[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 44, Number 38 (Monday, September 29, 2008)]
[Page 1247]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks Following a Meeting on Food Security in New York City

September 23, 2008

    Today Laura and I and Condi and other members of the administration 
are really honored to be at a table with folks from the private sector 
and the public sector and NGOs who are all concerned about hunger.
    The United States has made a very strong and powerful commitment to 
help those who need food. We've committed about $5 billion of taxpayers' 
money over the next 2 years to make sure people don't go hungry. And 
it's our interest that we do that. On the other hand, it is also in our 
interest to promote a second Green Revolution.
    And how do you do that? Well, you use good science to get farmers in 
sub-Sahara Africa, for example, the tools necessary to be able to deal 
with the conditions in which they have to farm. You use government aid 
to build infrastructure so farmers can get products to market. You have 
good trade policy so that farm goods can travel freely across national 
borders. You have good agricultural policy that--combined with good 
trade policy, which reduces the subsidies that sometimes make it hard 
for, you know, indigenous farming communities to take off. You have--
promote value-added processing.
    And so this is the strategy that's being discussed here at this 
table. The United States is a compassionate nation. When citizens around 
the world suffer, we suffer with them. We're a strong enough nation to 
help people in our own country who are having trouble, but we're also 
strong enough to help others as well. And a cornerstone of good foreign 
policy and a good compassionate philosophy is making sure that people 
don't go hungry.
    And so I thank you all very much for sharing that passion. I thank 
you for the leadership roles you have taken. And may the Good Lord 
continue to bless your work. Thank you.

Note: The President spoke at 10:57 a.m. at the Millennium U.N. Plaza 
Hotel. In his remarks, he referred to Secretary of State Condoleezza 
Rice.