United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Deputy Administrator Bonnie Glick traveled to The Netherlands to participate in the Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES).

Today at the Woodrow Wilson Center, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), in partnership with impact-investment firm Circulate Capital, made substantial commitments to attract private capital and the development of new businesses in South and Southeast Asia. USAID announced a $35 million, 50-percent loan-portfolio guarantee with Circulate Capital that will help mobilize outside private investment to combat plastic pollution in oceans throughout the Indo-Pacific region.

The Global Entrepreneurial Summit brings together entrepreneurs and business leaders, as well as government leaders, from all over the world. The United States is proud to sponsor it, and I couldn't think of a better location than The Netherlands. We've got such a long-standing partnership of almost 400 years -- one of the most entrepreneurial countries in the world, and really, an example for many of us on competitiveness and economic growth, and also, empowering of women.

On Wednesday, June 5, Counselor Chris Milligan of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) will participate in a discussion at the Wilson Center. The Counselor will highlight USAID's use of blended finance to address ocean plastic pollution, including the role private sector partnerships and investments are playing to address the growing threat to the world's environment and economy. Joining Counselor Milligan will be speakers from Circulate Capital, Procter & Gamble, Dow, and Ocean Conservancy.

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) hosted a workshop in Erbil, in the Iraqi Kurdistan region, on May 14, 2019, to discuss USAID’s New Partnership Initiative (NPI) with 30 local and faith-based Iraqi organizations.

U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Deputy Administrator Bonnie Glick will travel to The Hague, in the Kingdom of the Netherlands, June 2-5, 2019. She will participate in the 9th annual Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES), the pre-eminent annual business gathering that convenes 2,000 global leaders in entrepreneurship, innovation, investment, and policy.

I believe we are at a crossroads moment in the campaign for democracy of which Ronald Reagan spoke. Authoritarians have new tools and tactics they are deploying to bend elections and snuff out the voices of the people. For years, the democracy community, represented here, has been a quiet lifeline that has kept the flame of democracy alive, despite the shadows that have too often crossed our paths. The shadows are darker in some parts of the world these days. And so, we have to figure out our own tools and tactics for shining a hopeful light. The next Guaido, the next Abiy, those priests in Nicaragua, so many brave souls; they're counting on us. They're counting on us to stand with them. They're counting on us to work with them and they're counting on us to remain a lifeline, a beacon of hope.

I look forward to the ideas brought forward today in this working group. I look forward to your input to help guide us. We are at a crossroads moment. Crossroads moments imply choices. And, I think we have key choices to make. Thank you.

U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Mark Green visited Panamá City, Panamá on May 15. The Administrator met with the Foundation for the Refugee Education Trust (RET), a USAID partner that is helping to strengthen the resilience of schools in Panamá by working with national and local education ministries to institutionalize and improve cooperation to prepare for natural disasters.

Press Availability following MoU signing with USAID Administrator Mark Green and Ecuadorian Foreign Minister José Valencia Amores