Speeches Shim
[As Prepared]
Good morning, everyone. I’d like to thank the Caspian Policy Center for organizing today’s discussion. Thank you for having me.
For more than 25 years, USAID has partnered with the people of the Caspian region to accelerate their countries’ development, promote stability, and foster regional connectivity and cooperation.
America’s goal is to build friendships that are mutually beneficial and mutually respectful. We seek friends who share our values and want to be our strategic partners. Israel and India are inspiring success stories of our foreign assistance aim -- to raise our friends to self-sustaining prosperity and sovereignty.
Today we celebrate 60 years of democratic governance for the Tibetan people. This is truly a remarkable achievement, and is a testament to the strength and resilience of the people of Tibet.
Despite being scattered across the globe, Tibetans have perfected, advanced, and importantly—preserved—their democracy over the decades. But they have done so often under extreme hardship and life-threatening adversity.
USAID is proud to support these civic tech tools developed as part of the One Window for Citizens project or OW4C. This project is a three-year effort that uses technology to provide Cambodian citizens clear, transparent information on public services available to them through the government’s One Window Service Offices. We understand that technology alone is insufficient to achieve impact. We know that we need to work directly with communities to provide information on public services as well as social accountability measures such as the community scorecard. In its first year, the project works in Battambang but will expand to Banteay Meanchey and Siem Reap in its second and third years.
The U.S. alliance with Guatemala is an important one that spans decades. To see participation from the highest levels of the Guatemalan government here highlights the importance of this partnership. Whether it’s addressing the COVID-19 pandemic....giving youth the skills they succeed in the workforce…strengthening the justice system....or making sure families can feed their children...the United States is committed to helping the Government build a bright future for all Guatemalans.
The state of faith-based activism in Latin America — particularly in Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela — ties together two important topics that are high on the Administration’s, and therefore USAID’s, priority list. First, the preservation of religious freedom. And second, defeating the tyranny that exists in these three countries.
Seventeen years ago today, 22 humanitarians died in a bombing in Baghdad. World Humanitarian Day commemorates their sacrifice and recognizes the courage of all humanitarians who risk their lives every day to help others. Unfortunately, attacks on humanitarians have only increased since last – since then. Last year was the most violent year on record with at least 483 aid workers that were killed, injured, or kidnapped. And in the last month alone, humanitarian staff working with USAID partners in Niger, South Sudan, Cameroon, and Nigeria lost their lives while helping people in need.
Support for faith-based organizations has long been one of USAID's policy priorities, not only in the Middle East region but around the world. Working with these types of organizations with extensive on-the-ground contacts and expertise is part of a new strategy that USAID is undertaking. In 2019, we launched our new partnership initiative, what we call NPI, in Northern Iraq. It was the first time USAID has worked directly with local groups in nearly 20 years. We were looking for ways to expand similar programming and grow our partnerships with civil society groups and faith-based organizations across the region, including Lebanon.
Women’s economic empowerment has long been a priority at USAID. We believe that in order for societies to be more peaceful and prosperous, women must be able to fully participate in the global economy. Some of the biggest returns on investment on behalf of the American people result from investments in women’s economic empowerment. Empowering women spurs broader economic growth, stymies extreme poverty, and ultimately contributes to global peace and stability.
Similarly, USAID recognizes that private enterprise is the most powerful engine for lifting people out of poverty. That’s why engaging the private sector is so important. Bringing private capital to the table is the best solution to achieve sustained impact long after USAID’s support has ended.
As you may have heard, the United States Government so far has provided more than $18 million in humanitarian assistance from USAID and the U.S. Department of Defense to aid the people of Lebanon. This funding brings the total humanitarian assistance provided by the American people in Lebanon to nearly $594 million over the last year and a half. While in Beirut, I got an initial assessment from our disaster assistance response team, who is leading the U.S. Government’s humanitarian response in this case on the critical needs. Priority needs include food, health, and shelter. The explosions left approximately 2,500 homes uninhabitable, damaged or destroyed more than a dozen hospitals and health centers, disrupted food imports at the port, and destroyed shops and businesses that families have relied on for generations for their livelihoods. I had the honor of speaking with some of the people affected when I visited the Port of Beirut, the site of destruction. I met first responders who lost colleagues who were on the site when the second explosion occurred.
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