’s environment strategy.
USAID has helped HPCs regulate health professions in Cambodia over the past seven years. The USAID ASSIST Project, for example, was established in partnership with the five HPCs and the Ministry of Health to strengthen health profession regulation in Cambodia between 2014 and 2018. That project also supported the development of the HPC National Strategic Plan 2015–2020.
USAID has gathered all of you together with the belief that your diverse perspectives will make for lively and productive dialogue that in turn will inform our own programs. As we wind down the summit, it’s time to take what you have heard and discussed this week and share your conclusions with us. As you provide your feedback, please bear in mind the 3Ps framework we’ve created to collect, distill, and integrate your inputs. The insights you provide will give us the evidence base we need to develop policy, practices, and principles to help USAID integrate strategic religious engagement more effectively into our work.
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